Basically, the title says it all. Would a post grad be allowed to compete as a D3 athlete if they had never played or attended a NCAA school before?
They probably wouldn’t be allowed to enroll for a second degree to start with.
**Many D3 schools have graduate programs. Hopkins, MIT, Cal Tech, U of Chicago.
The general rule is you have 5 years post high school to play 4. There are a lot of exceptions. Talk to the coaches where you are interested
If the athlete already has a Bachelor’s degree from abroad, s/he can’t get financial aid (except perhaps the federal oans if s/he hasn’t ran out) since it’s a 2nd bachelor’s.
I’m not sure you can be a grad student and a D3 athlete at the same time, I think you ought to be an undergrad, but I’ve heard of players who used their years to earn a gradaute degree at the same time as their undergraduate (ie., Master’s in 4 years) thanks to lots of AP credit.
I don’t think there is a restriction on D3 athletes being graduate students. There certainly isn’t for D1 and D2 and many famous athletes started grad students while still playing (either graduating in 3 years or playing a 5th year). There is no money given for D3 athletics, but many of the students are on merit scholarships.
The OP didn’t say he was getting a second bachelors, just that he was looking at D3 schools. Many of those schools have grad students.
Yes, the D3 school would have to have graduate programs.