Balancing Athletics and Engineering: Why NCAA Division III Schools Are a Great Fit

For student-athletes who want to pursue engineering while competing in college sports, NCAA Division III schools offer the best of both worlds. Division III schools allow students to prioritize academics while still competing in athletics, making them ideal for the demands of an engineering degree.

Why Choose a D3 School for Engineering?

1. Academic-Athletic Balance D3 schools emphasize the student-athlete experience, meaning students have the flexibility to manage rigorous coursework alongside sports. Engineering students often have demanding labs and projects, and D3 programs provide the structure needed to succeed in both academics and athletics.

2. Hands-On Learning and Research Many D3 engineering schools offer research opportunities, co-ops, and internships. Schools like WPI and RIT emphasize project-based learning, while institutions like Johns Hopkins and Case Western provide cutting-edge research opportunities in engineering fields.

3. Small Class Sizes and Strong Support Systems D3 schools often foster close-knit communities where student-athletes receive academic support from professors and athletic staff. This allows for mentorship, networking, and a balanced college experience.

4. Career and Leadership Opportunities Graduating with both an engineering degree and collegiate athletic experience sets students apart in the job market. Employers value the time management, teamwork, and leadership skills student-athletes develop, making them highly competitive in engineering fields.

A Range of Engineering Options

NCAA Division III schools offering engineering generally fall into two categories.

• ACCREDITED PROGRAMS This category includes schools with accredited engineering programs and directly issue engineering degrees. These institutions provide a full engineering curriculum, hands-on learning, and direct access to engineering facilities and faculty. We have provided a list of popular options below.

• 3-2 / DUAL DEGREE PROGRAMS This category consists of liberal arts colleges that do not offer standalone engineering degrees but partner with universities through 3-2, 4-2 or dual-degree programs. In these programs, students typically spend three years at the liberal arts college studying foundational coursework before transferring to an engineering school for two additional years, ultimately earning two degrees—one from each institution. This distinction helps students choose between a traditional engineering school experience and a broader liberal arts education combined with specialized engineering training. We have provided a list of popular options below.

  • Considerations for Student-Athletes in 3-2 Engineering Programs:

    • Plan Ahead – Discuss with coaches and advisors before committing to a 3-2 program to understand how transferring impacts eligibility.

    • Explore Partner School Athletics – Research whether the partner university has your sport at an NCAA level where you are able to compete and what the transition process looks like.

    • Maximize Playing Time at Your DIII Institution – Since your athletic career may not continue at the partner school, focus on making the most of your three years at your DIII college.

    • Consider Staying for Four Years – Some students choose a 4-2 engineering track or complete their undergraduate degree before transferring, which allows them to compete in sports all four years before moving to the engineering school.

Examples of NCAA Division III Schools with Accredited Engineering Programs

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) – Pasadena, California

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Carnegie Mellon University – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Case Western Reserve University – Cleveland, Ohio

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Harvey Mudd College – Claremont, California

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Illinois Institute of Technology – Chicago, Illinois

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Johns Hopkins University – Baltimore, Maryland

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

LeTourneau University – Longview, Texas

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – Cambridge, Massachusetts

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) – Troy, New York

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) – Rochester, New York

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology – Terre Haute, Indiana

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Stevens Institute of Technology – Hoboken, New Jersey

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) - Ewing, New Jersey

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Trine University – Angola, Indiana

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Trinity University - San Antonio, Texas

• Engineering Majors (Engineering Science only)

• Athletics

Tufts University - Medford, Massachusetts

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

UC Santa Cruz – Santa Cruz, California

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

University of Chicago - Chicago, Illinois

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

University of Rochester - Rochester, New York

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Washington University in St. Louis - St. Louis, Missouri

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Wheaton College - Wheaton, Illinois

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) – Worcester, Massachusetts

• Engineering Majors

• Athletics

Examples of NCAA Division III Schools offering Engineering through Partnerships (3-2 / Dual Degree Programs)

Albion College - Albion, Michigan

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, University of Michigan

Allegheny College - Meadville, Pennsylvania

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Case Western Reserve University, University of Pittsburgh, Washington University in St. Louis

Alma College - Alma, Michigan

• Partner Institutions: University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Columbia University

Amherst College - Amherst, Massachusetts

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Dartmouth College

Augustana College - Rock Island, Illinois

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Austin College - Sherman, Texas

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis

Babson College - Wellesley, Massachusetts

• Partner Institutions: Olin College of Engineering

Baldwin Wallace University - Berea, Ohio

• Partner Institutions: Case Western Reserve University

Bard College - Annandale-on-Hudson, New York

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Dartmouth College

Bates College - Lewiston, Maine

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Washington University in St. Louis

Beloit College - Beloit, Wisconsin

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Michigan

Bethel University - St. Paul, Minnesota

• Partner Institutions: University of Minnesota, Washington University in St. Louis

Bowdoin College - Brunswick, Maine

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Dartmouth College, California Institute of Technology

Brandeis University - Waltham, Massachusetts

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University

Carleton College - Northfield, Minnesota

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis

Centre College - Danville, Kentucky

·         Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis, University of Kentucky

Claremont McKenna College - Claremont, California

• Partner Institutions: Harvey Mudd College, Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis

Clarkson University - Potsdam, New York

• Partner Institutions: Participates in dual-degree engineering pathways

Coe College - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis

Colby College - Waterville, Maine

• Partner Institutions: Dartmouth College, Columbia University

College of Wooster - Wooster, Ohio

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis

Colorado College - Colorado Springs, Colorado

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Connecticut College - New London, Connecticut

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Washington University in St. Louis

Cornell College - Mount Vernon, Iowa

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis

Denison University - Granville, Ohio

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis

DePauw University - Greencastle, Indiana

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis

Dickinson College - Carlisle, Pennsylvania

• Partner Institutions: Case Western Reserve University, Columbia University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Drew University - Madison, New Jersey

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University

Earlham College - Richmond, Indiana

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Case Western Reserve University, Washington University in St. Louis

Emory University - Atlanta, Georgia

• Partner Institutions: Georgia Institute of Technology

Franklin & Marshall College - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Case Western Reserve University, Washington University in St. Louis

Gettysburg College - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Washington University in St. Louis

Goucher College - Baltimore, Maryland

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University

Grinnell College - Grinnell, Iowa

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, California Institute of Technology

Gustavus Adolphus College - St. Peter, Minnesota

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis

Hamilton College - Clinton, New York

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Hanover College - Hanover, Indiana

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University

Haverford College - Haverford, Pennsylvania

• Partner Institutions: California Institute of Technology

Hobart and William Smith Colleges - Geneva, New York

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Dartmouth College

Hood College - Frederick, Maryland

• Partner Institutions: George Washington University

Hope College - Holland, Michigan

• Partner Institutions: University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Columbia University

Illinois Wesleyan University - Bloomington, Illinois

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis

Juniata College - Huntingdon, Pennsylvania

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis

Kalamazoo College - Kalamazoo, Michigan

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis, University of Michigan

Kenyon College - Gambier, Ohio

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis

Knox College - Galesburg, Illinois

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis

Lake Forest College - Lake Forest, Illinois

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis

Lawrence University - Appleton, Wisconsin

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis

Lewis and Clark College - Portland, Oregon

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University

Macalester College - St. Paul, Minnesota

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis

Messiah University - Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

• Partner Institutions: Pennsylvania State University

Muhlenberg College - Allentown, Pennsylvania

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis

Nebraska Wesleyan University - Lincoln, Nebraska

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis

North Central College - Naperville, Illinois

• Partner Institutions: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Oberlin College - Oberlin, Ohio

• Partner Institutions: California Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis

Occidental College - Los Angeles, California

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, California Institute of Technology

Pacific Lutheran University - Tacoma, Washington

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis

Pomona College - Claremont, California

• Partner Institutions: California Institute of Technology

Rhodes College - Memphis, Tennessee

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis, University of Memphis

Ripon College - Ripon, Wisconsin

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University

Scripps College - Claremont, California

• Partner Institutions: Harvey Mudd College, Columbia University

Skidmore College - Saratoga Springs, New York

• Partner Institutions: Dartmouth College, Clarkson University

Southwestern University - Georgetown, Texas

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis

St. Lawrence University - Canton, New York

• Partner Institutions: Clarkson University, Columbia University

St. Mary’s College of Maryland - St. Mary's City, Maryland

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis

St. Olaf College - Northfield, Minnesota

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis, University of Minnesota

SUNY Geneseo - Geneseo, New York

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University

Susquehanna University - Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University

Swarthmore College - Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

• Partner Institutions: University of Pennsylvania

Trinity College - Hartford, Connecticut

• Partner Institutions: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Union College - Schenectady, New York

• Partner Institutions: Clarkson University, Columbia University

University of Puget Sound - Tacoma, Washington

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University

University of Redlands - Redlands, California

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis

University of St. Thomas - St. Paul, Minnesota

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis

Vassar College - Poughkeepsie, New York

• Partner Institutions: Dartmouth College

Wabash College - Crawfordsville, Indiana

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University

Washington and Jefferson College - Washington, Pennsylvania

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University

Washington and Lee University - Lexington, Virginia

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis

Wesleyan University - Middletown, Connecticut

• Partner Institutions: California Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Dartmouth College

Wheaton College - Wheaton, Illinois

• Partner Institutions: Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech), Northern Illinois University (NIU)

Whitman College - Walla Walla, Washington

• Partner Institutions: California Institute of Technology, Columbia University, University of Washington, Washington University in St. Louis

Whitworth University - Spokane, Washington

• Partner Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis, Columbia University and Washington State University

Willamette University - Salem, Oregon

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University

Williams College - Williamstown, Massachusetts

• Partner Institutions: Columbia University, Dartmouth College