(See the list for 2023 at the bottom.) There are 206 NCAA D1 soccer colleges for men in the United States according to the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE). The NCAA allows colleges to offer a maximum of 9.9 scholarships for men’s D1 soccer teams which is less than the 12 allowed by the NAIA and the 18 for JuCo programs. Since Soccer is an equivalency sport, single scholarships can be divided among multiple players meaning few, if any, players will receive full-ride D1 scholarships.
Download the list of D1 Men’s Soccer Colleges HERE
California has the most D1 men’s soccer programs with 22 universities. New York has the second most at 18 and Pennsylvania ranks third with at least 15 institutions (All Pennsylvania State Universities are reported as one entity). Twelve states don’t have any D1 soccer colleges and 9 have only one college offering D1 soccer for men. The following are the top ten states with D1 soccer programs:
- California
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- North Carolina
- Virginia
- Illinois
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
103 are private including one for-profit school and 103 are public institutions. Approximately three-quarters are Doctoral Universities with 70 classified as Very High Research. Master’s Colleges & Universities account for 41 schools and only 14 are at the Baccalaureate level.
Who Spends the Most on NCAA D1 Soccer for Men?
It’s important to keep in mind that this data is from 2020, the most recently available year. That means some of these numbers are likely to be affected by COVID. The average team expenses were $848,297 in 2020, down from the previous year’s average of $959,661. This includes:
appearance guarantees and options, athletically related student aid, contract services, equipment, fundraising activities, operating expenses, promotional activities, recruiting expenses, salaries and benefits, supplies, travel, and any other expenses attributable to intercollegiate athletic activities.
Southern Methodist University again ranked first in total expenses at $2,154,201. However, unlike the previous year, it was the only team with expenses over $2,000,000. Indiana University-Bloomington had the second highest total at $1,962,327 followed by Clemson University and then University of Maryland-College Park and Syracuse rounding out the top five. The following are the top ten men’s D1 Soccer teams ranked by expenses:
- Southern Methodist University
- Indiana University-Bloomington
- Clemson University
- University of Maryland-College Park
- Syracuse University
- Wake Forest University
- Stanford University
- Oregon State University
- University of Virginia-Main Campus
- University of Notre Dame
Half the teams in the top ten are from the AAC. The Big Ten and PAC-12 have two each and the American Athletic Conference had one.
Three D1 universities had expenses under $200,000 compared to just one the previous year. A total of 15 schools had total expenses below the 2020 average for all NCAA Divisions: $397,515. The following are the 10 D1 teams that ranked at the bottom of expenses in 2020:
- University of St Thomas
- Chicago State University
- Eastern Illinois University
- Utah State University
- Virginia Military Institute
- University of North Carolina at Asheville
- Central Connecticut State University
- Longwood University
- Dixie State University
- Radford University
Four of the teams were from the Big South Conference, two from the Western athletic Conference, and one each from the Mountain West, Northeast, Ohio Valley, and Summit League
What are the graduation rates for D1 Soccer Colleges?
When considering D1 soccer colleges, players should look at both team graduation rates and the general student population graduation rate. It isn’t easy to find the team graduation rates but you can find out how at How to Find Student-Athlete Graduation Rates.
Why should you care about the general student population graduation rate? Because there are all kinds of reasons why players may quit their sport in college. And when they do, they’ll want to make sure they’re still likely to graduate.
Among the colleges with D1 Men’s Soccer Programs, the general student population average 4-year graduation rate was 57%. Princeton University, Georgetown University, University of Notre Dame, and the College of the Holy Cross tied for 1st at 90%. Three schools had graduation rates of 89% and another five were at 88%. The following are the top 10 (including ties) D1 Men’s Soccer colleges by 4-year graduation rates:
- University of Notre Dame
- Georgetown University
- Princeton University
- College of the Holy Cross
- University of Virginia-Main Campus
- University of Pennsylvania
- Duke University
- Cornell University
- Boston College
- Columbia University in the City of New York
- Villanova University
- Yale University
Unfortunately, there were six schools where the 4-year graduation rate was under 20%, a decrease from the eight from the previous year. The average national 4-year college graduation rate is 46.6%.
How big are colleges offering Men’s D1 Soccer?
Most expect D1 soccer colleges to be large and for the most part they are. The average number of full-time undergraduates was 12,862 for colleges that offer D1 Men’s Soccer. But if you’re looking for a smaller college experience, it is possible to find it and still play at the D1 level.
There are 62 schools where the full-time undergraduates total less than 5,000. Of those, only 15 had fewer than 2,500 full-time undergraduates. If you’re looking for a traditional Liberal Arts College, these are the places to start. Of course, these schools tend to be members of less prominent conferences such as the Big South, Northeast, and the Southern Conferences.
Download the list of D1 Men’s Soccer Colleges HERE
How much do D1 Soccer Colleges Cost?
If you’re thinking that you don’t have to worry about paying for college because you’re going to be getting it paid for with a soccer scholarship, think again. Remember at the beginning I said soccer is an equivalency sport with a maximum of 9.9 scholarships. The average soccer roster is somewhere around 30 players. You do the math. And don’t forget, there’s a very good chance that the college doesn’t even fully fund all of the allowed scholarships. So, yes, cost is something you need to pay attention to.
Of the 103 private D1 Men’s Soccer programs, 12 had a total cost of attendance of over $80,000 a year, up from just four schools in the category the previous year. Another 28 private institutions were over $70,000. The average among all private colleges was $66,091 compared to $64,903 the previous year. The number of privates schools with total costs under $50,000 decreased from 23 schools to just nine.
Things are better at public institutions but only if you’re paying in-state tuition. The average for the 103 public schools is $28,836. However, 36 (up from 29) of the schools have a total in-state cost over $30,000 including two that were over $40,000.
The average for those paying out-of-state tuition at the public schools is $45,194. Yeah, out-of-state tuition can be as much as that at private colleges. In fact, 11 of the public universities charge out-of-state residents over $60,000 a year with two over $70,000. Another 22 charge over $50,000.
Average Net Price
Of course, you may have heard that hardly anyone pays the actual sticker price for college which is true. That’s why you need to pay attention to a number called “average net price.” This is the average price students pay after deducting all gift aid, money you don’t have to pay back. The average of the average net price for private school drops to $26,659 and for public schools to $15,011. However, keep in mind this is an average. Some are still going to pay a lot more and some a lot less. And even going by average net price, there are nine private schools at over $40,000.
206 NCAA Men’s D1 Soccer Colleges
The following table lists all colleges with NCAA D1 soccer programs for men, their size, and 4-year graduation rate. All of this data can be found in the DIY College Rankings Soccer Spreadsheet.
NCAA Men’s D1 Soccer Colleges
Name | State | Type | Conference | Full-time Under-grads | 4-Year Grad Rate |
University of Alabama at Birmingham | AL | Pub | Conference USA | 10,981 | 42 |
Grand Canyon University | AZ | Pro | Western Athletic Conference | 20,938 | 37 |
University of Central Arkansas | AR | Pub | ASUN Conference | 7,655 | 34 |
California Baptist University | CA | Pri | Western Athletic Conference | 7,493 | 37 |
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | Pub | Big West Conference | 20,569 | 57 |
California State University-Bakersfield | CA | Pub | Big West Conference | 9,039 | 17 |
California State University-Fullerton | CA | Pub | Big West Conference | 31,809 | 29 |
California State University-Northridge | CA | Pub | Big West Conference | 29,724 | 17 |
California State University-Sacramento | CA | Pub | Big Sky Conference | 26,066 | 20 |
Loyola Marymount University | CA | Pri | West Coast Conference | 6,711 | 72 |
Saint Mary’s College of California | CA | Pri | West Coast Conference | 2,385 | 61 |
San Diego State University | CA | Pub | Mountain West Conference | 28,791 | 48 |
San Jose State University | CA | Pub | Mountain West Conference | 24,460 | 25 |
Santa Clara University | CA | Pri | West Coast Conference | 5,649 | 85 |
Stanford University | CA | Pri | Pac-12 Conference | 6,157 | 77 |
University of California-Berkeley | CA | Pub | Pac-12 Conference | 30,385 | 79 |
University of California-Davis | CA | Pub | Big West Conference | 31,201 | 62 |
University of California-Irvine | CA | Pub | Big West Conference | 29,867 | 68 |
University of California-Los Angeles | CA | Pub | Pac-12 Conference | 32,325 | 83 |
University of California-Riverside | CA | Pub | Big West Conference | 23,008 | 61 |
University of California-San Diego | CA | Pub | Big West Conference | 31,746 | 73 |
University of California-Santa Barbara | CA | Pub | Big West Conference | 23,527 | 70 |
University of San Diego | CA | Pri | West Coast Conference | 5,620 | 67 |
University of San Francisco | CA | Pri | West Coast Conference | 5,972 | 68 |
University of the Pacific | CA | Pri | West Coast Conference | 3,545 | 44 |
University of Denver | CO | Pri | The Summit League | 5,568 | 67 |
Central Connecticut State University | CT | Pub | Northeast Conference | 7,146 | 29 |
Fairfield University | CT | Pri | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 4,325 | 82 |
Quinnipiac University | CT | Pri | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 6,880 | 77 |
Sacred Heart University | CT | Pri | Northeast Conference | 5,687 | 69 |
University of Connecticut | CT | Pub | Big East Conference | 18,551 | 72 |
University of Hartford | CT | Pri | America East Conference | 4,174 | 53 |
Yale University | CT | Pri | Ivy Group | 5,898 | 88 |
University of Delaware | DE | Pub | Colonial Athletic Association | 18,512 | 73 |
American University | DC | Pri | Patriot League | 7,738 | 73 |
George Washington University | DC | Pri | Atlantic 10 Conference | 10,616 | 77 |
Georgetown University | DC | Pri | Big East Conference | 6,764 | 90 |
Howard University | DC | Pri | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 7,696 | 53 |
Florida Atlantic University | FL | Pub | Conference USA | 17,726 | 37 |
Florida Gulf Coast University | FL | Pub | ASUN Conference | 12,342 | 36 |
Florida International University | FL | Pub | Conference USA | 31,296 | 42 |
Jacksonville University | FL | Pri | ASUN Conference | 2,723 | 40 |
Stetson University | FL | Pri | ASUN Conference | 3,184 | 58 |
University of Central Florida | FL | Pub | American Athletic Conference | 47,054 | 46 |
University of North Florida | FL | Pub | ASUN Conference | 11,725 | 45 |
University of South Florida | FL | Pub | American Athletic Conference | 31,946 | 59 |
Georgia Southern University | GA | Pub | Sun Belt Conference | 20,709 | 30 |
Georgia State University | GA | Pub | Sun Belt Conference | 24,025 | 34 |
Mercer University | GA | Pri | Southern Conference | 4,468 | 63 |
Bradley University | IL | Pri | Missouri Valley Conference | 4,521 | 57 |
Chicago State University | IL | Pub | Western Athletic Conference | 1,269 | 5 |
DePaul University | IL | Pri | Big East Conference | 13,237 | 58 |
Eastern Illinois University | IL | Pub | Ohio Valley Conference | 4,309 | 35 |
Loyola University Chicago | IL | Pri | Missouri Valley Conference | 11,401 | 65 |
Northern Illinois University | IL | Pub | Mid-American Conference | 11,151 | 31 |
Northwestern University | IL | Pri | Big Ten Conference | 8,404 | 86 |
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | IL | Pub | Ohio Valley Conference | 8,748 | 30 |
University of Illinois Chicago | IL | Pub | Horizon League | 20,884 | 36 |
Western Illinois University | IL | Pub | The Summit League | 5,507 | 32 |
Butler University | IN | Pri | Big East Conference | 4,403 | 75 |
Indiana University-Bloomington | IN | Pub | Big Ten Conference | 32,282 | 69 |
Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis | IN | Pub | Horizon League | 18,184 | 38 |
Purdue University Fort Wayne | IN | Pub | Horizon League | 5,500 | 22 |
University of Evansville | IN | Pri | Missouri Valley Conference | 1,743 | 58 |
University of Notre Dame | IN | Pri | Atlantic Coast Conference | 8,949 | 90 |
Drake University | IA | Pri | Missouri Valley Conference | 2,839 | 70 |
Bellarmine University | KY | Pri | ASUN Conference | 2,569 | 58 |
Northern Kentucky University | KY | Pub | Horizon League | 8,184 | 31 |
University of Kentucky | KY | Pub | Southeastern Conference | 20,616 | 51 |
University of Louisville | KY | Pub | Atlantic Coast Conference | 12,244 | 41 |
Loyola University Maryland | MD | Pri | Patriot League | 3,837 | 77 |
Mount St. Mary’s University | MD | Pri | Northeast Conference | 1,956 | 55 |
University of Maryland-Baltimore County | MD | Pub | America East Conference | 9,640 | 45 |
University of Maryland-College Park | MD | Pub | Big Ten Conference | 29,809 | 72 |
Boston College | MA | Pri | Atlantic Coast Conference | 9,702 | 88 |
Boston University | MA | Pri | Patriot League | 17,431 | 84 |
College of the Holy Cross | MA | Pri | Patriot League | 3,047 | 90 |
Harvard University | MA | Pri | Ivy Group | 6,161 | 86 |
Merrimack College | MA | Pri | Northeast Conference | 4,015 | 64 |
Northeastern University | MA | Pri | Colonial Athletic Association | 20,250 | – |
University of Massachusetts-Amherst | MA | Pub | Atlantic 10 Conference | 23,297 | 77 |
University of Massachusetts-Lowell | MA | Pub | America East Conference | 11,239 | 47 |
Michigan State University | MI | Pub | Big Ten Conference | 35,692 | 59 |
Oakland University | MI | Pub | Horizon League | 12,745 | 31 |
University of Detroit Mercy | MI | Pri | Horizon League | 2,306 | 52 |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | Pub | Big Ten Conference | 30,681 | 81 |
Western Michigan University | MI | Pub | Mid-American Conference | 13,937 | 28 |
University of St Thomas | MN | Pri | The Summit League | 6,323 | 69 |
Missouri State University-Springfield | MO | Pub | Missouri Valley Conference | 13,502 | 38 |
Saint Louis University | MO | Pri | Atlantic 10 Conference | 7,091 | 73 |
University of Missouri-Kansas City | MO | Pub | The Summit League | 6,603 | 29 |
Creighton University | NE | Pri | Big East Conference | 4,480 | 70 |
University of Nebraska at Omaha | NE | Pub | The Summit League | 11,056 | 25 |
University of Nevada-Las Vegas | NV | Pub | Mountain West Conference | 20,833 | 19 |
Dartmouth College | NH | Pri | Ivy Group | 4,700 | 86 |
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | NH | Pub | America East Conference | 11,761 | 70 |
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus | NJ | Pri | Northeast Conference | 2,894 | 38 |
Monmouth University | NJ | Pri | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 4,203 | 59 |
New Jersey Institute of Technology | NJ | Pub | America East Conference | 7,790 | 38 |
Princeton University | NJ | Pri | Ivy Group | 4,746 | 90 |
Rider University | NJ | Pri | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 3,410 | 54 |
Rutgers University-New Brunswick | NJ | Pub | Big Ten Conference | 36,132 | 68 |
Saint Peter’s University | NJ | Pri | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 2,031 | 47 |
Seton Hall University | NJ | Pri | Big East Conference | 5,942 | 66 |
Binghamton University | NY | Pub | America East Conference | 14,607 | 75 |
Canisius College | NY | Pri | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 1,958 | 64 |
Colgate University | NY | Pri | Patriot League | 3,067 | 87 |
Columbia University in the City of New York | NY | Pri | Ivy Group | 7,792 | 88 |
Cornell University | NY | Pri | Ivy Group | 15,121 | 88 |
Fordham University | NY | Pri | Atlantic 10 Conference | 9,143 | 78 |
Hofstra University | NY | Pri | Colonial Athletic Association | 5,980 | 60 |
Iona College | NY | Pri | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 2,673 | 51 |
Long Island University | NY | Pri | Northeast Conference | 5,853 | 33 |
Manhattan College | NY | Pri | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 3,246 | 64 |
Niagara University | NY | Pri | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 2,675 | 65 |
Siena College | NY | Pri | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 3,265 | 72 |
St Bonaventure University | NY | Pri | Atlantic 10 Conference | 1,732 | 68 |
St Francis College | NY | Pri | Northeast Conference | 2,551 | 31 |
St. John’s University-New York | NY | Pri | Big East Conference | 10,454 | 52 |
Stony Brook University | NY | Pub | America East Conference | 17,676 | 64 |
SUNY at Albany | NY | Pub | America East Conference | 12,759 | 59 |
Syracuse University | NY | Pri | Atlantic Coast Conference | 14,124 | 72 |
Campbell University | NC | Pri | Big South Conference | 3,324 | 40 |
Davidson College | NC | Pri | Atlantic 10 Conference | 2,029 | 86 |
Duke University | NC | Pri | Atlantic Coast Conference | 6,940 | 89 |
Elon University | NC | Pri | Colonial Athletic Association | 6,173 | 79 |
Gardner-Webb University | NC | Pri | Big South Conference | 1,886 | 36 |
High Point University | NC | Pri | Big South Conference | 4,653 | 65 |
North Carolina State University at Raleigh | NC | Pub | Atlantic Coast Conference | 23,751 | 64 |
University of North Carolina at Asheville | NC | Pub | Big South Conference | 3,049 | 48 |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | NC | Pub | Atlantic Coast Conference | 18,756 | 84 |
University of North Carolina at Charlotte | NC | Pub | Conference USA | 22,169 | 43 |
University of North Carolina at Greensboro | NC | Pub | Southern Conference | 13,973 | 38 |
University of North Carolina Wilmington | NC | Pub | Colonial Athletic Association | 12,749 | 56 |
Wake Forest University | NC | Pri | Atlantic Coast Conference | 5,417 | 86 |
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | OH | Pub | Mid-American Conference | 13,012 | 46 |
Cleveland State University | OH | Pub | Horizon League | 9,393 | 33 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | Pub | Big Ten Conference | 44,327 | 67 |
University of Akron Main Campus | OH | Pub | Mid-American Conference | 11,126 | 22 |
University of Dayton | OH | Pri | Atlantic 10 Conference | 8,464 | 64 |
Wright State University-Main Campus | OH | Pub | Horizon League | 6,757 | 27 |
Xavier University | OH | Pri | Big East Conference | 5,286 | 68 |
Oral Roberts University | OK | Pri | The Summit League | 2,725 | 49 |
University of Tulsa | OK | Pri | American Athletic Conference | 2,889 | 58 |
Oregon State University | OR | Pub | Pac-12 Conference | 20,873 | 41 |
University of Portland | OR | Pri | West Coast Conference | 3,591 | 74 |
Bucknell University | PA | Pri | Patriot League | 3,725 | 83 |
Drexel University | PA | Pri | Colonial Athletic Association | 13,946 | 31 |
Duquesne University | PA | Pri | Atlantic 10 Conference | 5,470 | 67 |
La Salle University | PA | Pri | Atlantic 10 Conference | 2,879 | 53 |
Lafayette College | PA | Pri | Patriot League | 2,550 | 85 |
Lehigh University | PA | Pri | Patriot League | 5,076 | 78 |
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | PA | Big Ten Conference | |||
Robert Morris University | PA | Pri | Horizon League | 3,823 | 53 |
Saint Francis University | PA | Pri | Northeast Conference | 1,479 | 66 |
Saint Joseph’s University | PA | Pri | Atlantic 10 Conference | 4,005 | 76 |
Temple University | PA | Pub | American Athletic Conference | 25,831 | 57 |
The Pennsylvania State University | PA | Pub | Big Ten Conference | 67,296 | 55 |
University of Pennsylvania | PA | Pri | Ivy Group | 10,213 | 89 |
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | PA | Pub | Atlantic Coast Conference | 18,927 | 69 |
Villanova University | PA | Pri | Big East Conference | 7,044 | 88 |
Brown University | RI | Pri | Ivy Group | 6,889 | 86 |
Bryant University | RI | Pri | Northeast Conference | 3,304 | 80 |
Providence College | RI | Pri | Big East Conference | 4,152 | 85 |
University of Rhode Island | RI | Pub | Atlantic 10 Conference | 13,104 | 53 |
Clemson University | SC | Pub | Atlantic Coast Conference | 20,978 | 65 |
Coastal Carolina University | SC | Pub | Sun Belt Conference | 8,880 | 37 |
College of Charleston | SC | Pub | Colonial Athletic Association | 8,876 | 59 |
Furman University | SC | Pri | Southern Conference | 2,333 | 77 |
Presbyterian College | SC | Pri | Big South Conference | 977 | 50 |
University of South Carolina-Columbia | SC | Pub | Southeastern Conference | 26,994 | 67 |
University of South Carolina-Upstate | SC | Pub | Big South Conference | 4,728 | 31 |
Winthrop University | SC | Pub | Big South Conference | 4,146 | 46 |
Wofford College | SC | Pri | Southern Conference | 1,773 | 75 |
Belmont University | TN | Pri | Missouri Valley Conference | 6,556 | 57 |
East Tennessee State University | TN | Pub | Southern Conference | 9,591 | 35 |
Lipscomb University | TN | Pri | ASUN Conference | 2,853 | 64 |
University of Memphis | TN | Pub | American Athletic Conference | 12,848 | 32 |
Houston Baptist University | TX | Pri | Southland Conference | 2,617 | 31 |
Southern Methodist University | TX | Pri | American Athletic Conference | 6,894 | 75 |
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | TX | Pub | Western Athletic Conference | 27,799 | 25 |
University of the Incarnate Word | TX | Pri | Southland Conference | 4,311 | 38 |
Dixie State University | UT | Pub | Western Athletic Conference | 7,646 | 15 |
Utah State University | UT | Pub | Mountain West Conference | 18,699 | 29 |
Utah Valley University | UT | Pub | Western Athletic Conference | 19,974 | 15 |
University of Vermont | VT | Pub | America East Conference | 10,637 | 70 |
George Mason University | VA | Pub | Atlantic 10 Conference | 23,268 | 49 |
James Madison University | VA | Pub | Colonial Athletic Association | 18,499 | 65 |
Liberty University | VA | Pri | ASUN Conference | 36,499 | 45 |
Longwood University | VA | Pub | Big South Conference | 3,474 | 52 |
Old Dominion University | VA | Pub | Conference USA | 15,680 | 25 |
Radford University | VA | Pub | Big South Conference | 7,040 | 39 |
University of Virginia-Main Campus | VA | Pub | Atlantic Coast Conference | 17,173 | 89 |
Virginia Commonwealth University | VA | Pub | Atlantic 10 Conference | 19,505 | 48 |
Virginia Military Institute | VA | Pub | Big South Conference | 1,744 | 64 |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | VA | Pub | Atlantic Coast Conference | 29,758 | 68 |
William & Mary | VA | Pub | Colonial Athletic Association | 6,393 | 86 |
Gonzaga University | WA | Pri | West Coast Conference | 4,886 | 75 |
Seattle University | WA | Pri | Western Athletic Conference | 4,352 | 65 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus | WA | Pub | Pac-12 Conference | 30,671 | 71 |
Marshall University | WV | Pub | Conference USA | 7,327 | 34 |
West Virginia University | WV | Pub | Big Twelve Conference | 19,276 | 44 |
Marquette University | WI | Pri | Big East Conference | 7,835 | 64 |
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | WI | Pub | Horizon League | 5,174 | 38 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | Pub | Big Ten Conference | 30,720 | 69 |
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | WI | Pub | Horizon League | 17,537 | 23 |