Programs That Inspire

"It's critical, particularly in this moment, to recognize athletic departments that provide exceptional experiences to student-athletes. These athletic programs strengthen their institutions as a whole. Participating student-athletes develop into successful alumnae with powerful ties to the college and the capacity to pay their experience forward," says College Athletic Advisor's CEO, Dave Morris. "It's exciting to be able to recognize this particularly elite collection of programs and also remind folks that many programs in NCAA Divisions 2 and 3, the NAIA, and the USCAA are serving student-athletes and their institutions in life changing ways."

D3 Top Conferences by Sport

(click to go to the conference page)

Men's Basketball (out of 44)

  1. UAA
  2. WIAC
  3. CCIW
  4. NESCAC
  5. OAC

Women's Basketball (out of 44)

  1. WIAC
  2. UAA
  3. MIAC
  4. NESCAC
  5. CCIW

Men's Soccer (out of 43)

  1. Programs That Inspire LinkUAA
  2. NESCAC
  3. Centennial Conference
  4. NJAC
  5. Liberty League

Women's Soccer (out of 44)

  1. UAA
  2. NESCAC
  3. Centennial Conference
  4. SCIAC
  5. Liberty League

Women's Volleyball (out of 44)

  1. WIAC
  2. UAA
  3. CCIW
  4. SCAC
  5. OAC

Baseball (out of 41)

  1. C2C
  2. Northwest Conference
  3. SCIAC
  4. SAA
  5. UAA

Softball (out of 43)

  1. ARC
  2. ASC
  3. Northwest Conference
  4. SCIAC
  5. ODAC

Men’s Lacrosse (out of 28)

  1. Lax Programs That Inspire Logo

    NESCAC

  2. Liberty League
  3. Centennial Conference
  4. CLC
  5. NEWMAC

Women’s Lacrosse (out of 32)

  1. NESCAC
  2. Centennial Conference
  3. Liberty League
  4. C2C
  5. MAC Commonwealth Conference

Field Hockey (out of 17)

  1. NESCAC
  2. C2C
  3. NJAC
  4. Centennial Conference
  5. Liberty League

 

Where can I learn more?

Check out our Get Started page for students & families or view our School Resources page for education professionals.

You can also call, email, chat with us through our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/CollegeAthleticAdvisor/, or set up a Zoom consult here.

Click Here For Our Latest Advice On Navigating Your College Search

The Goal

College Athletic Advisor encourages a holistic, institution-wide assessment to determine your fit at any of the roughly 1,700 4-year U.S. colleges that sponsor athletics outside of NCAA Division 1. Things to consider:

  • An athletic program-wide commitment to excellence
  • Holistic development of student-athletes in the institution
  • Academic achievement & support for the academic success of student-athletes
  • Overall college experience for participants within the program
  • Affordability/Graduation Rates/Student Satisfaction

This data highlights programs/conferences that feature elite programs and competition in particular team sports. The conference power rankings use data analysis from Massey Ratings.

The Ultimate Toolkit

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You'll get

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