D2 Schools in Florida: Which is Best for You?
NCAA Division 2 boasts teams from 45 states, including Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington D.C. Three teams from Puerto Rico also play in the NCAA as well as one team from Canada (Simon Fraser University, the NCAA’s only international member institution). In total, D2 comprises 310 college athletic programs, 13 of which are located in the sunshine state. Looking to avoid the winter while pursuing sports competitively as a D2 athlete? Keep reading to learn about the D2 schools in Florida. Division 2 is one of three divisions of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a member-led organization focused on college athletics. The three divisions guarantee fairness and competitiveness for participating institutions by ensuring that schools within each division have athletes of similar ability levels and follow standards scholarships and admissions. Division 2 schools are typically mid-sized—the average enrollment of a D2 school is 2,428 students, though it ranges from schools with undergraduate populations of more than 25,000 to those with fewer than 2,500. D2 student-athletes are eligible for partial scholarships and most fund their college education through a combination of athletic scholarships, academic aid, need-based grants, and/or employment earnings. Florida’s D2 schools range in terms of size and acceptance rate. Here’s the landscape at a high level: Miami 91% St. Petersburg 68% Daytona Beach 65% St. Augustine 57% Melbourne 65% Lakeland 50% Boca Raton 70% Fort Lauderdale 79% West Palm Beach 95% Winter Park 67% Saint Leo 60% Tampa 47% Pensacola 42% Location: Miami, FL Acceptance Rate: 91% Undergrad Enrollment: 3,400 Originally founded as a women’s college by a pair of Adrian Dominican Sisters, today Barry University is coeducational, but still remains faithful to the Catholic intellectual tradition—integrating study, reflection, and action into intellectual life. The school is liberal arts-focused and emphasizes graduating well-rounded students prepared to affect positive change in the global community. Barry University plays in the Sunshine State Conference and fields 12 varsity teams: Location: Saint Petersburg, FL Acceptance Rate: 68% Undergrad Enrollment: 2,000 Founded in 1958, Eckerd College has developed an excellent academic reputation in its little over 60 years. The school is notable for its small class sizes and accessible faculty with a passion for teaching. At Eckerd, every student is paired with a faculty mentor. Of course, you can’t talk about Eckerd without mentioning its waterfront campus and white sand beach. Eckerd College plays in the Sunshine State Conference and fields 14 varsity teams: Location: Daytona Beach, FL Acceptance Rate: 65% Undergrad Enrollment: 5,900 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the world’s largest and oldest aviation-focused university. The school is home to both the nation’s first (and only) undergraduate Space Physics program and undergraduate Aerospace Physiology program. The university also has 99 instructional aircrafts split between its Daytona Beach and Prescott, Arizona campuses and is a Federal Aviation Administration-approved school. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University plays in the Sunshine State Conference and, along with coed cheerleading, fields 19 men’s and women’s varsity teams: Location: Saint Augustine, FL Acceptance Rate: 57% Undergrad Enrollment: 2,600 Founded just over 50 years ago in 1968, Flagler College is a liberal arts school steeped in history. Saint Augustine, home of Flagler College, has the distinction of being the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States, and the college’s Ponce de Leon Hall (formerly Hotel Ponce de Leon) is listed as a National Historic Landmark and now serves as a residence hall for freshmen women. Flagler College plays in the Peach Belt Conference and fields 18 varsity teams: Location: Melbourne, FL Acceptance Rate: 65% Undergrad Enrollment: 3,600 Known simply as Florida Tech, the school was founded by a physicist at Cape Canaveral (now NASA’s Kennedy Space Center) as a night school for the early “missilemen” of the U.S. space program. The school continues to honor its out-of-this-world roots and attracts students with an interest in science and technology—about half of the student body enrolls in the school’s College of Engineering and Science. Florida Institute of Technology plays in the Sunshine State Conference and fields 18 men’s and women’s varsity teams, along with coed cheerleading:
Location: Lakeland, FL Acceptance Rate: 50% Undergrad Enrollment: 2,700 The sun (almost) always shines on Florida Southern College, with its hometown of Lakeland averaging 330 sunny days a year. Founded in 1883 as the South Florida Institute, Florida Southern College has the distinction of being the oldest private college in the state. The school is also notable for having the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world—its Historic District is designated a National Historic Landmark. Florida Southern College plays in the Sunshine State Conference and fields 22 varsity teams: Location: Boca Raton, FL Acceptance Rate: 70% Undergrad Enrollment: 2,200 Lynn University is known for its innovative approach to learning. The university’s iPad-powered learning program provides each student with a brand new iPad, which increases a student’s connectivity with classmates and professors, improves engagement, and reduces the expense of textbooks by up to 90%. Motivated students can further cut the cost of college with the school’s accelerated degree program which allows them to graduate in three years rather than four. Lynn University plays in the Sunshine State Conference and fields 19 varsity teams: Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Acceptance Rate: 79% Undergrad Enrollment: 4,900 With programs spanning a wide variety of fields from accounting to theatre, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is renowned for research—in fact, it’s classified as a university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and has the nation’s only Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystem Research, a $50 million facility with a $15 million recurring federal grant. NSU is also one of just 50 universities that have received Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification. Nova Southern University plays in the Sunshine State Conference and fields 16 varsity teams: Location: West Palm Beach, FL Acceptance Rate: 95% Undergrad Enrollment: 2,800 Christian values play a central role in Palm Beach Atlantic (PBA) life, with students required to attend a minimum of 24 chapel services throughout the year. PBA students are also expected to give back to their community, completing a minimum of 45 hours of service every year. To date, PBA students have performed an impressive 3.5 million hours of volunteer service. Palm Beach Atlantic University plays in the Sunshine State Conference and fields 18 varsity teams: Location: Winter Park, FL Acceptance Rate: 67% Undergrad Enrollment: 2,500 Officially the oldest institution of higher education in Florida, Rollins was founded in 1885. The school is rooted in liberal arts and provides students with future-proof skills including problem-solving, critical thinking, collaborative spirit, and clear communication. The school’s stunning lakeside campus must be seen to be believed, consisting of historic buildings, an abundance of pathways, and an on-campus pool. Rollins College plays in the Sunshine State Conference and fields 21 varsity teams: Location: Saint Leo, FL Acceptance Rate: 60% Undergrad Enrollment: 8,600 Founded in 1889, Saint Leo University is the oldest Catholic institution of higher education in Florida. The school remains rooted in the Catholic faith, the spirit of its Benedictine founders, and the four essential characteristics of a Catholic University: Christian inspiration, faith reflection, fidelity to the Christian message, and service to church and humanity. Saint Leo University cultivates an ethnically diverse group of undergraduates, with over 40% of students coming from underrepresented populations. Saint Leo University plays in the Sunshine State Conference and fields 21 varsity teams: Acceptance Rate: 49% Undergrad Enrollment: 8,400 The University of Tampa is known for providing students with experiential learning—the school boasts more than 40 different experiential programs, including research and internship opportunities, study abroad, and service. In fact, service plays an essential role on campus; between students and faculty, the university has volunteered more than 300,000 service hours to 300 community organizations. The University of Tampa plays in the Sunshine State Conference and fields 20 varsity teams: Location: Pensacola, FL Acceptance Rate: 42% Undergrad Enrollment: 9,700 A public university, the University of West Florida (UWF) offers qualifying students from neighboring Alabama a special tuition rate that is less than half of out-of-state tuition. The female-leaning UWF student population—61% of the student body is female—is a spirited community of learners and big thinkers who benefit from personal attention, small class sizes, and an engaged faculty. The University of West Florida plays in the Gulf South Conference and fields 15 varsity teams: Wondering if you have what it takes to get into one of these Division 2 schools in Florida? CollegeVine can help. Our free chancing engine combines quantitative data, such as grades and test scores, with qualitative factors like extracurricular activities (such as athletics) and honors to estimate your odds of acceptance. It will also highlight areas for improvement to better your chances of earning admission.
What’s Covered:
What is the NCAA Division 2?
D2 Colleges in Florida
School Name
City
Acceptance Rate
Barry University
Eckerd College
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Flagler College
Florida Institute of Technology
Florida Southern College
Lynn University
Nova Southeastern University
Palm Beach Atlantic University
Rollins College
Saint Leo University
University of Tampa
University of West Florida
