What is the difference between NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA?

NCAA
The National College Athletics Association (NCAA) is the most well-known and esteemed college sports organization in the USA. When people think about college sports, it is usually the NCAA which comes to mind. There are three divisions of the NCAA. Divisions 1 and 2 are the only ones which offer scholarships! Whereas the NCAA D1 and D2 schools are large public universities, the D3 is usually small private colleges. While you won’t be able to get an athletic scholarship at the D3 level, you might be able to get an academic scholarship.
The NCAA D1 is very competitive. Because of the stricter rules about eligibility, most foreign players play at the D2 level. It is also possible to start out at the D2 level and (after 2 years) and then move to play at the D1 level.
Mostly large public universities
Includes 1,281 schools/institutions, conferences, and other associations
About 450,000 athletes in NCAA
Strict regulations about coach-player contacts
Division 1 has stricter eligibility requirements
Average scholarship amount for D1: about $35,000
Average scholarship amount for D2: about $25,000
Website: www.ncaa.com
NAIA
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes is mostly comprised of smaller private universities. The athletic and academic standards aren’t as high as with the NCAA, and there are fewer rules about foreign athletes. This makes the NAIA a good choice for international athletes looking for scholarships. Just because the athletic standard is lower than with the NCAA, it doesn’t mean that the NAIA isn’t competitive or is subpar. The NAIA D1 is on par with the NCAA D2.
Mostly smaller private colleges
255 member institutions
Many foreign players
Average D1 scholarship amount: $20,000
Website: www.naia.org
NJCAA
The National Junior College Athletic Association is considered the baby of sports scholarships. It is made up of 2-year community colleges. In the United States, community colleges are usually small, and have few (or no) academic requirements for acceptance. Their areas of study are usually broader as well. Because community colleges are so much cheaper than large public universities, many students in the US first attend community colleges and then transfer the course credits over to a larger university later. The NJCAA athletic teams aren’t going to draw in big crowds like the NCAA or NAIA does, and the facilities aren’t going to be as great. However, athletes shouldn’t dismiss NJCAA scholarships completely. The NJCAA is a good option for students who didn’t get accepted to the NCAA or NAIA because of academics. They can spend two years at the community college getting their grades up, and then try for a NCAA or NAIA scholarship. The NJCAA is also a good way for foreign players to get noticed by coaches. Coaches often prefer to take players from the NJCAA because they have proven their dedication and their ability to balance life as a student athlete.
2-year community colleges
525 membership schools
Stepping stone to the NCAA or NAIA
Low/no academic requirements
Low eligibility requirements
Average scholarship amount: about $15,000
Website: njcaa.org

[@dannysbackstage7460]

thank you for clearing things up, very helpful

[@rockybeez3087]

This is extremely helpful cause divisions and leagues always confused me now I know my aims and goals thank you so much you get a like and a sub

[@Jamessmith-xk3fh]

The college I love has had in the last few years two different QBs that transferred from Junior Colleges

[@depmaudoofal74]

Great video. Thanks.

[@charlgrobler4967]

Really helpful. Thanks.

[@gustavogomez8541]

Also, you can transfer more than once. You can transfer from a NJCAA school after a successful year to a Div. II or low level Div. I school. Then after another successful year or two, transfer again to a top Div. 1 school for your final year of eligibility. It's a lot of work, but it's possible.

[@kennethbailey3043]

Excellent information!!!!

[@dmob10]

I wish this video existed back when I was going to college. I could of played my sport in college on a scholarship possibly.

[@natec4339]

Where in Iowa did you play? Kirkwood and Iowa Central are always competitive.

[@TheGoatedNeverDies]

If you have excellent grades, and are good , could you still do NJCAA even if you are good to save money? Even if you could be NCAA D1 level, and you just wanna play in NJCAA for just extra practice and extra scholarships even if with great grades and being a very good player

[@davidcuesta243]

Hi... my 16 year old son is interested in playing soccer and studying sports in the states we live in Spain but are English he has not got the greatest grades some 5.6s couple of 7s he plays in regional 1 cadets A and just won their league this year as his father I want him to come away from this with good general sports qualifications in trainer couch sport sciences to set him up if he can't make to pro .After watching this video NJCAA looks the best route for him .Any info tips you have would be great of course he would be looking for a full ride as they say other it's just a dream for him

[@JoeSmith-kn5wo]

I had a playlist of videos set to watch to explain all of this. I stopped watching after watching your complete video. Good stuff!! 👌

[@FrancesHernandez-hf5ys]

Awww Allie is so pretty I miss her on her long hair ❤️

[@williammuniama208]

This is truly helpful, but I’d like to know if the NAIA is more competitive than some Europeans leagues? (Basketball especially)

[@davidwadsworth8982]

Yeas argo I coached Basketball at the NAIA level at a Catholic College inn suburban NY State. At that time there were many NAIA schools in the North East. Copetition wise were were equal to NCAA D2 schools. We played them mostly on the road at their gyms and we won 3/4 of our games over three years. They had larger enrolments, facilities, better meal plans, better travel practices, more scholarship money to offer, talent was 90% equal .But we won. Now in the Northeast, almost all of these schools including St. Thomas Aquinas where I coached are now NCAA D2. A few went D3. NAIA is way WAY more common in the south, mid west, north west. The level of play still is equal to D2 and above almost all D3 level schools .NAIA is also older than the NCAA. And they are way way more competitive than European amateur leagues with so much better coaching , Coaching is not even close

[@freeman5259]

But hold on, if you are an NCAA non-qualifier, people say that you do have to spend 2 years and graduate from a junior college, even though that’s true, however, that’s not always the case. It all depends on a variety of things. For example, it depends on your program of study, the junior college that YOU are currently attending, and class registration systems of that JUCO; did you matriculate fulltime in the fall or spring term? Do they allow you to create your own schedule? or is it like high school, you are handcuffed because you can't create your own class schedule? Did you redshirt? Did you suffered any catastrophic injuries? Are you a 4-2-4 transfer? Etc. What if you competed for an outside amateur team (organized/outside competition) in the middle of your gap year and then decide to stop and greyshirt until you graduate from a community college (A.A. degree🎓)? 🤔 Good question, If you attend a prep school first (Milford Academy, Hargrave Military Academy or Fork Union Military), and then remain a greyshirt in junior college until graduation, you can still retain ALL 5 calendar years of NCAA eligibility📆 AFTER JUNIOR COLLEGE GRADUATION😳👊💢💥! That’s your reward! However, rules are different at the JUCO level. If you competed for a junior college club team or a 4 year college club team (regardless if the college doesn’t offer that sport at the varsity level at the time you were COMPETING at that institution), you will lose a season of competition at the junior college level for every season you compete on a college club team, 2 years maximum. In this scenario, you will only have 1 year of eligibility remaining at the JUCO level. Nevertheless, YOU CAN STILL RETAIN ALL 5 CALENDAR YEARS OF ELIGIBILITY TO COMPLETE 4 SEASONS OF COMPETITION at the NCAA Division 1 level. Very similar to prep school but way cheaper! In this process, you will also GAIN COLLEGE LEVEL PLAYING EXPERIENCE, a HIGHLIGHT TAPE, a Rivals.com profile, a Scout.com profile, an A.A. Degree under your belt, and still RETAIN ALL 5 CALENDAR YEARS OF NCAA ELIGIBILITY! That’s insane! 😳How’s that possible?😕 But what if I don’t compete at all?🤔 Since the JUCO level don't have an eligibility clock, and let's say you haven't competed anywhere yet (AFTER GRADUATION🎓), you can still retain ALL 5 calendar years of NCAA eligibility📆 AFTER JUNIOR COLLEGE GRADUATION👊💢💥. You can COMPETE for 2 years at the JUCO level and 3 years to complete 2 seasons of competition at the NCAA Division 1 level😎👍 (That’s 2 years for JUCO, an unused redshirt year, and 2 years for the NCAA with a 5th year option). THAT’S MIND BLOWING!😳 Again I say, this can happen in this scenario if you don't compete for an outside team (non-collegiate organized competition) AFTER your gap year. Once again, the rules used to be "after your 21st birthday🎂😉👍. In some cases, college coaches may sign you to next year's recruiting class on national signing day (only if you're that talented). I think your NCAA clock also begins if you signed the NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT and ENROLL at the college you signed with (NCAA) as a fulltime student. So the next time you hear somebody trying to discredit or tarnish the good reputation of the JUCO level, THESE ARE THE FACTS!😁

[@jabbahursty]

what could you know about this apart from the difference in punters?

[@BG-360]

bro, what about USCAA

[@gavingalloway4498]

From Scotland, my daughter is 16 years old, A/B student and is currently playing u18's football/soccer for Glasgow Celtic. What route would u recommend she go down n do u think their would b interest from universities and if so what level?

[@athletesportsmanagement]

Our team can give you an assessment and that would let you know which would be the best route. You can email us your contact info at [e-mail] and they will be able to connect you to our soccer team for an assessment :)

[@lukasholub2072]

What is the name of the college movie mentioned at 9:46, please?

[@GamerSock]

Last Chance U, i think

[@rickhartman5758]

You can watch a show on Netflix called Last Chance U, about The NJCAA League.

[@TheGoatedNeverDies]

Im an 8th grader who just started basketball and has excellent grades

[@scttrdgr]

A 18 year old travels to the states with ambitions of being pro and offered ncaa div1 what about the gametime how does that work for first or 2 year

[@jonasadolfsen459]

Little gametime, thats what Junior College could be the better option

[@darlingarcia6957]

Id like to know where the NWAC stands in all this in the sport of womens soccer Is it not a good choice? Are they not as competitive as NJCAA? Is the NJCAA a higher and better level of play? My daughter eventually want to play pro and has offers from both NWAC and NJCAA so she is not sure what route to take😬

[@elevat808]

NWAC is basically the Northwest community college system. Two year soccer program and I think most have housing available too. A cousin did NWAC for softball then transferred to a 4 year for her last 2 years.

[@malachispencer7523]

There are actually 2 Div in the NAIA

[@houtje1970]

Also in soccer?

[@chadambroz1016]

@@houtje1970 I believe just basketball

[@elijahputairi5080]

I play rugby in Australia, looking for some more opportunities

[@athletesportsmanagement]

we can do an assessment and see how we can help. Please email [e-mail] with your contact info.

[@Swipe-daddy]

In football njcaa and cccaa there are alot of guys that played in top d1 schools and made it to the pros you will play top tier players that just made mistakes

[@ricorobert4337]

"Top tier players (underclassmen) who made mistakes" Sometimes it's not their fault. circumstances BEYOND YOUR CONTROL happens. like school teachers keeping school, and then show their faces in the last day of school (final exams).

[@archie9334]

Can i join an ncaa program after my naia career?

[@freeman5259]

Call the NCAA at 317-917-6008 to answer your questions

[@davidwadsworth8982]

depends on if you have used up your eligibility. If you transfer with say one year left, you can play that one more season at the NCAA school if grades are met.

[@bigpapi6688]

Yes you can transfer just like you could from a JuCo. As long as you have eligibility left obviously lol

[@francisgkmamuzu5048]

Hello I'm 27 and I'm contemplating on which association I should apply for scholarship next year. Can you help me with the best choice to make? I play soccer. Thank you!

[@Iammarlonbrown]

NAIA

[@Iammarlonbrown]

Well juco then NAIA

[@federicopulgarinduque3496]

Is there an age limit to play college basketball?

[@ilmanu7826]

Nope there's none

[@archiereacts6656]

Once u enroll in a college in the ncaa your timer starts immediately and u have a ticking 4 year timer

[@denniswhite9269]

With that accent, are you from Europe 🇪🇺 👀/England or are you from the Continent of Australia 🇦🇺 🤔 😀 😉 😄 😜 "?!!? 🤔🫡💯💢💥💫💣🌋🔥☄️⚡️👍👌🤌👋

[@Lucian-gy6zm]

Do you guys have High school scholarships?

[@archiereacts6656]

What?

[@useruseruser674]

@@archiereacts6656 in europe you don't play sports for schools you play for clubs (secondary schools are examinary) , in us you play for schools but the highschools are regional in japan it's kinda mixed so while as highschools are examinary you unlike in europe play for schools so if you're a good middle school player you can avoid writing the exam and just enroll into the highschool

[@rs-df7qy]

Private schools cost money to attend and I'm pretty sure they have some type of scholarships, especially for players they recriut out of area

[@heze118]

Oof

[@ricardoblanc9463]

My College Football Recruiting Playbook for Walk-ons (Cheat code) Depending on your situation (it ALL DEPENDS), read a few pages from my walk-on playbook and REMAIN IN-STATE for the SUMMER after high school graduation, attend an in-state junior college in the summer term, and COLLECT THOSE FAFSA REFUND CHECKS! You can then travel and tryout for many NCAA Division 1 (FCS level) junior varsity teams, or, the NCAA D2 level, or, the NCAA D3 level, or, the NAIA (junior varsity team) or, BYU-Idaho competitive sports, or, University of Notre Dame interhall sports, or, The NCCAA, or, the USCAA, or, the CCCAA (JUCO in California), or, the NJCAA, or, Prep schools like Milford Academy, or, Collegiate Development Football League (PlayCDFL summer league, defunct), or, the CSFL sprint football League (New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft played in the CSFL), or, NCAA club football (Collclubsports). You will be INELIGIBLE to compete at the college level if you already played for a Semi-Pro/adult amateur team in the past (except if you ONLY practice with the team and DON'T COMPETE, you are eligible). One more thing, According to the Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athletes and the NCAA Transfer Guide, if you are a NCAA qualifier, that means if you graduated high school on time with a high school diploma, earned a 2.3 high school G.P.A. or better, complete all of your high school core courses with a C average or better, have qualifying standardized test scores (SAT or ACT national test), YOU CAN attend a JUCO for ONE SEMESTER or ONE QUARTER as a FULLTIME college student in the FALL🏈 or SPRING💐🌻(SUMMER SCHOOL DOESN’T COUNT🌊🏖🌞); versus spending THREE FULL-TIME SEMESTERS or THREE FULL-TIME QUARTERS in Junior College, and you are required by the NCAA to graduate from a junior college with an A.A. degree🎓 (SUMMER SCHOOL DOESN’T COUN’T) (NCAA non-qualifier). NCAA qualifiers have 5 calendar years of NCAA eligibility to complete 4 seasons of competition (without redshirting). An NCAA non-qualifier will AUTOMATICALLY lose ONE YEAR of NCAA eligibility. NCAA Non-qualifiers will only get 4 calendar years of NCAA eligibility to complete 3 seasons of competition (without redshirting) AFTER full-time enrollment in college; That’s messed up! Your NCAA eligibility clock ⌚ begins after you enroll AND attend the FIRST DAY OF CLASSES in the FALL🏈 or SPRING⚾ semesters or quarters as a FULLTIME college student (SUMMER DOESN’T COUNT)! The NCAA doesn’t care if you matriculate fulltime in college during the SUMMER semesters or quarters (again, it doesn't matter what college you attend). Your NCAA eligibility clock WILL NOT START in the SUMMER🌞🌡🏐🏖😁; Part-time enrollment or fulltime enrollment in the summer, it doesn’t matter! The NCAA Division 1 clock will not postpone for fulltime college students and it will CONTINUE TICKING until it expires (except for active military duty, religious missions or other extreme extenuating circumstances BEYOND YOUR CONTROL). You can only have 2 years of eligibility (maximum) at the junior college level. The JUCO level doesn’t have an eligibility clock, junior college eligibility is calculated by seasons of competition you’ve already used. You can redshirt at the JUCO level. And don’t feel bad if you fail to academically qualify for the NCAA Division 1 level on the first try. You can still become an NCAA qualifier if you NEVER matriculate full-time IN THE PAST (FALL or SPRING semesters or quarters only) (SUMMER DOESN’T COUN’T). Is that so? Let’s think about it, a part-time load of studies (less than 12 TRANSFERABLE credit hours per semesters or quarters in the fall or spring), it doesn't matter what college you attend! It’s called GREYSHIRT! All prospective NCAA Division 1 student athletes must complete 40% of progress (AFTER your 2ND year of enrollment), 60% of progress (AFTER your 3rd year of enrollment), and 80% of progress (AFTER your 4th year of enrollment) towards a BACHELOR’S Degree; that’s a timeframe of 8 CONSECUTIVE semesters or quarters in a 5 YEAR PERIOD, YOU CAN’T GO BEYOND THAT! (NCAA 40-60-80 rule). NCAA non-qualifier who wants to EARN a 4th season of competition AFTER OPTING IN a redshirt year, MUST complete 80% of progress towards a BACHELOR’S DEGREE (AFTER your 4th year of enrollment). By the way, the maximum transferable courses you can take at the JUCO level is 90 credit hours (they are called units in California). You need 60 transferable credit hours to GRADUATE from a 2 year college and THEN MOVE ON to a 4 year college (NCAA D1-A or FBS rules). Some junior college programs, especially in Mississippi, Kansas or Texas, ONLY takes you about one year to graduate. Rio Salado Online Community College (Arizona) can help you accelerate your progress even faster. Class starts EVERY MONDAY! They have 16 week sessions and 8 week sessions. Arizona State University use them all the time to get their players eligible for competition. Rio Salado doesn’t have an athletic program. Fun fact! Your junior college G.P.A. is locked in after graduation, it won’t change unless you transfer to a 4 year college. Moreover, a Greyshirt year (a part-time OR three-quarter time college student in the fall or spring, SUMMER DOESN’T COUNT) gives you a more competitive advantage long-term over a high school recruit in the college sports recruiting process. Oh really, what do you mean🤔? For example, the NCAA has a delay enrollment rule that allows a prospective student athlete (incoming freshman or a walk-on who have not yet enrolled in college as a fulltime student) to use a gap year and delay initial full-time enrollment and COMPETE for a NON-COLLEGIATE (AMATEUR) OUTSIDE TEAM for one academic year after graduating high school. AFTER that one year window expires, the student athlete MUST enroll in college as a fulltime student at the FIRST opportunity he or she gets. Now here's the fun part, let’s say you do choose to compete, you can compete as a greyshirt at a post-graduate/prep school (Milford Academy) or at a college club team (any college that doesn't offer your sport at the varsity level, only the club level; George Mason University) for ONE CALENDAR YEAR🗓 AFTER HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION🎒🎓. After that, you will lose NCAA eligibility for EVERY YEAR you continue to compete for that team AFTER the one year gap window expires. NCAA non-qualifiers ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO COMPETE for a college club team, excluding intramurals. Back in my day, the rules used to be "until after your 21st birthday", but the NCAA change the rules in year 2011 and thereafter. While in your delay enrollment gap year, you can retake the SAT/ACT standardized test to improve your sub-scores, simultaneously enroll in college level courses (developmental/remedial classes don’t matter), get awarded a financial aid package with state grants, scholarships and federal student loans included; the college will disburse you a financial aid refund check (sometimes via direct deposit) AFTER every (fall and spring) semesters or quarters you are enrolled in classes after 30 days of attendance and your college expenses are paid (only if there's money left over for you) (summer depends on if you have not enrolled in the fall and spring yet), earn a college degree or certificate, become an NCAA qualifier, "GREYSHIRT" at a junior college or a university or any institution that offers you an education BEYOND high school, and then matriculate fulltime AFTER you make a college varsity team. That’s awesome! But hold on, if you are an NCAA non-qualifier, people say that you do have to spend 2 years and graduate from a junior college, even though that’s true, however, that’s not always the case. It all depends on a variety of things. For example, it depends on your program of study, the junior college that YOU are currently attending, and class registration systems of that JUCO; did you matriculate in the fall or spring term? Do they allow you to create your own schedule? Or is it like high school, you are handcuffed because they choose the classes for you? Did you redshirt? Did you suffered any catastrophic injuries? Are you a 4-2-4 transfer? Etc.

[@ricardoblanc9463]

What if you competed for an outside amateur team (organized/outside competition) in the middle of your gap year and then decide to continue to greyshirt (stop competing after your gap year) until you graduate from a community college (A.A. degree🎓)? If you attend a prep school first (Milford Academy, Hargrave Military Academy or Fork Union Military), and then remain a greyshirt in junior college until graduation, you can still retain ALL 5 calendar years of NCAA eligibility📆 AFTER JUNIOR COLLEGE GRADUATION👊💢💥! That’s your reward! However, rules are different at the JUCO level. If you competed for a junior college club team or a 4 year college club team (regardless if the college doesn’t offer that sport at the varsity level at the time you were COMPETING at that institution), you will lose a season of competition at the junior college level for every season you compete on a college club team, 2 years maximum. In this scenario, you will only have 1 year of eligibility remaining at the JUCO level, Nevertheless, YOU STILL RETAIN ALL 5 CALENDAR YEARS OF ELIGIBILITY TO COMPLETE 4 SEASONS OF COMPETITION at the NCAA Division 1 level. Similar to prep school but way cheaper! In the process, you will also GAIN COLLEGE LEVEL PLAYING EXPERIENCE, a HIGHLIGHT TAPE, a Rivals.com profile, a Scout.com profile, an A.A. Degree under your belt, and still RETAIN ALL 5 CALENDAR YEARS OF NCAA ELIGIBILITY! That’s insane! How’s that possible? But what if I don’t compete at all? Since JUCO don't have an eligibility clock, and let's say you haven't competed anywhere yet (AFTER GRADUATION🎓), you can still retain ALL 5 calendar years of NCAA eligibility📆 AFTER JUNIOR COLLEGE GRADUATION👊💢💥. You can COMPETE for 2 years at the JU CO level and 3 years to complete 2 seasons of competition at the NCAA Division 1 level😎👍. That’s 2 years for JUCO, an unused redshirt year, and 2 years for the NCAA with a 5th year option)! THAT’S MIND BLOWING! Again I say! This can happen in this scenario if you don't compete for an outside team (non-collegiate organized competition) AFTER your gap year. Once again, the rules used to be "after your 21st birthday🎂😉👍. In some cases, college coaches will sign you to the next year's recruiting class on national signing day. I think your NCAA clock also begins if you signed the NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT and ENROLL at the college you signed with (NCAA) as a fulltime student. So the next time you hear somebody trying to discredit or tarnish the good reputation of the JUCO level, THESE ARE THE FACTS!