What athletic division is Amherst College in?
I'm trying to figure out where Amherst College stands in terms of sports divisions. I've been considering applying there but also want to continue playing sports at a competitive college level, possibly even joining a varsity team if I can balance it with academics.
I know there’s NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, but I’m a bit mixed up about which category Amherst falls under, and how intense their sports program is. Do they offer athletic scholarships? Is it realistic for someone who played varsity in high school to try out for teams? Anyone here have experience with Amherst sports or know how the whole division thing works for them?
Any info or advice would really help as I narrow down my college list.
I know there’s NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, but I’m a bit mixed up about which category Amherst falls under, and how intense their sports program is. Do they offer athletic scholarships? Is it realistic for someone who played varsity in high school to try out for teams? Anyone here have experience with Amherst sports or know how the whole division thing works for them?
Any info or advice would really help as I narrow down my college list.
8 months ago
•
236 views
Lily Fang
• 8 months ago
Advisor
Amherst is in NCAA Division III and is part of NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference). In Division III, schools don't offer athletic scholarships; instead, you get grants based on financial need at Amherst (Amherst doesn't offer merit scholarships).
Division III schools are known for being serious about academics *along* with sports. I'm a 2018 alumna, and while I didn't play a varsity sport at Amherst, I did know several athletes and had considered joining the cross country team.
Practices can definitely be demanding, with many sports having 2 a day (in the morning and the afternoon). Athletes often spend most of their time with their teammates, but it didn't feel like there was a true "divide". It was more that the athletes spent so much time together in practices that they also ate together in the dining hall (the back room of Val, the dining hall, is known for being the athlete section).
If you played varsity in high school, you may be able to join the team at Amherst, but you should be relatively competitive (for example, qualify for regionals or states). I was a varsity athlete in cross country, but I would've been pretty slow and uncompetitive at Amherst, so I instead trained for longer-distance races on my own. There are also club and intramural groups for many sports (the run club was unfortunately not very active at all during my time).
A tip: consider reaching out to the coach of your sport before you apply. Coaches can tell you more about the tryout process, team culture, and what they look for in recruits. This outreach shows initiative and lets you get a sense for whether Amherst is the right athletic and academic fit for you.
Bottom line: Amherst takes sports seriously, but academics come first!
Division III schools are known for being serious about academics *along* with sports. I'm a 2018 alumna, and while I didn't play a varsity sport at Amherst, I did know several athletes and had considered joining the cross country team.
Practices can definitely be demanding, with many sports having 2 a day (in the morning and the afternoon). Athletes often spend most of their time with their teammates, but it didn't feel like there was a true "divide". It was more that the athletes spent so much time together in practices that they also ate together in the dining hall (the back room of Val, the dining hall, is known for being the athlete section).
If you played varsity in high school, you may be able to join the team at Amherst, but you should be relatively competitive (for example, qualify for regionals or states). I was a varsity athlete in cross country, but I would've been pretty slow and uncompetitive at Amherst, so I instead trained for longer-distance races on my own. There are also club and intramural groups for many sports (the run club was unfortunately not very active at all during my time).
A tip: consider reaching out to the coach of your sport before you apply. Coaches can tell you more about the tryout process, team culture, and what they look for in recruits. This outreach shows initiative and lets you get a sense for whether Amherst is the right athletic and academic fit for you.
Bottom line: Amherst takes sports seriously, but academics come first!
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