What are your chances of competing in sports in college? The NCAA, which is the main organization that sanctions collegiate athletics in the United States, has published information about the number of athletes participating on teams in their member institutions for the 2018-19 school year. In the table below, you can see how many high school students participated on their school teams during the year and how many athletes participated on their college teams during the year. The NCAA breaks down the information by Division.

This table does not include athletes participating on teams at NAIA-member schools or in junior colleges.

NCAA Sports High School Participants NCAA Participants Overall % HS to NCAA % HS to NCAA Division I % HS to NCAA Division II % HS to NCAA Division III
Men            
Baseball 482,740 36,011 7.5% 2.2% 2.3% 2.9%
Basketball 540,769 18,816 3.5% 1.0% 1.0% 1.4%
Cross Country 269,295 14,303 5.3% 1.8% 1.4% 2.1%
Football 1,006,013 73,712 7.3% 2.9% 1.9% 2.5%
Golf 143,200 8,485 5.9% 2.0% 1.6% 2.2%
Ice Hockey 35,283 4,323 12.3% 4.8% 0.6% 6.8%
Lacrosse 113,702 14,603 12.8% 3.1% 2.5% 7.3%
Soccer 459,077 25,499 5.6% 1.3% 1.5% 2.7%
Swimming 136,638 9,799 7.2% 2.8% 1.2% 3.2%
Tennis 159,314 7,785 4.9% 1.6% 1.0% 2.3%
Track & Field 605,354 28,914 4.8% 1.9% 1.2% 1.7%
Volleyball 63,563 2,355 3.7% 0.7% 0.7% 2.3%
Water Polo 22,475 1,072 4.8% 2.7% 0.8% 1.3%
Wrestling 247,441 7,300 3.0% 1.0% 0.8% 1.2%
Women            
Basketball 399,067 16,509 4.1% 1.3% 1.2% 1.7%
Cross Country 219,345 15,624 7.1% 2.7% 1.7% 2.7%
Field Hockey 60,824 6,119 10.1% 2.9% 1.4% 5.8%
Golf 79,821 5,436 6.8% 2.8% 1.9% 2.1%
Ice Hockey 9,650 2,531 26.2% 8.9% 1.1% 16.2%
Lacrosse 99,750 12,452 12.5% 3.7% 2.6% 6.2%
Soccer 394,105 28,310 7.2% 2.4% 1.9% 2.9%
Softball 362,038 20,419 5.6% 1.8% 1.7% 2.2%
Swimming 173,088 12,980 7.5% 3.3% 1.2% 3.0%
Tennis 189,436 8,596 4.5% 1.5% 1.0% 2.0%
Track & Field 488,267 30,326 6.2% 2.8% 1.5% 1.9%
Volleyball 452,808 17,780 3.9% 1.2% 1.1% 1.6%
Water Polo 21,735 1,217 5.6% 3.3% 1.1% 1.2%

Sources: High school figures from the 2018-19 High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations; data from club teams not included. College numbers from the NCAA 2018-19 Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates Report.

Last Updated: April 8, 2020