Sports in College

In high school, participating in sports is very common for students.  Think about it - consider your own life or that of some of your friends and classmates - chances are that you have friends who participate in a range of different sports.  Perhaps you even know someone who is striving for the Purple Blanket award by competing and earning multiple varsity letters throughout their high school career.

While this level of athletic participation is common at the high school level, only a small number of students will be able to compete at the varsity level in college.  Students planning to participate at the varsity level in college, will be looking at NCAA or NAIA colleges.  Athletic scholarships can be offered to students attending NCAA Division I or Division II colleges and NAIA colleges.  NCAA Division III colleges do not offer athletic scholarships for participation.

But that doesn't mean that athletic participation is over if you are not recruited to play a varsity sport in the future!  If sports are a significant aspect of your life, you do not have to give up on the joy of competing and playing.  Most colleges offer a variety of different ways that students can still have sports as a part of their lives in college even if they are not competing at the varsity level. 

Intramurals and Club sports are the two most common ways that most students will continue participating in athletics in college.  Intramurals provide a fun, light-hearted, chance to play.  Some schools will have a ton of intramural options such as lots of different sports (even including non-sports such as ultimate frisbee, dodgeball, quidditch, and inner-tube water polo) and other schools may have varying levels of competitiveness in the sports (such as a relaxed, a moderate, and a competitive basketball league).  Club sports are typically in between the competitiveness of intramurals and varsity sports.  Club teams typically have a coach, travel and compete against other teams at surrounding colleges.  There are lots of benefits to continuing your involvement in athletics in college such as allowing you to get exercise, make friends, relax and have fun. 

If being able to continue participating in a sport is important to you in college or if you are interested in exploring new athletic opportunities in college, be sure to include this as one of the factors you are considering when you explore schools.