NCAA Division 3 Football Teams: High Academics, Great Athletics

NCAA Division 3 colleges are known for their smaller, more intimate campuses, strong emphasis on academics and ability to provide student-athletes with a very well-rounded college experience. NCAA Division 3 football teams are still very competitive, but athletes have the ability to create a more traditional college experience for themselves. Should you choose D1, D2, or D3 for a football college?

What is Division 3 football?

The National Collegiate Athletic Association governs the athletic programs of the colleges and universities classified as Division 3 institutions. Division 3 schools are typically smaller colleges, with the median enrollment rate at about 2,750, but they can range from 418 to more than 38,000 students. Division 3 is the largest of the NCAA division levels, with 450 member institutions. The level of competition for NCAA Division 3 football teams is generally lower than Division 1, Division 2 and NAIA schools, but that will vary from school to school. However, Division 3 football is still highly competitive, and athletes can expect to play at a level much higher than in high school. All you need to know about Notre Dame football recruiting.

Do Division 3 schools offer football scholarships?

While NCAA Division 3 football teams don’t offer athletic scholarships, they have plenty of other scholarship opportunities students can take advantage of. In fact, most student-athletes at Division 3 schools benefit from some form of financial aid. From academic scholarships, to need-based and merit scholarships, there are plenty of ways to help pay for your education if you have the grades and the resume to back it up. Find out more about college football recruiting news.

How many Division 3 football teams are there?

There are 250 NCAA Division 3 football teams in the United States. The D3 football conferences are as follows: ASC, CCC Football, CCIW, Centennial, ECFC, Empire 8, HCAC, IIAC, Independent, Liberty, MAC, MASCAC, MIAA, MIAC, MWC, NACC, NCAC, NESCAC, NEWMAC, NJAC, NWC, OAC, ODAC, PAC, SAA, SCIAC, UAA, UMAC, USA South, and WIAC.

Division 3 college football rankings 

Where can student-athletes go to research all 240+ four-year schools with D3 college football programs? NCSA’s Power Rankings rank the top D3 schools offering college football. To rank these institutions, we analyze the factors that have the most weight in the student-athlete’s college selection progress. These factors include size, location, academics, cost and more. Using this system, we’ve identified a list of the top D3 football schools.

1. University of Chicago
2. Johns Hopkins University
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT
4. Amherst College
5. Washington & Lee University
6. Pomona-Pitzer Colleges
7. Washington University in St. Louis
8. Carnegie Mellon University
9. Case Western Reserve University
10. Tufts University

The NCAA also ranks these programs by their athletic performance. To see how the NCAA ranks these D3 programs, visit the NCAA website. 

To start exploring the wealth of NCAA Division 3 football schools across the country, use the following list of Division 3 football teams. Search by state, conference or school name.