By Andrea Emmons
When I first started at NCSA, I have to be honest and say that I was not familiar with the NAIA. I attended a division II college, and I know the feeling of “where is that college?” and “I have never heard of that!” Coming from a small college environment and truly enjoying my experience made me interested to learn more about this new division. Over the past few years I have had wonderful experiences placing girls with great NAIA programs, so I thought it would be good to share more about this division to those interested.
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is made up of colleges from around the United States. There are actually close to 300 institutions who are active NAIA members. While these institutions do tend to be smaller in enrollment size, that makes for small class sizes and a lot of personal attention. The athletics are well developed in over 25 conferences and have their own National Championships. NAIA colleges often compete against those in the NCAA as well.
The message of the NAIA is actually very unique and well-developed. It is called “Champions of Character”. This program is designed to teach parents, student-athletes and coaches the importance of athletics in development of character. The league considers this an educational program focused on values and respect. Every person is given the practical tools necessary to make an impact on their life. This is really valuable for today’s youth and can be the perfect direction for many student-athletes.
As an athlete, one of the best things about the NAIA is that they offer athletic scholarships similar to DI and DII in the NCAA. We know that every athlete would love to get a scholarship! For volleyball, the NAIA allows up to 12 scholarships. Keep in mind that each college will differ in how they allocate their funds. Just because the NAIA allows for scholarships, the institutions are not obliged to fully fund the program. According the NAIA website, over 90% of their member institutions offer athletic aid.
A unique aspect of the NAIA is the difference in recruiting compared to the NCAA. The NAIA has far less recruiting rules, dates, and deadlines. They are very similar to a DIII institution in regards to regulations. An NAIA coach is allowed to contact a student-athlete directly at anytime during high school. That means they are even allowed to make phone calls. This relaxed method allows for a much smoother recruiting process and is designed to help the student-athlete feel completely comfortable with their decision. You are also able to transfer from NAIA to NAIA institution without the penalty of academic year in residence.
A key point to be aware of though is the academic requirements. The NAIA does require you to have a two out of three academic requirements which are: SAT/ACT minimums (860, 18), GPA (2.0+), Class Rank (Top 50%). Unlike DI and DII, you do not have to register with the NCAA eligibility center with this division.
The strongest region in volleyball tends to be California, which constantly dominates the top ten list with programs such as Cal Baptist, Fresno Pacific, Biola, Azusa Pacific and Concordia to name a few. The Northwest and Midwest regions also tend to be strong.
The NAIA is a great option that athletes should consider if they are looking for a supportive, competitive, small college environment. If you are interested in learning more about the NAIA, we encourage you check out their website at: www.naia.org.
Source: http://naia.cstv.com/
