NCSA makes the recruiting process so much easier.” – Colton P, Class of 2025
Your Complete List of Men’s Division 2 Wrestling Colleges
The best wrestlers at NCAA Division 2 wrestling colleges could easily compete at the Division 1 level. Wrestlers of this caliber may select a D2 school instead of D1 for either social or academic reasons. Division 2 wrestling colleges simply give a student-athletes more of a sense of balance between the social, academic, and athletic aspects of college. Variables that can impact a student-athlete’s decision to go D2 can be:
On average, Division 2 wrestling colleges require less training than in D1, which gives student-athletes more time for other pursuits off of the wrestling mat.
D2 schools have a range of student population sizes, and more than half of the schools have less than 3,000 students. Student-athletes that require a more involved learning process most likely can thrive in these types of institutions, compared to the huge lectures with hundreds of students that are staples of D1 schools.
Keeping a social life that balances with academics and athletics can be easily attained at D2 wrestling colleges. Wrestling will of course take up a lot of time, but D2 student-athletes will have the ability to be involved in activities on campus, unlike many D1 wrestlers.
How many Division 2 wrestling colleges are there?
The latest data shows there are 64 Division 2 wrestling programs. The scholarship limit for D2 colleges is 9.0, so full scholarships are extremely rare, and most received are partial scholarships. A wrestler who would be likely to reach top 10 at the D2 level, though, could potentially earn a full scholarship.
D2 wrestling rankings. Top Division 2 wrestling colleges.
NCSA puts together a Power Rankings list of best D2 wrestling colleges that take other variables impacting the college experience into account beyond just team performance. NCSA’s goal is to inform student-athletes and their families and help guide them to a decision that is best for them.
Colorado School of Mines
Maryville University
University of Indianapolis
Gannon University
San Francisco State University
Mercyhurst University
Augustana University – South Dakota
Ashland University
University of Findlay
Seton Hill University
To see the top Division 2 wrestling colleges, based only on the team’s rankings, check out the NCAA rankings.
