What’s the Difference Between Division Levels in College Volleyball? And Where Should You Focus?
D1 vs D2 vs D3 vs NAIA Explained by Recruiting Experts
Featuring insights from volleyball recruiting experts, Susan Forbes, Allison Roberts, and Cori Murphy
With so many college volleyball programs across the country, one of the biggest questions athletes face is where they fit. Division I, II, III, or NAIA. It can feel like a hierarchy, but the reality is more nuanced.
Q: What’s the difference between the different division levels?
Susan Forbes:
“There are so many opportunities to play college volleyball, which is the good news,” Susan says. “But I think there are also a lot of misconceptions about what the different divisions actually mean.”
One of the biggest misunderstandings is that the division level is tied directly to school size or competitiveness.
“Division I schools are not always the biggest schools, and they’re not always the most competitive,” she explains. “You’ll find smaller schools competing at the Division I level, and you’ll find very large universities across all divisions.”
Instead, divisions are more about institutional priorities.
“Colleges decide what kind of athletic experience they want to offer,” Susan says. “If a school wants to invest heavily in athletics and compete at the highest level, they may choose Division I. If they want a more balanced student-athlete experience, they may align more with Division III.”
Division II often sits somewhere in the middle, blending competitiveness with a slightly more balanced lifestyle depending on the program.
“Some Division II programs operate very similarly to Division I in terms of competitiveness,” she says. “Others lean more toward providing opportunities for athletes to compete while still prioritizing other aspects of the college experience.”
NAIA programs, she adds, often mirror that same range.
Q: How should athletes think about which level is right for them?
Allison Roberts:
“I think athletes get way too fixated on level,” Allison says. “A lot of athletes will say, ‘I want to play Division I,’ without really thinking about what they want their college experience to look like.”
That kind of focus can sometimes cause athletes to overlook opportunities that may be a better fit.
“It’s not a linear scale where Division I is the best, Division II is worse, and Division III is the lowest,” she explains. “There’s a lot of overlap in competition level across all divisions.”
Even within the same division, experiences can look very different from one program to another.
“I played Division I volleyball at a very small school,” Allison says. “My experience looked completely different than someone playing at a school like the University of Nebraska.”
Because of that, she encourages athletes to think beyond labels and focus on fit.
“Think about your day-to-day life. How much time do you want to commit to volleyball? What do you want academically? What kind of environment do you want to be in?” she says.
Q: What mistakes do athletes make when choosing a level?
Allison Roberts:
“One of the biggest mistakes is ruling out schools without actually understanding them,” she says.
Too often, athletes dismiss Division II, Division III, or NAIA programs without ever seeing the level of play.
“I’ll have athletes say they’re not open to certain levels, and when I ask why, they don’t really have a reason,” Allison explains. “Then we watch a match, and it completely changes their perspective.”
With more games available online than ever, she encourages athletes to do their homework.
“Watch matches. Research programs. Don’t make decisions based on assumptions,” she says.
The Bottom Line
Division levels are not a simple ranking system. They are different models of the college athlete experience.
The right fit depends on:
- How competitive you want your environment to be
- How do you want to balance academics and athletics
- What you want your daily life to look like
Or as Allison puts it:
“Don’t choose a level. Choose the experience you want and find the schools that match it.”