Anonymous
02/19/2026 12:12
Subject: D1 v D3
For the adults on this forum, the formula is simple. Go to the best possible school that your kid can get into and that you can afford without going into unnecessary debt. That may be with or without soccer, because it's a handful of years until no one gives a shit about about your highlight reel.
D1 for mens is a pipe dream for many due to title ix (money for mens sports is in football and basketball and many schools don't even have a program. SEC anyone?) and internationals, now you have the portal to deal with.
D3 has some awesome options like schools in the NESCAC, but that's going to cost you 60-100k/year. Some may give you a little academic money, but if you live in the dc area and make an average living, you won't get any needs based money.
D1 for women...that's a great pathway. Title IX helps prioritize soccer high on the list of women's sports. You don't have internationals to contend with.
D3 for women, pick you school and maybe play on the team. With so many options at D1, you didn't get an offer you're probably just borrowing time.
D1 for mens is a pipe dream for many due to title ix (money for mens sports is in football and basketball and many schools don't even have a program. SEC anyone?) and internationals, now you have the portal to deal with.
D3 has some awesome options like schools in the NESCAC, but that's going to cost you 60-100k/year. Some may give you a little academic money, but if you live in the dc area and make an average living, you won't get any needs based money.
D1 for women...that's a great pathway. Title IX helps prioritize soccer high on the list of women's sports. You don't have internationals to contend with.
D3 for women, pick you school and maybe play on the team. With so many options at D1, you didn't get an offer you're probably just borrowing time.
Anonymous
02/19/2026 11:59
Subject: D1 v D3
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Would you rather have your child play D1 at ODU or D3 at Amherst
I’d rather my kid play club at UVA. Get excellent academics and big college experience at half the price!
good luck with that!
There are girls from ultra private high schools around here that chose to go to UVA, Duke and Georgetown sitting the bench on the rosters right now. They weren't recruited, they come from wealthy families and they don't give a crap what you think. D1 all day and they will never play.
Anonymous
02/18/2026 11:20
Subject: D1 v D3
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Hello All,
My DD had offers from both D1 and DIII but no P4. Offers in Ivy, Patriot League and a Couple others.
In the end she chose an Academic DIII and actually got more money from an Academic Scholarship than any of the D1s offered.
Biggest difference between the two are lifestyle. D3 is Academic priority first. D1 is soccer first. DD was not all about the soccer life and also preferred less debt.
Our lessons we learned during the process.
A. If household income is over $300k, you will be stuck paying tuition outside any scholarships. No financial aid.
B. State schools are much more affordable and can stack Academic and Athletic Scholarships.
C. Every private D1 we had a relationship with outside of P4, only could offer around 33% or less Athletic Scholarship. Some even will offer a roster spot with zero athletic scholarship. An exception would be Big East schools. Most of those do have money for being private. I wish we had considered Villanova if we could start over again.
D. Academic DIIIs are hit and miss with money. Some can give large Academic Scholarships while others might not give any. They will either tell you right from the start they don't do scholarships, or you have to go through the whole process until they offer and you have no idea what it will be.
E. Navy/Army are a great alternative if your DC is willing to serve. No cost for college and a great education.
If our DC is more about that soccer life, I would probably skip the Academic DIIIs. Do yourselves a favor and research the "University Athletic Association" and the rigorous travel that comes with it. Tough Academics on top of that without the perks of D1. I have heard more athletes actually quit more often in this league than any other in the country because it is too demanding.
Obviously our DD picked an Academic DIII out of this conference.
Don't listen to what other parents tell you about what they got. Most players do not get full rides but most P4s see 50% or more, especially at State schools where tuition is much cheaper. Teams like VDA and Bethesda may see more than the norm, but they are top of the food chain.
More importantly than anything, BE REALISTIC!
UAA - " Home of awesome schools, awful soccer"
good for you but each family has their own narrative and with enough words on here can spin an essay as nicely as you have about this whole process
To each their own, we chose not to go with a UAA school. It should be said that quite a few DIIIs would finish better than a few D1s in certain divisions. Obviously WashU but a few others are very good as well. DIII is to D1 as GA is to ECNL. A very few good teams and a whole lot of bad.
Anonymous
02/18/2026 09:31
Subject: D1 v D3
Anonymous wrote:Hello All,
My DD had offers from both D1 and DIII but no P4. Offers in Ivy, Patriot League and a Couple others.
In the end she chose an Academic DIII and actually got more money from an Academic Scholarship than any of the D1s offered.
Biggest difference between the two are lifestyle. D3 is Academic priority first. D1 is soccer first. DD was not all about the soccer life and also preferred less debt.
Our lessons we learned during the process.
A. If household income is over $300k, you will be stuck paying tuition outside any scholarships. No financial aid.
B. State schools are much more affordable and can stack Academic and Athletic Scholarships.
C. Every private D1 we had a relationship with outside of P4, only could offer around 33% or less Athletic Scholarship. Some even will offer a roster spot with zero athletic scholarship. An exception would be Big East schools. Most of those do have money for being private. I wish we had considered Villanova if we could start over again.
D. Academic DIIIs are hit and miss with money. Some can give large Academic Scholarships while others might not give any. They will either tell you right from the start they don't do scholarships, or you have to go through the whole process until they offer and you have no idea what it will be.
E. Navy/Army are a great alternative if your DC is willing to serve. No cost for college and a great education.
If our DC is more about that soccer life, I would probably skip the Academic DIIIs. Do yourselves a favor and research the "University Athletic Association" and the rigorous travel that comes with it. Tough Academics on top of that without the perks of D1. I have heard more athletes actually quit more often in this league than any other in the country because it is too demanding.
Obviously our DD picked an Academic DIII out of this conference.
Don't listen to what other parents tell you about what they got. Most players do not get full rides but most P4s see 50% or more, especially at State schools where tuition is much cheaper. Teams like VDA and Bethesda may see more than the norm, but they are top of the food chain.
More importantly than anything, BE REALISTIC!
UAA - " Home of awesome schools, awful soccer"
good for you but each family has their own narrative and with enough words on here can spin an essay as nicely as you have about this whole process
Anonymous
02/18/2026 08:58
Subject: D1 v D3
With about 5,000 colleges and millions of graduates living varied lifestyles, it's safe to say there is no one or perfect selection
Anonymous
02/17/2026 19:43
Subject: D1 v D3
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Would you rather have your child play D1 at ODU or D3 at Amherst
I’d rather my kid play club at UVA. Get excellent academics and big college experience at half the price!
good luck with that!
Anonymous
02/17/2026 19:31
Subject: D1 v D3
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Would you rather have your child play D1 at ODU or D3 at Amherst
In these modern times when Influencers and Content Creators are making millions while D3 grads are stuck to a desk working 8-7 making $90K with 7 days paid vacation and crappy health insurance, what difference does it really make
Get a degree that employers highly value and fix that problem. Liberal Arts, business and other generic degrees are a thing of the past and money holes.
Anonymous
02/17/2026 16:34
Subject: D1 v D3
All D1 college soccer games are on ESPN+
Anonymous
02/17/2026 16:30
Subject: D1 v D3
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I don't get the disdain for D2s?
The D2 schools in our area are roughly $25k a year (including tuition, room/board, etc.).
The closest D1 is ~$65k.
The largest and successful D3 nearby is ~$55k. The smaller less successful D3 programs are all over $70k. There are a few, public adjacent D3s in the area that are in the $30-40k range.
For a player that is able to play at any of those level, why exclude schools that are $30k per year cheaper? Is having a "big name" on the diploma really worth $120k or more extra over 4 years?
Yes, I know the sticker price isn't the final price. I'm just using the sticker price for ease of comparison.
There's no disdain for D2. They aren't around the DMV area. also, to the person that said in 2028, college soccer will be year round, that's probably only the p4 of mens soccer. I doubt they will roll it out for womens any time soon.
I doubt it’ll happen at all. If college soccer becomes year round, what about other sports? Baseball? Hockey? Swimming?
Its been proposed but the biggest roadblock is the conference TV networks. the conferences (ACC, Big Ten, SEC) have already licensed all their non football/basketball games to these networks for the next umpteen years. The cost of buying those rights back to setup soccer within the NCAA but outside the conference is prohibitive. Also, for the p4 conferences, what benefit is there for them to agree to thsi new model for college soccer?
Honestly this is the #1 problem with college soccer.
Anonymous
02/17/2026 16:25
Subject: D1 v D3
Anonymous wrote:Hello All,
My DD had offers from both D1 and DIII but no P4. Offers in Ivy, Patriot League and a Couple others.
In the end she chose an Academic DIII and actually got more money from an Academic Scholarship than any of the D1s offered.
Biggest difference between the two are lifestyle. D3 is Academic priority first. D1 is soccer first. DD was not all about the soccer life and also preferred less debt.
Our lessons we learned during the process.
A. If household income is over $300k, you will be stuck paying tuition outside any scholarships. No financial aid.
B. State schools are much more affordable and can stack Academic and Athletic Scholarships.
C. Every private D1 we had a relationship with outside of P4, only could offer around 33% or less Athletic Scholarship. Some even will offer a roster spot with zero athletic scholarship. An exception would be Big East schools. Most of those do have money for being private. I wish we had considered Villanova if we could start over again.
D. Academic DIIIs are hit and miss with money. Some can give large Academic Scholarships while others might not give any. They will either tell you right from the start they don't do scholarships, or you have to go through the whole process until they offer and you have no idea what it will be.
E. Navy/Army are a great alternative if your DC is willing to serve. No cost for college and a great education.
If our DC is more about that soccer life, I would probably skip the Academic DIIIs. Do yourselves a favor and research the "University Athletic Association" and the rigorous travel that comes with it. Tough Academics on top of that without the perks of D1. I have heard more athletes actually quit more often in this league than any other in the country because it is too demanding.
Obviously our DD picked an Academic DIII out of this conference.
Don't listen to what other parents tell you about what they got. Most players do not get full rides but most P4s see 50% or more, especially at State schools where tuition is much cheaper. Teams like VDA and Bethesda may see more than the norm, but they are top of the food chain.
More importantly than anything, BE REALISTIC!
Boys side is even worse in terms of everything. One of DC’s teammate decided to do Juco after researching everything.
Anonymous
02/17/2026 15:14
Subject: D1 v D3
Villanova is extremely stingy with aid. I think you would’ve had the same issue.
Anonymous
02/17/2026 14:58
Subject: D1 v D3
Hello All,
My DD had offers from both D1 and DIII but no P4. Offers in Ivy, Patriot League and a Couple others.
In the end she chose an Academic DIII and actually got more money from an Academic Scholarship than any of the D1s offered.
Biggest difference between the two are lifestyle. D3 is Academic priority first. D1 is soccer first. DD was not all about the soccer life and also preferred less debt.
Our lessons we learned during the process.
A. If household income is over $300k, you will be stuck paying tuition outside any scholarships. No financial aid.
B. State schools are much more affordable and can stack Academic and Athletic Scholarships.
C. Every private D1 we had a relationship with outside of P4, only could offer around 33% or less Athletic Scholarship. Some even will offer a roster spot with zero athletic scholarship. An exception would be Big East schools. Most of those do have money for being private. I wish we had considered Villanova if we could start over again.
D. Academic DIIIs are hit and miss with money. Some can give large Academic Scholarships while others might not give any. They will either tell you right from the start they don't do scholarships, or you have to go through the whole process until they offer and you have no idea what it will be.
E. Navy/Army are a great alternative if your DC is willing to serve. No cost for college and a great education.
If our DC is more about that soccer life, I would probably skip the Academic DIIIs. Do yourselves a favor and research the "University Athletic Association" and the rigorous travel that comes with it. Tough Academics on top of that without the perks of D1. I have heard more athletes actually quit more often in this league than any other in the country because it is too demanding.
Obviously our DD picked an Academic DIII out of this conference.
Don't listen to what other parents tell you about what they got. Most players do not get full rides but most P4s see 50% or more, especially at State schools where tuition is much cheaper. Teams like VDA and Bethesda may see more than the norm, but they are top of the food chain.
More importantly than anything, BE REALISTIC!
My DD had offers from both D1 and DIII but no P4. Offers in Ivy, Patriot League and a Couple others.
In the end she chose an Academic DIII and actually got more money from an Academic Scholarship than any of the D1s offered.
Biggest difference between the two are lifestyle. D3 is Academic priority first. D1 is soccer first. DD was not all about the soccer life and also preferred less debt.
Our lessons we learned during the process.
A. If household income is over $300k, you will be stuck paying tuition outside any scholarships. No financial aid.
B. State schools are much more affordable and can stack Academic and Athletic Scholarships.
C. Every private D1 we had a relationship with outside of P4, only could offer around 33% or less Athletic Scholarship. Some even will offer a roster spot with zero athletic scholarship. An exception would be Big East schools. Most of those do have money for being private. I wish we had considered Villanova if we could start over again.
D. Academic DIIIs are hit and miss with money. Some can give large Academic Scholarships while others might not give any. They will either tell you right from the start they don't do scholarships, or you have to go through the whole process until they offer and you have no idea what it will be.
E. Navy/Army are a great alternative if your DC is willing to serve. No cost for college and a great education.
If our DC is more about that soccer life, I would probably skip the Academic DIIIs. Do yourselves a favor and research the "University Athletic Association" and the rigorous travel that comes with it. Tough Academics on top of that without the perks of D1. I have heard more athletes actually quit more often in this league than any other in the country because it is too demanding.
Obviously our DD picked an Academic DIII out of this conference.
Don't listen to what other parents tell you about what they got. Most players do not get full rides but most P4s see 50% or more, especially at State schools where tuition is much cheaper. Teams like VDA and Bethesda may see more than the norm, but they are top of the food chain.
More importantly than anything, BE REALISTIC!
Anonymous
02/17/2026 14:53
Subject: D1 v D3
In my state former D1 athletes (even in girl sports) always get hired and will never find themselves without job options.
Anonymous
02/17/2026 14:51
Subject: D1 v D3
Anonymous wrote:Would you rather have your child play D1 at ODU or D3 at Amherst
I’d rather my kid play club at UVA. Get excellent academics and big college experience at half the price!
Anonymous
02/17/2026 14:48
Subject: D1 v D3
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I don't get the disdain for D2s?
The D2 schools in our area are roughly $25k a year (including tuition, room/board, etc.).
The closest D1 is ~$65k.
The largest and successful D3 nearby is ~$55k. The smaller less successful D3 programs are all over $70k. There are a few, public adjacent D3s in the area that are in the $30-40k range.
For a player that is able to play at any of those level, why exclude schools that are $30k per year cheaper? Is having a "big name" on the diploma really worth $120k or more extra over 4 years?
Yes, I know the sticker price isn't the final price. I'm just using the sticker price for ease of comparison.
There's no disdain for D2. They aren't around the DMV area. also, to the person that said in 2028, college soccer will be year round, that's probably only the p4 of mens soccer. I doubt they will roll it out for womens any time soon.
I doubt it’ll happen at all. If college soccer becomes year round, what about other sports? Baseball? Hockey? Swimming?
Its been proposed but the biggest roadblock is the conference TV networks. the conferences (ACC, Big Ten, SEC) have already licensed all their non football/basketball games to these networks for the next umpteen years. The cost of buying those rights back to setup soccer within the NCAA but outside the conference is prohibitive. Also, for the p4 conferences, what benefit is there for them to agree to thsi new model for college soccer?