NCAA · Softball
Softball programs
956 programs across 3 divisions, each with its coaching staff, roster, budget and the school behind it.
956
Programs
305 D1 · 269 D2 · 382 D3
21,824
Roster spots
last season
338,315
High-school players
2024-25
1 in 16
Odds of any NCAA spot · 6.5%
1 in 48 (2.1%) for Division I
25
D-I roster cap
65 of 305 programs over it last season
$1.1M
Median D-I budget
$46,727 per player
4 in Alaska, Hawaii or abroad not shown
Division IDivision IIDivision III
When coaches may contact you
The first date a coach in each division may email or call a recruit, by high-school graduation year — the general NCAA rule for softball. You may write to any coach at any time.
| Grad year | Division I | Division II | Division III |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | September 1, 2025 | June 15, 2025 | Any time |
| 2028 | September 1, 2026 | June 15, 2026 | Any time |
| 2029 | September 1, 2027 | June 15, 2027 | Any time |
| 2030 | September 1, 2028 | June 15, 2028 | Any time |
The full guide: eligibility, what to send, and how the roster cap changes the math.
Division by division
| Division | Programs | Spots | Median budget | Per player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division I | 305 | 7,038 | $1.1M | $47k |
| Division II | 269 | 6,493 | $393k | $17k |
| Division III | 382 | 8,293 | $162k | $8k |
Division I roster cap 25 from 2025-26: last season 65 programs carried more, 32 were exactly at it and 207 had room. Players already on a roster may stay, so the squeeze lands on the next classes. How the caps work.
Odds: 6.5% of high-school players hold an NCAA roster spot (1 in 16); 1 in 48 (2.1%) in Division I. Transfers and international players hold some of those spots. The honest version · every sport.
Biggest team budgets · Division I
| # | School | Team budget | Roster | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Oklahoma Southeastern Conference | $8.2M | 22 | 988 | |
| 2 | University of Tennessee, Knoxville Southeastern Conference | $4.7M | 29 | 1000 | |
| 3 | Texas A&M University, College Station Southeastern Conference | $4.5M | 31 | 991 | |
| 4 | University of Florida Southeastern Conference | $4.4M | 25 | 991 | |
| 5 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln Big Ten Conference | $4.4M | 27 | 997 | |
| 6 | University of Washington Big Ten Conference | $4.4M | 20 | 997 | |
| 7 | Clemson University Atlantic Coast Conference | $4.3M | 23 | — | |
| 8 | University of Oregon Big Ten Conference | $4M | 23 | 962 | |
| 9 | University of South Carolina, Columbia Southeastern Conference | $4M | 27 | 1000 | |
| 10 | University of California, Los Angeles Big Ten Conference | $3.9M | 23 | 977 |
Best Academic Progress Rates · Division I
| # | School | APR | Roster | Budget | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colgate University Patriot League | 1000 | 18 | $1.4M | |
| 2 | College of the Holy Cross Patriot League | 1000 | 18 | $800k | |
| 3 | Dartmouth College The Ivy League | 1000 | 20 | $588k | |
| 4 | Elon University Coastal Athletic Association | 1000 | 22 | $1.3M | |
| 5 | Fordham University Atlantic 10 Conference | 1000 | 19 | $1.7M | |
| 6 | Furman University Southern Conference | 1000 | 22 | $1M | |
| 7 | Georgetown University BIG EAST Conference | 1000 | 20 | $864k | |
| 8 | Iona University Metro Conference | 1000 | 19 | $748k | |
| 9 | Lafayette College Patriot League | 1000 | 18 | $1.2M | |
| 10 | Manhattan University Metro Conference | 1000 | 16 | $507k |
Most room on the roster · Division I
| # | School | Room under the cap | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coppin State University Mid-Eastern Athletic Conf. | 11 | 924 | |
| 2 | Western Kentucky University Conference USA | 10 | 982 | |
| 3 | Manhattan University Metro Conference | 9 | 1000 | |
| 4 | Saint Peter's University Metro Conference | 9 | 985 | |
| 5 | University of Massachusetts Lowell America East Conference | 9 | 1000 | |
| 6 | Saint Louis University Atlantic 10 Conference | 8 | 1000 | |
| 7 | University of Maryland Eastern Shore Mid-Eastern Athletic Conf. | 8 | 982 | |
| 8 | Binghamton University America East Conference | 7 | 990 | |
| 9 | Colgate University Patriot League | 7 | 1000 | |
| 10 | College of the Holy Cross Patriot League | 7 | 1000 |
Lowest net price · Division I
| # | School | Net price | Roster | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio University Mid-American Conference | $3,897 | — | — | |
| 2 | California State University, Fullerton Big West Conference | $6,283 | 22 | 979 | |
| 3 | California State University, Bakersfield Big West Conference | $6,567 | 28 | 980 | |
| 4 | California State University, Fresno Pac-12 Conference | $7,303 | 29 | 971 | |
| 5 | University of New Mexico Mountain West Conference | $7,528 | 28 | 983 | |
| 6 | Coppin State University Mid-Eastern Athletic Conf. | $7,684 | 14 | 924 | |
| 7 | Northern Kentucky University Horizon League | $8,151 | 21 | 990 | |
| 8 | California State University, Northridge Big West Conference | $8,222 | 28 | 994 | |
| 9 | New Mexico State University Conference USA | $8,353 | 23 | 980 | |
| 10 | Utah Valley University Big West Conference | $8,650 | 21 | 982 |
Every softball coach's email, filters for roster room, budget, admission rate, majors and cost — and one reviewed email per school from your own Gmail.Start your board