What percentage of athletes go on to play at the next level (D1/D2/D3)?

Alex SwensonRecruiting Advisor| This is a digital version of Alex

Is Going D3 Settling? Former D1 Coach Explains the Truth About Every College Level

23 Oct 2025 · 1 min

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1:20

Alex Swenson, a former D1 coach, pushes back on the idea that D3 is settling. Only 7.2% of athletes play college sports at any level. D2 is the "best kept secret," D3 offers academic focus with no athletic scholarships, NAIA has more scholarships than D2 or D3, and JUCO serves as a launching pad.

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7.2%

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Is going to a D3 school settling. I get this question all the time from parents and athletes and As a former D1 coach, this is what I tell them. Only 7.2% of athletes go on and play at the next level at either D1, D2 or D3. So no, it is not settling. It is elite. The beautiful thing is there's all different types of levels, D1, D2, D3, NAI and JUCO that we should be considering. Especially if we want to continue our career and get a great education. Let's start with D1. All right. Most competitive, most athletic scholarships. It is very demanding. You have to be committed. If you are not committed, you are not going to make it. It is a full time job. Then we have D2, the best kept secret here. A lot of Division 2 schools could beat up on Division 1 schools. Consider D2. Look at D2. Then we have D3, the next best kept secret. High academic schools. A lot of academic money here. No athletic scholarships. But you can get more academic money at the Division 3 level than you could at D2s and some Division ones. Then we have NAIA, four year schools, not a part of the NCAA. More athletic scholarships than D3 and D2. Consider that. And then we have JUCO. This can be a launching pad for you academically and athletically as well. Consider all these levels as you go through that, not just D1. Good luck.