NCAA Division III
From Hoopedia
Division III (or DII, sometimes called, "D-three") is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
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Membership
The division consists of colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletically-related financial aid (athletic scholarships) to their student-athletes. There are over 420 member institutions, making DIII the largest of the three divisions sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
D-III schools range in size from less than 500 to over 10,000 students. D-III schools compete in athletics as a non-revenue making, extracurricular activity for students; hence, they may not offer athletic scholarships, they may not redshirt freshmen and they may not use endowments or funds whose primary purpose is to benefit their athletic programs.
Conferences
Forty-three conferences participate in the NCAA's Division II program. For details, go to NCAA Division III Conferences.
Schools (by state)
Over 400 colleges and universities participate in NCAA Division III basketball. For a list of participating schools, see NCAA Division III Schools.
Recent changes
In 2003, concerned about the direction of the Division, the Division III Presidents' Council, led by Middlebury College President John McCardell]], acted to limit the length of the traditional and non-traditional seasons, eliminate redshirting, and redefine a season of participation, all of which were approved by a majority vote of the membership.
An additional proposal which would have eliminated the ability of institutions with one or two Division I sports to offer athletic scholarships was rejected, though rules limiting the exception to only those schools currently offering D-I programs was approved. These actions took place at the January 2004 NCAA Convention.
