D1 compared to D2

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May 26, 2014
12
1
It seems that D1 schools practice and play the same amount. But the D1 schools have more money and resources.
Can someone tell me the differences.

D1 12 full scholarships D2 6 full scholarships So less money


Amount of games played?
Amount of time to practice 20 hour rule for both?
Etc
 
Apr 16, 2010
924
43
Alabama
Honestly there isn't a hard line you can draw between the two.

DII has 7.2 schollys a year. The biggest difference between the two is money. DI atheltic programs have more money to offer. Moving to DI is a commitment across all sports so the school has to have more finacial means to support multiple programs. Many times the schools are just smaller or due to the commitment it takes to run a DI FBS or FCS football program along with all the other sports they want to spend their money elsewhere. DI FBS teams give 85 while DI FCS gives 63 but DII schools only offer 36. Thats a major jump. That also doesn't mean the schalarship limits are fully funded. A school could also be DI and be able to offer 12 softball scholarships but only actually offer 8. They are not required to fund the full 12.

Birmingham Southern College is a DIII locally and they are a good example. They were a DI school until they decided to revive football. The financial commitment for the small school didn't make sense so they dropped back to DIII. There softball team practices as hard as any DI and they could definitely compete with many of them. A DII school couldn't regularly compete in the P5 conferences but there are several top programs that could win mid major and lower DI conferences. Heck their are jucos that can compete in lower DI conferences.

It really boils down to what the student athlete wants in a college experience. Not all DI, DII, DIII, or Jucos are created equally.
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
My dd was recruited by several D-I and D-II schools. It is a long story but she ended up at a D-II. That school turned the corner and became a power in NCAA D-II. Every player on that team for the last 3 years my dd played there was also recruited by D-I schools. The three transfers that came in were all from D-I schools. In my dd's time there, they played several D-I schools and more than held their own.

I think that there is a misconception that roster sizes are smaller at D-II schools. However, it was not uncommon for my dd's team to play other D-IIs with 22 player rosters. Her school kept that number at 18 or below. Athletic scholarships are fewer which really means that two players share roughly 7 scholarships keeping in mind that pitchers often get more money at both D-I and D-II levels. We found that things like "in state," "in region," ... tuition costs do matter in the recruitment process and with the limited monies available. Although we live in a different state than where my dd went to school, we were considered "in state" for financial purposes. At several schools recruiting her, she was "in region." You will find that many softball players are also academically gifted and so you need to factor in any other academic monies you qualify for.

Per facilities, the D-I schools in my area definitely have better facilities than where my dd went. Often people want to also weigh they types of spring tournaments etc. a school plays. My dd's team went south to Alabama, Arkansas and Arizona during her time there. That school now goes to Florida. The competition, in my opinion, was much better in the tournaments my dd played in with the Arizona tournament being comprised of the "Top 25" teams in D-II.
 
May 29, 2015
3,731
113
Correct me if I am wrong @Rambler34, but “12 full scholarships” (or whatever number is applicable) is an equivalent. The coach could split that anyway he/she sees fit (i.e., half scholarships for 24 players). It is rare to see any actual full scholarships in softball and baseball.
 
Apr 16, 2010
924
43
Alabama
Our DI's locally are the same way but there are several others
Correct me if I am wrong @Rambler34, but “12 full scholarships” (or whatever number is applicable) is an equivalent. The coach could split that anyway he/she sees fit (i.e., half scholarships for 24 players). It is rare to see any actual full scholarships in softball and baseball.

That is correct. A player could get 10% or 100%. This is one reason academics are so important. If a player can get 75% of her cost paid by academics the coach only has to invest 25% of a scholarship to give her a full ride. He has a lot of money left over for others. I know one girl that got a 100% softball scholarship as freshman but a lot more have gotten 10%-50% and academics covered the rest.

I have also watched multiple girls sign with a SEC school and their organization made sure everyone knew it. In the end they were getting about $500 a semester in aid which was basically nothing. It looked good for the org to be placing all these girls in the SEC though. Several of those are no longer with their original team.
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
During all of our "official visits" where the real monies were discussed, it was made clear at each school that the coach and those controlling academic monies could not conspire together to guarantee any amount of money. In fact, at every school, we were talking to the coach when we were asked by school officials to go with them to the financial aid buildings where academic monies were discussed. Naturally, every coach knows the system and the likelihood that a player will get certain scholarships. For my dd, right away she was told that she qualified for xxxxxx scholarships due to her ACT, Class Rank and GPA. However, for others, she had to apply and we had to fill out the FAFSA forms.
 
Jul 14, 2018
982
93
We found that things like "in state," "in region," ... tuition costs do matter in the recruitment process and with the limited monies available. Although we live in a different state than where my dd went to school, we were considered "in state" for financial purposes.

Is this a common practice? We're just starting to make our preliminary list of colleges and tuition costs are obviously a big factor. Quite often, the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition is huge. It would seem logical that programs could get a potential player on the in-state cost without committing any actual scholarship dollars. Is that allowed?
 

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
Is this a common practice? We're just starting to make our preliminary list of colleges and tuition costs are obviously a big factor. Quite often, the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition is huge. It would seem logical that programs could get a potential player on the in-state cost without committing any actual scholarship dollars. Is that allowed?
Most universities have some type of breakdown on aid/scholarships. We were "in state" because we are within 30 miles of the campus in a metro area where that school recruits for all sports and for students in general. One of the schools we were "in region" was approximately 3 1/2 hours away from us.
 
Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
Also if you are in New England area they have a regional system it is not in state but it is a good discount from out of state, although it is limited to certain universities and certain majors have to be selected.
 
May 26, 2014
12
1
We have been on a couple of visits on the east coast from NY to FL. Both D1 & D2 the D1 schools have more money to offer in scholarships and have more and better facilities along with extras like Nutritionists, Physical therapy, trainers, and better and more advanced academic advisers study halls and tutors at your service. I got the impression at the D1 schools my daughter would have to try to fail academically because they had everything in place to help her succeed.

My question is how much more softball games and practicing do you do at a D1 then a D2 school. I think the 20 & 8 hour rule is the same at both levels. If your going to play and practice the same and you have a choice then we should definitely play D1
 

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