Division 2 soccer colleges get overlooked — and it costs families real money and real opportunities. While most soccer families fixate on D1, D2 offers competitive play, meaningful scholarship dollars, and a recruiting process that's more accessible than D1's showcase-driven pipeline. There are roughly 260 D2 soccer programs across men's and women's combined, spread across 23 conferences in 44 states. For athletes who are strong but not elite D1 prospects, D2 soccer is often the best fit they'll find — if they know it exists.
This article covers why D2 soccer deserves serious consideration, how the scholarships work, how to identify programs worth targeting, and how to start the recruiting process.
Why D2 soccer deserves a closer look
Three structural advantages make D2 soccer worth investigating for families who would otherwise default to D1 or skip straight to D3.
Better scholarship math per athlete. D2 men's soccer programs receive 9 equivalency scholarships — compared to 9.9 at D1 — but D2 rosters are typically 25–28 players versus 28–35 at D1. That tighter ratio means individual partial awards tend to be proportionally larger. D2 women's soccer programs receive 9.9 equivalencies with similar roster sizes. At D1, women's programs have 14 equivalencies but spread them across larger rosters and often concentrate aid on a few elite recruits. For the athlete who would receive a 15% D1 offer, a D2 program might offer 30–40%. Run the dollar math, not just the division label. For detailed scholarship numbers, see the soccer athletic scholarships guide.
More accessible recruiting process. D1 soccer recruiting — especially women's D1 — is heavily driven by the ECNL and MLS NEXT showcase circuit, which requires families to invest thousands in club fees and travel before their athlete is even in the recruiting conversation. D2 coaches recruit more broadly: through regional showcases, high school play, direct outreach, and film review. Athletes who don't play on elite club teams have a realistic path to D2 offers that simply doesn't exist at most D1 programs.
The balance proposition. D2 athletes typically commit 20–30 hours per week to their sport, compared to 30–40+ at D1. That difference translates to more time for academics, internships, and campus life. For families where college is about more than just athletics, D2's balance model is a feature, not a compromise.
D2 soccer scholarship numbers and how they work
D2 soccer is an equivalency sport — coaches split a pool of scholarship money into partial awards across the roster. Full rides are rare. Partial scholarships are the norm.
| Men's D2 soccer | Women's D2 soccer | For comparison: Men's D1 | For comparison: Women's D1 |
|---|
| Scholarship equivalencies | 9.0 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 14.0 |
| Typical roster size | 25–28 | 25–28 | 28–35 | 28–35 |
| Average per-player value | Higher per athlete due to smaller rosters | Higher per athlete due to smaller rosters | Spread thinner across larger rosters | 14 equivalencies across more players |
What a D2 soccer scholarship actually looks like in dollars:
At a D2 school with $35,000 annual cost of attendance:
- A 40% scholarship covers $14,000 per year — the family pays $21,000
- A 25% scholarship covers $8,750 per year — the family pays $26,250
At a D1 school with $55,000 annual cost of attendance:
- A 20% scholarship covers $11,000 per year — the family pays $44,000
- A 15% scholarship covers $8,250 per year — the family pays $46,750
In this scenario, the D2 athlete on a 25% scholarship pays less out of pocket than the D1 athlete on a 20% scholarship — and the D2 school's sticker price is lower to begin with. D2 programs also frequently stack athletic aid with academic merit scholarships, which can push the net cost even lower.
D2 soccer colleges by region and conference
D2 soccer is organized into conferences that cluster regionally. Knowing the conference landscape helps families build target lists efficiently.
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic:
The Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) and the East Coast Conference (ECC) are among the strongest D2 soccer conferences. Programs in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania compete at a high level. The PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) is another deep conference with competitive soccer programs.
Southeast:
The Peach Belt Conference (Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida) and the Conference Carolinas field competitive D2 soccer. The Sunshine State Conference in Florida is particularly strong for both men's and women's programs.
Midwest:
The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) in Michigan and the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) spanning Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois are the primary D2 soccer conferences in the region. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) covers the upper Midwest.
West and Southwest:
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) covers Colorado, New Mexico, and surrounding states. The Lone Star Conference serves Texas D2 soccer. The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and PacWest Conference round out the West Coast.
South Central:
The Great American Conference (GAC) and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) cover Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas.
How to use this information: start with the conferences in your region — D2 programs recruit heavily within their geographic footprint, and proximity reduces travel costs for both the family and the coaching staff. Then expand to conferences in adjacent regions where your athlete has genuine interest.
How to evaluate whether a D2 soccer program is the right fit
Not all D2 programs are created equal. These five factors separate the programs worth targeting from the ones that just fill a roster.
Coaching stability.
How long has the head coach been at the program? A coach who has been in place for five or more years has built a culture, established recruiting pipelines, and developed players over time. A revolving door of coaches means instability — and potentially a scholarship offer from a coach who won't be there when your athlete arrives.
Conference competitiveness.
The NE10, Peach Belt, and GLIAC are consistently strong D2 soccer conferences. A program in a competitive conference will face tougher opponents, which means better development and more impressive game film for potential graduate transfers to D1.
Transfer track record.
Some D2 programs serve as de facto development pipelines — players transfer to D1 programs after a year or two. Ask the coach: where have players transferred to in the past three years? This tells you whether the program develops talent that D1 staffs respect.
Academic profile.
D2 schools range from large state universities to small private colleges. The academic experience varies enormously. Research graduation rates, available majors, and class sizes — the degree is what lasts after the playing career ends.
Net cost after aid.
Run the net price calculator on every school's website. A 30% athletic scholarship sounds modest until you stack it with academic merit aid and need-based grants. Some D2 programs deliver total packages that bring the annual cost under $15,000.
How to start the D2 soccer recruiting process
The D2 recruiting timeline is more forgiving than D1's, but proactive families still have an advantage.
Start outreach by sophomore year. D2 coaches don't have the same contact restrictions as D1 — they can communicate with athletes earlier and more freely. An email to a D2 coach in sophomore year that includes film, stats, academic information, and genuine interest in the program can open a conversation that builds over time.
Attend college-run ID camps at target programs. D2 camps typically draw 40–80 athletes — far fewer than D1 mega camps. The evaluation is more personal, and the athlete-to-coach ratio gives your player more reps and more face time with the staff. For guidance on evaluating whether a specific camp is worth the cost, see our soccer camps guide.
Play competitive club soccer. You don't need to be on an ECNL team to be recruited by D2 programs. Competitive regional club teams, high school varsity programs with strong reputations, and state-level tournament performances all generate legitimate film and competitive credentials that D2 coaches respect.
Build a target list of 15–25 programs. Use conference websites to identify every D2 program in your target region. Filter by academic fit, location preference, and scholarship potential. For the framework, see our target list guide.
Email coaches directly. D2 coaching staffs are small — the head coach is often the primary recruiter. A personalized email that references the program specifically, includes a film link, and states your academic profile clearly will stand out. For exactly how to structure that outreach, see our guide on how to email a soccer college coach.
The bottom line
D2 soccer offers competitive athletics, meaningful scholarship money, and a recruiting process that's more accessible than D1's showcase-driven pipeline. The families who benefit most are the ones who run the actual financial math — comparing net cost at a D2 school with a 30% scholarship against a D1 school with a 15% scholarship — and realize that D2 often wins on dollars, development time, and quality of the overall college experience.
If you're still evaluating where your athlete fits across division levels, our D2 college recruiting overview covers the full D2 landscape beyond just soccer. For the scholarship numbers across all soccer divisions, the soccer athletic scholarships guide breaks down the math. To understand the recruiting calendar that drives when these conversations happen, the soccer recruiting timeline maps the process. And for athletes also considering D1, our guide to top D1 soccer schools covers how to identify programs worth targeting at that level — so your family can make a genuine comparison. California families targeting D1 specifically can find every men's and women's program in the state in our D1 soccer colleges in California guide. Texas families exploring D2 options in the Lone Star Conference will find every program, scholarship math, and recruiting guidance in our D2 soccer colleges in Texas guide. And for Florida families looking across all divisions, our soccer colleges in Florida guide covers D1 through NAIA in a single state.