The main reason you can't get an NCAA Division III scholarship is because there is no such thing. And to a certain extent, that's a bummer.

(Before we continue, though, it's worth noting that Division III schools can offer other [e.g., academic] scholarships. And sometimes, coaches can have a little sway with the admissions office. Say you qualify for financial aid. A coach can sometimes sweeten the pot for athletes by converting the "loan" aspects [which you have to repay] of your financial aid package to "grant" money [which you don't have to pay back]. It's kind of like a pseudo-scholarship.)

But at the same time, there's a reason there are no Division III scholarships. In fact, there are several.

3 Arguments against Division III scholarships

• Athletic scholarships limit freedom: For many students, college is a time for trying new things. But binding athletic scholarships can keep students from doing this. Some players want to play their sport year-round. With a scholarship at D1 school, that's exactly what you'll do. Division III schools, though, on the whole, tend to emphasize a more diverse, liberal arts education. NCAA scholarship limits tend to make this difficult.


• College athletic scholarships can confuse you: Scholarships looks pretty. On some level, everyone would like to receive one. That said, you should never accept a scholarship to a school that you would not attend without one. But that's exactly what happens: high school athletes accept scholarships to schools where they won't be happy. By not offering Division III scholarships, this problem disappears.


• Division III scholarships are unfair: Relative to the regulations of Division I schools, Division III regulations are fairly relaxed. Your NCAA Division III eligibility is a little bit harder to determine. Rules tend to vary by conference, and even by individual schools. For a while, this allowed some schools to offer scholarships, while most schools couldn't. Naturally, these schools could attract some of the better athletes. But if not every school could offer scholarships, then there would be an imbalance of talent across Division III.