Women's Track & Field

Track & Field
Scholarships

Track scholarships are available for collegiate track and field athletes at the NCAA Division 1 and 2 levels, as well as at NAIA, NJCAA and CCCAA colleges. Each division level has a set of criteria—known as scholarship standards—that athletes are required to meet in order to secure an athletic scholarship. Women’s track and field operates on an equivalency model, meaning coaches are given a maximum number of scholarships they can award. For example, in NCAA Division 1, the average team size is 33 athletes and coaches have 18 scholarships available (schools that aren’t fully funded have even less)

Division I Track & Field

NCAA Division I track and field colleges host the most elite collegiate programmes. Recruits are compromised of not only the best in their high-school/secondary school—or even the U.S.—but also include a mix of international student-athletes. In 2018, 226 roster spots at D1 track and field colleges went to international women’s track and field athletes—a 40% increase from 2013.

Student-athletes who are interested in competing at this level should be prepared physically and mentally for the time, commitment and pressures of being a DI athlete. These recruits train almost year-round in addition to their regular season—which for some programmes could be both indoors in the winter and outdoors in the spring—travel to meets and participate in mandatory academic study hours

Division II Track & Field

NCAA Division II track and field colleges have plenty to offer. Here are a few reasons they’re the top choice among more than 6,000 college-athletes:

Competitive athletic programmes. DII programmes offer highly competitive opportunities. In fact, top Division II track and field colleges typically have the same level of athletic talent as their DI counterparts.
Athletic scholarships. Division II track and field coaches can offer a maximum of 12.6 scholarships per team. With the average team being made up of 22 athletes, most coaches award partial scholarships to athletes.
A more balanced collegiate experience. Competing at one of the nation’s DII women’s track and field colleges is a huge commitment, but recruits will also find time to focus on their studies and have more free time outside of their sport.
Smaller campuses and classroom sizes. DII track and field colleges tend to be smaller than those at the DI level. This means smaller campuses, enrollments and classroom sizes. These schools offer a great fit for athletes who may be overwhelmed at large state schools or who need more academic support, such as one-on-one tutoring, in the classroom.

Division III Track & Field

Many prospective student / athletes are weary of considering DIII track and field colleges because they don’t offer athletic scholarships.

However, DIII colleges can offer financial packages based off a number of factors. One such factor is an academic based scholarship provided that the athlete has met the requirements needed. Test scores are one way of increasing the chances of securing financial aid through academics.

NAIA Track & Field

There are currently 173 NAIA track and field colleges that offer indoor, outdoor or both indoor and outdoor women’s track field programmes. Only 36 of these schools don’t have an NAIA women’s outdoor track and field team, and only compete indoors.

Indoor track and field teams compete in the winter season, while outdoor programmes operate during the spring. NAIA programmes are continuing on an upward trajectory in terms of competing with NCAA divisions such as DII and DIII

Junior College Track & Field

There are 272 women’s junior college track and field programs in the U.S. Several of these schools include a mix of indoor and outdoor track and cross-country programs, while some may only compete during the indoor or outdoor seasons. NJCAA track and field operates at the Division 1 and Division 3 levels