The limits, level by level
Division I, opted in to the House settlement: a roster can carry up to 34 players, and every one of them can receive a full scholarship. Players the settlement designated can stay on beyond that limit for the rest of their eligibility, and spring-sport rosters are certified by December 1.
Division I, not opted in: the older limit still applies, 11.7 scholarships' worth of aid shared among at most 27 players on athletic aid, with no limit on total roster size. Schools decide each year whether to opt in.
Division II: 9 scholarships' worth of aid and no NCAA roster limit, so awards are almost always partial. For example, 27 players could each receive a third of a scholarship.
Division III: no athletic scholarships. Players can still receive academic and need-based aid the same way any student at the school does.
NAIA: 12 scholarships' worth of aid, usually split into partial awards. Rosters typically run about 35 players.
Junior college: NJCAA Division I colleges can offer up to 24 full scholarships, and NJCAA Division II colleges up to 24 that cover tuition only. Rosters typically run about 30 players.
What it means for a recruit
Below opted-in Division I, most baseball aid is an equivalency: a fixed pool of scholarship money a coach divides across the roster. A partial offer is the norm, not a slight, and academic aid often makes up a large share of the total package.
Because the pool is shared, every offer a coach makes changes what is left for the next player. That is why grades matter at every level: a strong student can be offered less athletic money for the same total cost.
What it does not claim
These are the published structures for each level, not any one school's budget. Individual programs may fund fewer scholarships than the limit allows, and Division I programs decide each year whether to opt in to the House settlement. A coach's own numbers always take priority over these defaults in Sightline.
Sources
- House settlement implementation text; NCAA implementation Q&A
- Division scholarship limit rules
Compiled September 5, 2026. A source with no link is a court filing, a research pack, or a table inside Sightline named in the entry.