characteristics OF DIVISION II INSTITUTIONS
How DII breaks down
City (inside an urbanized
area or inside a principal city)
Location
Rural (census-defined
rural territory)
Town (territory
inside an
urban cluster)
5%
39%
31%
Suburb (territory
outside principal
city/inside urbanized area)
25%
Enrollment
10%
40%
7,500-14,999
2,500-7,499
students
2%
More than
15,500 students
48%
3,848 Median
undergraduate
enrollment
2,500 or fewer
students
Type of
school
51% Private
49% Public
Undergraduate
majors
Majority art
and science
Majority
professions
39%
Balanced art
and science,
and professions
Undergraduate
Residential
Status
Less than 25% of
undergraduates
live on campus
Between 25
and 49% of
undergraduates
live on campus
II schools are located in 44 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, and the
District of Columbia. The division also expands its membership into Canada with the
NCAA’s only international member institution, Simon Fraser University, and features
three schools located in Puerto Rico.
n Division
9%
51%
n Division
Half or more of
undergraduates live
on campus
26%
28%
47%
DID YOU KNOW?
A major tenet of the Division
II experience is the “game
environment” initiative that helps
institutions establish an atmosphere
at home athletics contests that is
both energetic and respectful. The
initiative emphasizes family-friendly
fun, with fans and participants
conducting themselves in an inviting
manner for all ages.
II was created in 1973 when the NCAA voted to establish three divisions for
athletics competition. Before then, NCAA schools were classified as either “university”
or “college” to distinguish between the larger and smaller athletics programs.
n The
creation of Division II gave those programs that wanted to keep their athletics
budgets in good proportion to the total institutional budget a place to compete.
QUICK FACTS
300 Active
24 Active
members
conferences
1:7 Championships
participation ratio
429 Average number of student-athletes at
schools with football (269 men; 160 women)
267 Average number of student-athletes at
schools without football (137 men; 130 women)
MEN
(44%) 504,902
Total undergraduate
enrollment
(59%) 65,778
Student-athletes
6.9
Sports-sponsorship
average
WOMEN
649,573 (56%)
Total undergraduate
enrollment
46,613 (41%)
Student-athletes
8
Sports-sponsorship
average
x12 = Division II championships for men
x13 = Division II championships for women