Exploring NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse: Is It the Right Fit for You?

As a young athlete, I’ve always looked up to those who have walked the path before me, especially those who’ve achieved what I dream of: playing lacrosse at the highest levels. One of my mentors, a skilled player with incredible potential, was offered a Division I (D1) scholarship—a dream for many lacrosse players. But, to my surprise, after a lot of reflection and evaluation, he decided to turn it down and pursue a different college.

At first, it seemed like a shocking decision. A D1 scholarship represents the pinnacle of athletic success for many. But after talking with him, I began to understand the depth of his choice. His decision wasn’t just about playing at the highest level; it was about finding the right environment to thrive both academically and personally. He realized that the college he ultimately chose aligned better with his long-term goals, offered a program that suited his academic interests, and provided a better balance between athletics and his personal life.

This experience taught me that the journey to success isn’t always a straight line, and sometimes, the right decision isn’t the obvious one. It’s about finding the place where you can grow in all aspects of life, not just on the field.

For athletes like myself who dream of going D1, it’s easy to focus solely on the prestige of the offer. But my mentor’s story reminds me that success is about more than just the name on the jersey—it’s about choosing the path that sets you up for success in every aspect of your life.

This has given me a new perspective as I continue my journey in lacrosse, preparing for the future.

How Many Division I Colleges Offer Lacrosse?

Over 70 Division I colleges feature men’s lacrosse programs, spread across 10 major conferences, including: America East Conference (AEC), Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big East Conference, Big Ten Conference, Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), Independents, Ivy League, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Northeast Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference.

My sights are set on Duke University—get ready, I’m coming for you!

A list of all Division I Men’s Lacrosse Schools.

School	City and State	Type	Conference	Division
Bellarmine University	Louisville, Kentucky	Private	ASUN Conference	NCAA D1
Boston University	Boston, Massachusetts	Private	Patriot League	NCAA D1
Brown University	Providence, Rhode Island	Private	Ivy League	NCAA D1
Bryant University	Smithfield, Rhode Island	Private	American East Conference	NCAA D1
Bucknell University	Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	Private	Patriot League	NCAA D1
Canisius College	Buffalo, New York	Private	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference	NCAA D1
Cleveland State University	Cleveland, Ohio	Public	Horizon League	NCAA D1
Colgate University	Hamilton, New York	Private	Patriot League	NCAA D1
College of the Holy Cross	Worcester, Massachusetts	Private	Patriot League	NCAA D1
Cornell University	Ithaca, New York	Private	Ivy League	NCAA D1
Dartmouth College	Hanover, New Hampshire	Private	Ivy League	NCAA D1
Drexel University	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Private	Colonial Athletic Association	NCAA D1
Duke University	Durham, North Carolina	Private	Atlantic Coast Conference	NCAA D1
Fairfield University	Fairfield, Connecticut	Private	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference	NCAA D1
Georgetown University	Washington, District Of Columbia	Private	Big East Conference	NCAA D1
Hampton University	Hampton, Virginia	Private	Colonial Athletic Association	NCAA D1
Harvard University	Cambridge, Massachusetts	Private	Ivy League	NCAA D1
High Point University	High Point, North Carolina	Private	Big South Conference	NCAA D1
Hobart & William Smith College	Geneva, New York	Private	Atlantic 10 Conference	NCAA D1
Hofstra University	Hempstead, New York	Private	Colonial Athletic Association	NCAA D1
Iona University	New Rochelle, New York	Private	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference	NCAA D1
Jacksonville University	Jacksonville, Florida	Private	Atlantic Sun Conference	NCAA D1
Johns Hopkins University	Baltimore, Maryland	Private	Big Ten Conference	NCAA D1
Lafayette College	Easton, Pennsylvania	Private	Patriot League	NCAA D1
Lehigh University	Bethlehem, Pennsylvania	Private	Patriot League	NCAA D1
Lindenwood University	Saint Charles, Missouri	Private	Ohio Valley Conference	NCAA D1
Long Island University	Long Island, New York	Private	Northeast Conference	NCAA D1
Loyola University Maryland	Baltimore, Maryland	Private	Patriot League	NCAA D1
Manhattan College	Riverdale, New York	Private	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference	NCAA D1
Marist College	Poughkeepsie, New York	Private	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference	NCAA D1
Marquette University	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	Private	Big East Conference	NCAA D1
Mercer University	Macon, Georgia	Private	Southern Conference	NCAA D1
Merrimack College	North Andover, Massachusetts	Private	East Conference	NCAA D1
Monmouth University	West Long Branch, New Jersey	Private	Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference	NCAA D1
Mount St. Mary’s University	Emmitsburg, Maryland	Private	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference	NCAA D1
New Jersey Institute of Technology	Newark, New Jersey	Public	American East Conference	NCAA D1
Ohio State University	Columbus, Ohio	Public	Big Ten Conference	NCAA D1
Penn State	University Park, Pennsylvania	Public	Big Ten Conference	NCAA D1
Princeton University	Princeton, New Jersey	Private	Ivy League	NCAA D1
Providence College	Providence, Rhode Island	Private	Big East Conference	NCAA D1
Queens University of Charlotte	Charlotte, North Carolina	Private	Atlantic Sun Conference	NCAA D1
Quinnipiac University	Hamden, Connecticut	Private	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference	NCAA D1
Robert Morris University – Pennsylvania	Moon Township, Pennsylvania	Private	Northeast Conference	NCAA D1
Rutgers University	Piscataway, New Jersey	Public	Big Ten Conference	NCAA D1
Sacred Heart University	Fairfield, Connecticut	Private	Northeast Conference	NCAA D1
Saint Joseph’s University	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Private	Atlantic 10 Conference	NCAA D1
Siena College	Loudonville, New York	Private	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference	NCAA D1
St. Bonaventure University	Saint Bonaventure, New York	Private	Atlantic 10 Conference	NCAA D1
St. John’s University – New York	Queens, New York	Private	Big East Conference	NCAA D1
SUNY Binghamton University	Vestal, New York	Public	America East Conference	NCAA D1
SUNY Stony Brook University	Stony Brook, New York	Public	Colonial Athletic Association	NCAA D1
SUNY University at Albany	Albany, New York	Public	America East Conference	NCAA D1
Syracuse University	Syracuse, New York	Private	American Athletics Conference	NCAA D1
Towson University	Towson, Maryland	Public	Colonial Athletic Association	NCAA D1
United States Air Force Academy	Usafa, Colorado	Public	Mountain West Conference	NCAA D1
United States Military Academy	West Point, New York	Public	Patriot League	NCAA D1
United States Naval Academy	Annapolis, Maryland	Public	Patriot League	NCAA D1
University of Delaware	Newark, Delaware	Public	Colonial Athletic Association	NCAA D1
University of Denver	Denver, Colorado	Private	The Summit League	NCAA D1
University of Detroit Mercy	Detroit, Michigan	Private	Horizon League	NCAA D1
University of Maryland	College Park, Maryland	Public	Big Ten Conference	NCAA D1
University of Maryland – Baltimore County	Baltimore, Maryland	Public	America East Conference	NCAA D1
University of Massachusetts – Amherst	Amherst, Massachusetts	Public	Atlantic 10 Conference	NCAA D1
University of Massachusetts – Lowell	Lowell, Massachusetts	Public	America East Conference	NCAA D1
University of Michigan	Ann Arbor, Michigan	Public	Big Ten Conference	NCAA D1
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Chapel Hill, North Carolina	Public	Atlantic Coast Conference	NCAA D1
University of Notre Dame	Notre Dame, Indiana	Private	Division I-A Independents	NCAA D1
University of Pennsylvania – Penn	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Private	Ivy League	NCAA D1
University of Richmond	Virginia	Private	Atlantic 10 Conference	NCAA D1
University of Utah	Salt Lake City, Utah	Public	Pacific-12 Conference	NCAA D1
University of Vermont	Burlington, Vermont	Public	America East Conference	NCAA D1
University of Virginia	Charlottesville, Virginia	Public	Atlantic Coast Conference	NCAA D1
Villanova University	Villanova, Pennsylvania	Private	Big East Conference	NCAA D1
Virginia Military Institute – VMI	Lexington, Virginia	Public	Big South Conference	NCAA D1
Wagner College	Staten Island, New York	Private	Northeast Conference	NCAA D1
Yale University	New Haven, Connecticut	Private	Ivy League	NCAA D1

Chasing Division I dreams with Division I defense.

MG