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NCAA Division I facts for kids

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National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

Division I is the highest level for college sports in the United States. It is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Schools in Division I usually have the biggest budgets. They also have the best sports facilities. These schools can offer more sports scholarships to their students. This is more than what schools in Division II and Division III can offer.

College sports teams in Division I are organized into groups called "conferences." A conference is a league where many schools compete against each other in different sports.

Football Conferences

Some conferences are mainly known for playing American football. These are split into two main groups:

Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)

The Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) is the top level of college football. Teams in this group play in special "bowl games" at the end of the season.

Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)

The Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) is another level of college football. Teams in this group compete in a playoff tournament to decide a national champion.

Some conferences only play football and no other sports:

Other Sports Conferences

Many Division I conferences offer a wide range of sports. Some focus on sports other than football.

Basketball Conferences

These conferences do not play football, but they do play basketball:

Specialized Sports Conferences

Some conferences focus on just one or two specific sports.

  • Coastal Collegiate Sports Association: This conference plays men's and women's swimming and diving. It also includes women's beach volleyball.
  • Mountain Pacific Sports Federation: This conference plays many different sports, but not football or basketball.

Ice Hockey Conferences

These conferences only play ice hockey:

The Big Ten is the only Division I conference that plays many sports and also has men's or women's ice hockey. It started a men's hockey league in the 2013–14 season.

Water Polo Conferences

These conferences only play water polo. They have both men's and women's leagues.

Wrestling Conferences

One conference competes only in wrestling:

  • Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association

Other Single-Sport Conferences

These conferences play only one sport:

  • Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (for rowing)
  • Pacific Coast Swim Conference (for swimming)

Sports Without Divisions

In some sports, the NCAA does not divide schools into different levels. This happens when only a small number of schools play that sport. So, conferences in these sports are not officially "Division I." However, most of the schools in these conferences are part of Division I for their other sports.

Men's Volleyball Conferences

These conferences only play men's volleyball. Women's volleyball, however, is split into divisions.

  • Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
  • Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association

Skiing Conferences

These conferences only compete in skiing:

  • Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association
  • Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association

Gymnastics Conferences

These conferences only compete in gymnastics:

  • Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League (for men's teams only)
  • Midwest Independent Conference (for women's teams only)
  • Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference (for women's teams only)

Rifle Shooting Conferences

These conferences only compete in rifle shooting:

  • Great America Rifle Conference
  • Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference
  • Patriot Rifle Conference

Fencing Conference

This conference only does fencing:

  • Midwest Fencing Conference

Bowling Conference

This conference only does bowling. Bowling is an NCAA sport only for women.

  • Southland Bowling League


Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: División I de la NCAA para niños

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