Men's Track & Field

Track & Field
Scholarships

Track & field sports are synonymous in Irish sports. Many athletes have been placed in some of the very best institutions globally by acquiring a top scholarship to the US. Like with other sports your athletic ability will be one of the main details a collegiate coach will look at when recruiting. While a recruit might meet the minimum D1 track and field standards, they might make more of an impact at a DII, DIII or NAIA college. Another plus of this is the fact that you could receive much more funding towards your scholarship. Prospective student / athletes can receive a full-ride or partial scholarship offer.

Division I Track & Field

For student / athletes looking to compete at the highest collegiate level and who have the skills to back it up, an NCAA Division 1 programme is probably the best choice. Recruits who compete at the NCAA D1 level are typically among the best-ranked athletes on a national or even international level as well. They don’t just regularly appear on track and field rankings, they top them.

For instance, out of 1,600+ high-school athletes ranked as the best 100m runners worldwide, only about 300 (about 18 percent) would qualify for an athletic scholarship at a top D1 track and field programme

Division II Track & Field

While D2 athletes still have a demanding schedule, it is not as intense or rigorous as the year-round commitment D1 athletes take on. Additionally, it’s not uncommon to see athletes who compete at top D2 track and field colleges have similar stats to those who compete at Division II colleges

Division III Track & Field

Similar to all sports that are regulated at DIII level within the NCAA, athletic scholarships are not available. However, there are still ways around this that can offer the athlete a great package that best suits them. Merit based scholarships can be awarded. One example of this would be an academic scholarship if the athletes test scores are of a certain standard and meet the required of the institution. Recent figures show that over 80% of DIII student / athletes receive some form of financial aid.

NAIA Track & Field

There are nearly 200 NAIA track and field colleges across the U.S. Of those, 149 schools offer men’s indoor track and field programmes, while 186 schools offer either an outdoor track and field programme or both indoor and outdoor programmes.

The level between NAIA, DIII and DII is getting narrower year on year. NAIA programmes offer a range of packages to prospective student / athletes

Junior College Track & Field

There are more than 100 junior colleges with track and field programmes in the U.S. 64 junior colleges offer indoor track and field programmes, while 105 offer outdoor track and field programmes.

Juniour colleges provide student / athletes a fantastic opportunity of showcasing their abilities with the hope of transferring to a DI or DIII programme after the completion of their two year programme in an NCJAA programme.