Junior college is a deliberate route, not a fallback: athletes go to develop physically, to fix an academic record, or to get playing time and film that four-year coaches want to see.
NJCAA divisions and scholarships
NJCAA Division I and Division II colleges can award athletic scholarships; Division III colleges cannot. Scholarship limits and what an award may cover differ by division and sport, so ask each coach exactly what an offer includes.
The NJCAA letter of intent
Signing an NJCAA letter of intent commits you to that college for one academic year. Once you sign, you become unrecruitable by other NJCAA colleges: their athletics staff may not contact you.
Other two-year associations
California community colleges compete in the CCCAA, and colleges in the Pacific Northwest in the NWAC. Their rules — including on athletic scholarships — differ from the NJCAA’s, so check with the college.
Planning the move to a four-year school
If your goal is an NCAA or NAIA program after JUCO, plan it from your first semester: which courses transfer, what GPA you need, and whether you should graduate before transferring. Four-year programs have their own transfer requirements; check with the NCAA or NAIA Eligibility Center and the four-year school early.
Common mistakes
- Treating JUCO as a gap year instead of a recruiting stage.
- Taking courses that will not transfer.
- Not sending JUCO film and results to four-year coaches every season.