In your college search, don’t discount the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). From athletic scholarships to small class sizes, this division has a lot to offer its student-athletes. Plus, NAIA college coaches aren’t required to follow the same restrictions as NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 coaches when it comes to contacting student-athletes. They can manage their own recruiting process and reach out to families at any point during high school.
There are 143 NAIA schools that offer women’s golf, and the average team is seven players. NAIA scholarships operate like NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 schools in that they follow the equivalency model: college coaches are given a pool of athletic aid and they can distribute that money across several athletes. Therefore, most student-athletes receive partial scholarships. From a competitive standpoint, you’ll find a flexible range at this level. Some of the top NAIA golfers shoot in the 70s, while others average in the mid-90s.
NAIA coaches can award a maximum of five scholarships per team. These are equivalency scholarships, which means coaches are permitted to distribute their funds across as many current roster athletes and recruits as they like. The average NAIA team is made up of seven players, so many coaches offer competitive partial scholarships that can cover tuition, housing and more.
To help student-athletes build their target list, we’ve conducted an in-depth analysis that incorporates several important factors to consider when making the college decision, such as cost, academics and school size. Here are the top 10 NAIA golf schools:
View the complete list of Best NAIA Women’s Golf Colleges.