Similar to NCAA Division I Baseball, Football, Basketball, etc., NCAA Division I Soccer is the highest division for college soccer in the United States. Aside from Division I, there are four other subordinate divisions: the NCAA's Divisions II and III, as well as the NAIA and NJCAA divisions.
In the men's division, NCAA Division I is made up of 26 conferences with a total of 205 different colleges. In the women's division, there are 333 colleges spread across 32 conferences. At the end of each season, the College Cup is held, a final tournament that pits the top 48 men's teams and the top 64 women's teams against each other. The tournament begins each year in November and usually ends in early December. On the men's side, the record College Cup champion is Saint Louis University with a total of 10 titles. On the women's side, however, the University of North Carolina is the reigning record holder with 21 titles.
Many athletes use NCAA Division I Soccer as a stepping stone to MLS, NWSL or one of the top European soccer leagues.
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