Find Men’s Division 1 Tennis Colleges

High school student-athletes with intentions of earning a roster spot at one of the many NCAA Division 1 tennis colleges need to be aware of the top national and international competition they will be facing on the court. An elite tier of D1 men’s tennis colleges have the budgets available to scout for the “best of the best” in the amateur tennis ranks. Knowing this beforehand can help the high school men’s tennis player understand the type of commitment needed to enter the world of D1 men’s tennis colleges, and also to understand such commitment has some positive benefits for the athletes.

• Is the D1 men’s tennis prospect ready to commit as much, or more, time than he would have to do if working a full-time job of 40+ hours per week – and carry a full-time college academic schedule? This doesn’t include figuring out the hours needed for term papers, research or even doing the weekly laundry.
• Injuries are a part of any sport. At the D1 tennis college level, the student-athlete will receive the best care available. Athletes will quickly learn the difference between aches and pains and true injury. Working through slight muscle pulls and strains will be expected of student-athletes, especially if there are scholarship dollars at stake.
• D1 universities realize the pressure put on men’s tennis players and will offer amenities such as comfortable dorm rooms, expansive meal options and academic assistance for students finding it hard to maintain the required GPA to remain eligible to participate as a men’s tennis player.

A high school student-athlete being recruited to play at any D1 tennis college program must understand the importance of competition and how his skills will best fit a potential university. A great singles event player may lose out on scholarship monies to a lesser-skilled athlete because of the other player’s ability to perform in both singles and doubles competition.

How many Division 1 men’s tennis colleges are there?

Nationally, there are 264 Division 1 tennis colleges which fund a men’s program. The NCAA allots a maximum of 4.5 scholarships per university in men’s tennis. Men’s tennis is an equivalency sport, which means a men’s tennis college program will have several players on partial scholarships. It’s also possible for a university to not provide the full amount of NCAA permitted scholarships. 

How many scholarships are there for D1 men’s tennis?

While the NCAA does allot the equivalency of 4.5 full scholarships for men’s tennis, many D1 tennis colleges provide less than the NCAA allotment and others may not fund any scholarships at all. These scholarship awards are renewed each year. It is important for the student-athlete to perform at his best on the tennis court, in practice, in the classroom and on campus. A returning player could get a scholarship increase, decrease, remain at the same level or could lose all award monies.

Division 1 men’s college tennis rankings

Below are NCSA’s Division 1 men’s college tennis Power Rankings.

1. Stanford University
2. Princeton University
3. University of Florida
4. Harvard University
5. University of California – Los Angeles – UCLA
6. Columbia University
7. Yale University
8. University of Pennsylvania – Penn
9. University of Michigan
10. University of California – Berkeley

While the NCAA rankings are based on the athletic performance of a men’s tennis program the NCSA rankings take into consideration many factors, including graduation rates, the value of education and the financial aid as offered in need-based situations when ranking D1 college tennis programs.