![]() ![]() When Thriving Athletes asks a client to pick 50 colleges for a wishlist in their junior year of high school, NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA schools are mixed together. “Football might be just a fun sport to them, whereas a football team in Texas is gonna be kicking butt and taking names because that’s the priority of the school.” “To be competitive, you really have to check out every single school that you’re going to look at, and every sport, because it differs for every single college,” Ziola-Vega says. While one division may be more competitive, or receive more media attention than another, it is difficult (and often misleading) to judge individual schools and teams on this basis. Many people make the mistake of confusing division placement for skill when, in fact, these designations refer to the size and diversity of athletic programs. This makes the JUCO route an especially good choice for families and students who want, or need, to avoid taking on college debt. “Whereas, in a Division I, II, or III they don’t have full rides for softball!” That’s huge! They can give you a full ride, tuition, expenses-$250 for expenses-and you can get all that at a junior college,” she says. Ziola-Vega uses NJCAA DI softball as an example: “Spring softball has 24 scholarships in junior college. ![]() The key distinction between NJCAA and NCAA/NAIA scholarships is their availability. Like the NCAA, the NJCAA has three divisions of which DI and DII are permitted to award athletic scholarships.ĭII JUCO scholarships may cover a student’s full tuition, books/supplies costs, and fees, while DI scholarships may cover these as well as room and board. You’re just a transfer.” Can JUCO Colleges Give Athletic Scholarships? “Guess what? You into a Division I, II, or III schools, they don’t even ask about that anymore. “When you’re a kid who is a really great athlete, but not so great on education because of whatever happened in life, you go into JUCO,” Ziola-Vega says. The high turnover rate in JUCO athletics (players are only fielded for two seasons) also makes member schools more willing and able to recruit students that fall short of NCAA eligibility. Typically, these standards are far easier to meet than those of the NCAA, and students who fall short are sometimes offered special classes to meet the necessary qualifications post-enrollment. For one, whereas the NCAA’s division-based eligibility requirements are consistent across member schools, JUCOs are allowed to set their own standards. NJCAA eligibility differs from NCAA eligibility in several key respects. And for many JUCO athletic coaches, that’s their role: to take you from a JUCO to NCAA Division I or III.” “It’s a stepping stone for them to learn their skills, to get their skills more centralized to what coaches want. “I tell them if they want to be a star of all-stars, and get ready to be at that level, go to JUCO,” Ziola-Vega says. The JUCO route provides them with a means of prolonging their NCAA/NAIA eligibility. Some have ineligible (by NCAA standards) grade point averages (GPAs) and low SAT or ACT scores some lack the independence or skills needed to live away from home but others simply need or want more time on the field or court than they are liable to receive in a larger program. Mary Ziola-Vega, a marketing professional and founder of Thriving Athletes-a career counseling service for student-athletes-often recommends the JUCO route to clients who aren’t yet ready for the demands of a four-year school. In both academics and athletics, JUCOs are generally thought of as a step on the path to bigger, better things. Junior colleges (JUCOs) are what many people refer to as “ community colleges.” Whereas four-year schools offer (at minimum) bachelor’s degrees and participate in higher-visibility athletic associations such as the NCAA and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), JUCOs typically offer associate degrees and have a lesser-known athletic association all to themselves: the National Junior College Athletic Association, or NJCAA. JUCO colleges ( junior colleges) are another option to consider. The high-profile four-year schools that make up this association-whose football and basketball teams sell out arenas and are broadcast into millions of homes-also have a place on many high school students’ college wishlists.īut are these campuses and teams really right for your student? If you’re a fan of college sports, you probably know about the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).Īs a parent of a prospective college athlete, you definitely know about the NCAA. Become a Member Login Search for: Search Button + ![]()
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