Step 2: Pick 25 Schools
Based on the priorities you listed, start researching schools with the goal of identifying 25 schools to put on your radar. To start, split the schools evenly between NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, NAIA, and junior colleges (JUCO).
You may want to add schools to a certain category if it is obvious that one of the divisions is more applicable to your situation. However, don’t sell yourself short by only choosing Division II schools, or overrate yourself by only selecting Division I schools.
If you choose to select 10 schools from Division I, still select 5 for the other divisions, so you have a total of 30 schools on your radar.
If you know you will absolutely not consider junior colleges, add a total of 5 schools to the other divisions.
My 25 Target Schools
| NCAA, D-I | NCAA, D-II | NCAA, D-III | NAIA | JUCO |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |