Penn State Brandywine in Media was approved Feb. 16 for an exploratory year in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

The year officially begins Sept. 1 and runs through the 2023-24 academic year.

An exploratory year will give Penn State Brandywine time to learn more about the NCAA and Division III, which is the largest of the three divisions with more than 200,000 student-athletes at nearly 440 colleges and universities nationwide.

Institutions accepted to the exploratory year participate in an orientation program that familiarizes them with the structure of the NCAA and Division III, the Division III philosophy, and Division III rules and regulations.

Upon successful completion of the exploratory year, Brandywine will apply for provisional membership, which lasts for three years.

The four-year process, which leads to full NCAA membership if all requirements are met, includes educational and operational benchmarks that introduce institutions to the Division III philosophy and the best practices of model Division III institutions.

“We are excited and ready for Penn State Brandywine to build on its highly successful athletics program by transitioning to NCAA Division III. … We recognize the positive impact this will have not only on our student-athletes, but our entire campus community,” said Penn State Brandywine Chancellor Marilyn J. Wells.

Applying for the NCAA Division III membership and enhancing its athletic program is one of the 13 key objectives in the university’s 2020-2025 strategic plan.

 Athletic Director Bobbi Caprice — a former Brandywine student-athlete —said joining Division III will add to the resources and opportunities available to student-athletes.

“Joining NCAA Division III will allow our campus to expand on the opportunities offered to our student-athletes and elevate their overall college experience at Penn State Brandywine while maintaining the highest priority on our students’ educational experience.”

Student-athletes graduate at a rate 5 percent higher than that of the general student body, according to the Division III website.

Wells said the comprehensive Division III application reflected the strength of the current athletics program, and she credited the athletic staff, coaches, and alumni for their support of student-athletes and their commitment to building on the program’s success.

Penn State Brandywine’s athletics program began in 1968, one year after the campus was founded as Penn State Delaware County.

Men’s basketball was the first sport offered.

Penn State Brandywine, with about 175 student-athletes, currently competes nationally in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) and statewide as a member of the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC).

The PSUAC includes 13 additional Penn State Commonwealth Campuses.

Five other Commonwealth Campuses are currently NCAA Division III members: Abington, Altoona, Behrend, Berks and Harrisburg.

Brandywine will continue to compete in the USCAA and the PSUAC during the exploratory year. Division III conference membership will be announced at a later date.

Brandywine offers 12 varsity sports: men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s cross-country, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s golf.

Since winning its first conference championship in 1976 — the Commonwealth Campus Athletic Conference men’s soccer title — Brandywine has added 38 more league crowns. During the past decade, nine teams have combined to claim 27 conference championships. Women’s teams have won two-thirds of those titles.

Since joining the USCAA at the beginning of the 2008-09 academic year, more than 130 Brandywine student-athletes have received all-American awards and the campus has won two USCAA national championships — both for men’s soccer in 2018 and 2021.

Read more about Penn State Brandywine’s application for an NCAA Division III exploratory year.