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Scholarships and roster in Lacrosse: D1 / D2 / NAIA / JUCO
Lacrosse is an equivalency sport (partial aid) for men and women across all divisions; the House settlement swapped scholarship caps for roster caps in D1.
Guidance only — not legal advice nor an eligibility guarantee. Binding decisions rest with the NCAA Eligibility Center and US authorities.
Lacrosse is an equivalency sport (not headcount) for men and women across all NCAA divisions: the coach splits a pool of partial scholarships across the roster. Full rides are very rare, especially in men's.
The House settlement (in force 2025-26 only for D1 schools that opt in) decoupled scholarships from roster size: it replaced per-team scholarship caps with roster caps. A D1 program may now fund every spot, but most won't: lacrosse is non-revenue and only ~5% of the ~$20.5M share pool reaches Olympic sports, with ~$2.5M earmarked for new scholarships. Some programs (e.g. Clemson) do fund aggressively.
| Division | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| D1 (House) | roster cap 48 (was 12.6) | roster cap 38 (was 12) |
| D2 | 10.8 equiv. | 9.9 equiv. (verify cycle) |
| NAIA | no NCAA limit (by budget) | same |
| JUCO (NJCAA) | up to 24 | up to 20 |
Designated Student-Athletes (DSAs) let schools keep over-cap players up to ~4 years. Realistic for a European: walk-on slots and rosters have tightened; D2, NAIA, D3 and JUCO are lower-pressure, better entry routes.
Sources
- NCSA — Men's Lacrosse Scholarships (structure, D1/D2/NAIA/JUCO, 48 cap)
- USA Lacrosse — House Rules: What the NCAA Settlement Means for Lacrosse
- NCSA — Women's Lacrosse Scholarships
- NCSA — New NCAA Scholarship and Roster Limits for 2025-26
Last reviewed: June 2026
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