Junior colleges are two-year schools that offer opportunities for athletes to improve athletically and academically. Many make the most of these opportunities to transfer to four-year schools. Among the junior college baseball success stories are Bryce Harper, Jorge Posada and Albert Pujols. Another reason why families may want to consider junior college baseball is the thousands of dollars they will save, which can be used if the student-athlete intends to transfer to a four-year institution. For athletes who might not have the grades, finances or build for a four-year school, junior college baseball programs can be a great way to gain experience competing against collegiate athletes.
Yes. There are 189 Division I junior colleges that offer a maximum of 24 full-ride scholarships per team. These cover all expenses, including tuition, registration fees, books and housing. There are 129 Division II teams that also can each award up to 24 scholarships per team, but these scholarships only cover tuition. Division 3 junior college schools do not offer athletic scholarships.
The JUCO World Series is played annually to determine the junior college baseball national champions across all three divisions. The Division 1 JUCO World Series is played in Grand Junction, Colorado. To learn more, visit the JUCO World Series website.
According to the NJCAA’s rankings, these are the top 10 NJCAA baseball programs. Student-athletes can visit the NJCAA website to learn more about each team and discover which JUCO baseball team is the best fit.