Fencing

INTRO

Can fencing help me get into college? Complete Overview of Fencing College Recruiting

https://www.fencingparents.org/college-bound-fencer/2018/5/11/can-fencing-help-me-get-into-college

Source: www.fencingparents.org

In 2019/2020 academic year, 44 colleges in total have NCAA sanctioned fencing teams across Division 1, 2 and 3.  There are 27 colleges in Division 1, 2 colleges in Division 2 and 15 college fencing teams in Division 3. There are more than 1,300 fencers spread through the 44 colleges with NCAA sanctioned fencing teams. The academic spectrum is quite wide, so are the rankings and rating classifications of fencers on these college fencing teams.

The main differences between the divisions are attributable to the total amount of financial resources dedicated to promoting the sport within the school and the NCAA, the size of their teams, the commitment of the college to an active athlete recruitment program and the importance of fencing as a sport for the school.

College membership in each Division is by application to and approval of the NCAA. Division 3 schools have, typically, less demanding training schedules than Division 1.

Division 1 schools maintain rigorous fencing training schedules for their fencers, requiring mandatory training of up to 6 days a week.

THE COLLEGES WITH NCAA FENCING TEAMS

In 2019/2020, a new addition brings the total number of colleges in Division 1 to 27. Long Island University’s Women’s fencing team moves from Division 2 to Division 1 and relocates to its LIU’s Brooklyn campus.

The Division 1 fencing teams include 7 Ivy League universities, Stanford University, Duke University, Northwestern University and the University of Notre Dame, all of which field highly competitive fencing teams and are ranked within the top 20 of the US News and World Report College Rankings. Among these academically elite colleges, Cornell University and Northwestern University field women only teams.

Division 2 this year drops to only 2 colleges, with Long Island University moving up to Division 1 and McKendree University and Queens College cancelling their programs altogether.

With some movement, Division 3 now has 15 colleges with NCAA fencing teams. Denison University upgrades its women’s club fencing team to Division 3, while California Institute of Technology puts its Division 3 men’s and women’s teams on hiatus for 2019/2020. Delaware University will not be fielding a Division 3 fencing team as originally announced.

Colleges with NCAA sanctioned fencing teams fill their rosters through a combination of athlete recruitment, and walk-on team members who are accepted to the college on their academic merits. There are, therefore, multiple ways that a fencer can join a NCAA fencing team , and fence through their college years if they so desire.

The highly competitive athlete recruitment process we hear so much about typically takes place between a select number of the academically elite colleges in Division 1, including 7 of the Ivy League colleges (Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Yale and Brown), Stanford University, Duke University, Northwestern University, and University of Notre Dame. Pennsylvania State University and Ohio State University stand out as strong fencing schools that do not have as rigorous academic requirements for their athlete recruits. Northwestern University and Cornell University stand out as having women only NCAA teams in Division 1.

Rules governing athlete recruitment are much stricter at the Division 1 level than at the Division 2 or Division 3 level.

See: A Fencer’s Guide to the NCAA Rules Governing Athlete Recruitment

See: How Do Ivy League Colleges Use the Academic Index in the Athlete Recruitment of Fencers

Whether your fencer aspires to be an athlete recruit, or would like to walk on to a NCAA fencing team in college, here's the list to keep in mind when applying.