What does NAIA stand for?

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), are two separate governing bodies of college athletics.

Is D3 or NAIA better?

NAIA programs produce some elite athletes but as a whole is the less competitive than D1, D2 and D3 programs. Similar to D3 schools, if you're a competitive high school athlete and are looking to be a big fish in a small pond, NAIA programs may be perfect for you.

What does it mean when a college is NAIA?

• More than 250 colleges and universities and 21 conferences

• $600 million in scholarships. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics.

What does NAIA League stand for?

NAIA stands for National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. According to the NAIA's website, each year: 77,000+ NAIA student-athletes compete in college sports. $800 million is awarded in scholarship money.

Can NAIA athletes get paid?

Simply put, student-athletes can now receive compensation for their brand! An error occurred. Try watching this video on www.youtube.com, or enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser.

What is the NAIA?

Has anyone from the NAIA made it to the NBA?

Pippen would go on to win 6 championships alongside Michael Jordan. NAIA athletes have certainly made their mark on the NBA, but there have also been many NAIA alumni to go on to have MLB careers. Ben Zobrist, Ray King, Don Sutton and many more began their careers as NAIA athletes.

Has anyone from NAIA made the NFL?

Patrick Crayton, Derrick Ward, and Tyronne Gross are living the dream of the small school athlete. The three, from Northwestern Oklahoma State, Ottawa (Kan.)

Can you go from NAIA to d1?

Athletes transferring from an NAIA school to an NCAA Division 1 or Division 2 school will find that they have the strictest transfer rules. Because the transfer rules can be so complex, athletes need to work through their school's compliance office to make sure they check off all the required boxes.

Is it better to play NCAA or NAIA?

NAIA: The Right Choice for You

NAIA schools measure success not just by game scores, but by their financial bottom lines, too. Their NCAA counterparts spend an average of 60 percent more on athletics. “Moving from NCAA DIII to NAIA has had a significant impact on our enrollment.

Is NAIA football better than D2?

Today, top-level NAIA schools are like competing on an NCAA D2 team in terms of competition level. If you want to play sports and have a chance to do well in college, the NAIA may be your choice.

Can you play NAIA after 4 years of NCAA?

If you're a transfer student who has already used one or more of your four seasons of competition in college sports, you will need to show completion of the following before you can compete in your second, third, or fourth season: Second season: 24 semester/36 quarter total cumulative credit hours.

Does NAIA give scholarships?

If you're an athlete interested in financial aid in college, it's important to be aware that NAIA schools give athletic scholarships. While NAIA athletes have the potential of receiving full-ride scholarships, many NAIA athletic scholarships are only partial awards, leaving leftover financial need in many cases.

How many NAIA athletes are there?

For the 2023–24 season, it had 241 member institutions, of which two are in British Columbia, one in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the rest in the continental United States, with over 83,000 student-athletes participating. The NAIA, whose headquarters is in Kansas City, Missouri, sponsors 28 national championships.

Is the Ivy League D1?

Even with their impressively staffed and well-funded athletic programs, the Ivy League sports teams are frequently ignored in favor of the Big Ten or SEC conferences. However, all eight Ivy Leagues schools are in Division I, while the 16 Little Ivies fall into Division III sports.

How many NAIA schools are there?

The NAIA, headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of over 250 small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics.

How to transfer from NAIA to D3?

Transferring from an NAIA school

You may also write to any Division I or III school to request they ask your current NAIA school for a permission to contact, if necessary. If permission to contact is not granted, the new Division I or III school may not encourage the transfer.

How to transfer from NAIA to NCAA?

NCAA recruiting rules require any NAIA student-athlete wishing to contact an NCAA DI or DIII school to first obtain a “Permission to Contact” from their current NAIA school. If you are a current NAIA student-athlete, be sure to consult with the Director of Athletics at your NAIA school for your request when ready.

Is NAIA different than Juco?

How Junior/Community Colleges are Different from NCAA and NAIA Colleges. Compared to NAIA and NCAA, the junior and community college conferences are much smaller. These programs are only two years, offering athletes the ability to study and play for two years and then transfer to a four-year NAIA or NCAA program.

What is a full ride scholarship for NAIA?

Types of NAIA Athletic Scholarships:

Head Count scholarships are full-ride awards that cover the entire cost of attendance for a student-athlete. These scholarships are typically only available for sports where the NAIA has set limits on the number of scholarships that can be awarded, such as football and volleyball.

Can anyone play NAIA football?

To participate in athletics in the NAIA, you must be admitted to the college or university under admission standards equal to or higher than those applied to the general student body.

Can a D3 player transfer to D1?

There are many things to remember if you're transferring between divisions. If you're transferring from a D3 school to a D2 or D1 school, you must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. You don't need to contact the NCAA Eligibility Center if transferring to another D3 school.

What is the 24 36 hour rule for NAIA?

After completion of the second semester term or third quarter term of attendance and from then on, a student must have accumulated a minimum of 24 institutional credit hours in the two immediately pre- vious terms of attendance in a semester system or 36 institutional credit hours in the three immediately previous ...

Can NAIA players go pro?

Numerous players go pro from the NCAA D2, NAIA, & NJCAA each year. Your levels of exposure are higher at an NCAA D1 school, but that doesn't mean you cannot go pro from anything other than a D1 school, as many players have done so, and continue to do so.

What happened to NAIA 2023?

President Bongbong Marcos inspects Terminal 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport on January 6, 2023, following the aftermath of the airspace disruption. By the time service was partially restored, around 282 flights to or from NAIA were affected, 268 of which were cancelled.

Why play NAIA sports?

The Opportunity to Play

Our NAIA member colleges and universities give student-athletes the chance to compete and learn the ultimate benefits of teamwork and accomplishment. NAIA student-athletes experience what it means to be a championship-level competitor.