Students who are not able to academically qualify for Division I or Division II athletics often think that they will be better suited for a Division III school. Many Division III schools are smaller, private schools with more rigorous academic standards that some Division I or Division II schools. Many of these Division III schools seek students who are also athletes and set higher GPA and test score standards in an attempt to offer merit-based money to offset the cost of attendance for student-athletes. The bottom line is, when it comes to any school, that academics count for everything!