RECRUITMENT
PROBABILITY
Estimated Probability of Competing in Collegiate Sports
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, provides information about the number of athletes participating on teams at their member institutions.
Nearly eight million students currently participate in high school athletics in the United States. More than 480,000 compete as NCAA athletes, and just a select few within each sport move on to compete at the professional or Olympic level.
The data below come from the 2022-23 school year. They show the number of high school students who 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.
Men's Sports
|
NCAA Sport |
High School Participants |
NCAA Participants |
Overall % HS → NCAA |
% HS → NCAA D1 |
% HS → NCAA D2 |
% HS → NCAA D3 |
|
Baseball |
478,451 |
38,849 |
8.1% |
2.4% |
2.4% |
3.2% |
|
Basketball |
537,438 |
19,213 |
3.6% |
1.0% |
1.0% |
1.5% |
|
Cross Country |
240,201 |
14,787 |
6.2% |
2.1% |
1.7% |
2.4% |
|
Football |
1,028,761 |
77,204 |
7.5% |
3.0% |
2.0% |
2.5% |
|
Golf |
150,175 |
8,602 |
5.7% |
1.9% |
1.6% |
2.2% |
|
Ice Hockey |
33,013 |
4,388 |
13.3% |
5.0% |
0.8% |
7.5% |
|
Lacrosse |
111,108 |
16,030 |
14.4% |
3.3% |
3.2% |
8.0% |
|
Soccer |
450,455 |
27,284 |
6.1% |
1.4% |
1.7% |
2.9% |
|
Swim & Dive |
116,741 |
9,945 |
8.5% |
3.3% |
1.5% |
3.7% |
|
Tennis |
158,306 |
7,549 |
4.8% |
1.5% |
1.1% |
2.2% |
|
Track & Field |
604,983 |
31,278 |
5.2% |
1.9% |
1.4% |
1.9% |
|
Volleyball |
77,287 |
2,933 |
3.8% |
0.7% |
0.8% |
2.3% |
|
Water Polo |
21,289 |
1,156 |
5.4% |
3.1% |
0.9% |
1.4% |
|
Wrestling |
259,431 |
8,309 |
3.2% |
1.0% |
0.8% |
1.3% |
Women's Sports
|
NCAA Sport |
High School Participants |
NCAA Participants |
Overall % HS → NCAA |
% HS → NCAA D1 |
% HS → NCAA D2 |
% HS → NCAA D3 |
|
Basketball |
373,366 |
16,668 |
4.5% |
1.4% |
1.3% |
1.8% |
|
Cross Country |
197,630 |
14,621 |
7.4% |
2.9% |
1.9% |
2.6% |
|
Field Hockey |
52,962 |
6,456 |
12.2% |
3.6% |
1.9% |
6.7% |
|
Golf |
80,970 |
5,733 |
7.1% |
2.8% |
2.0% |
2.3% |
|
Ice Hockey |
8,601 |
2,888 |
33.6% |
10.2% |
2.1% |
21.3% |
|
Lacrosse |
98,014 |
13,481 |
13.8% |
4.3% |
3.2% |
6.3% |
|
Soccer |
377,838 |
29,959 |
7.9% |
2.7% |
2.2% |
3.0% |
|
Softball |
344,952 |
21,646 |
6.3% |
2.0% |
1.9% |
2.4% |
|
Swim & Dive |
140,711 |
13,259 |
9.4% |
4.2% |
1.6% |
3.6% |
|
Tennis |
191,036 |
8,343 |
4.4% |
1.5% |
1.1% |
1.9% |
|
Track & Field |
486,355 |
31,475 |
6.5% |
2.8% |
1.7% |
2.0% |
|
Volleyball |
470,488 |
18,569 |
3.9% |
1.2% |
1.1% |
1.6% |
|
Water Polo |
18,728 |
1,337 |
7.1% |
4.4% |
1.2% |
1.6% |
Sources: High school figures come from the 2022-23 High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations. College numbers are from the NCAA’s 2022-23 Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates Report. These college numbers account for participation in college athletics at NCAA-member schools only.
Last Updated: April 1, 2024
