NAIA and DIII

What’s the difference between NAIA and NCAA DIII? This is a commonly asked question by institutions trying to determine the best athletic affiliation for their school. While many of the demographics for top performing schools in the NAIA and the NCAA are similar, there are some key differences that set the NAIA apart.

DIII schools spend 70% more than NAIA schools to offer quality athletic programs.
NAIA schools spend significantly less to be nationally competitive. The median athletics operating budget difference between the NAIA Top 100 Directors’ Cup schools and all NAIA members was $300,000. For DIII schools, the difference was $1.1 million.

NAIA Institutions

NAIA Institutions	Enrollment	Student-Athletes	Operating Budget	Total Budget	Endowment
75th percentile	1,566	397	$2.3 MM	$5.2 MM	$88.2 MM
Median (50th)	1,013	273	$1.6 MM	$3.2 MM	$40.3 MM
MMth percentile	676	158	$1.0 MM	$1.8 MM	$23.3 MM

NCAA DIII Institutions

NCAA DIII Institutions	Enrollment	Student-Athletes	Operating Budget	Total Budget*	Endowment
75th percentile	2,805	576	$3.7 MM	N/A	$313.1 MM
Median (50th)	1,764	418	$2.8 MM	N/A	$130.3 MM
25th percentile	1,157	292	$1.6 MM	N/A	$61.8 MM