bowl games belong to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS, formerly DI-A) and offer the largest number of scholarships. In 2024, 134 Division I institutions were classified as FBS, with 68 considered “Power Five” institutions—those that support their athletics programs and football at the highest level. In 2024, with the Pacific 12’s loss of member institutions, this group of conferences is now referred to as the “Power Four”. The other FBS institutions that compete in football at this level are referred to the “Group of Five” based on their conference affiliation.
The Division I institutions that participate in the NCAA sponsored football championship belong to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS, formerly DI-AA). In 2024, there were 129 FCS institutions. A third group that does not sponsor football at all is referred to simply as Division I (DI Subdivision, formerly DI-AAA).
Division I member institutions are required to sponsor at least seven sports for men and seven for women (or six for men and eight for women) with two team sports for each gender. Each playing season must be represented by each gender as well. Historically, there were maximum financial aid awards for each sport that a Division I school could not exceed, however that is subject to change in 2025 pending the final outcome of a current lawsuit (House vs. NCAA).
The NAIA is an intercollegiate governing body located in Kansas City, Missouri that consists of 250 smaller institutions with strong representation in the midwestern states. In 2024 there were 21 conferences in the NAIA and the NAIA conducted 29 championships. Member institutions sponsor an average of 18 sports programs with 97 institutions sponsoring football.
NAIA institutions must be a four-year college or university or a two-year institution that awards a bachelor's degree or its equivalent. Member institutions must sponsor a minimum of six NAIA championship sports, although some conferences within the NAIA often have stricter sponsorship requirements. The NAIA has maximum institutional aid limits for each sport and there is no requirement that an NAIA member institution award any type of financial aid to its student-athletes.
The reclassification process for NCAA Division II membership to Division I is an intensive multiyear endeavor and requires an initial application fee of several million dollars. Institutions wishing to reclassify from Division II to Division I are required to have been accepted for membership by a Division I conference and must go through a multi-year transition process before becoming a fully vested Division I member. There are rigorous standards related to compliance, academics and institutional financial support.
Reclassifying to NCAA Division III membership involves a three-year provisional/reclassifying process for NCAA member institutions reclassifying from another NCAA division. Within the membership process, the institutional class size is limited to an average of four institutions per year.
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