According to the NCAA’s latest Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates Data report, the rate of women’s participation in NCAA-specific sports has reached an all-time high.

During the 2024/25 academic year, the NCAA’s data found that 242,341 student-athletes competed across NCAA women’s championships and emerging sports, marking a 14 percent increase over the past decade, with growth across all three NCAA divisions.

The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), a nonprofit that regulates student athletics among roughly 1,100 schools in the U.S. and 1 in Canada, also identifies in its latest report that “representation of women in key leadership positions, including athletics directors, head coaches and college presidents, continues to trend upward.”

Key findings in the report

  • The total number of women’s student-athletes in 2024/25 was 242,341.
  • Emerging sports student-athletes were 6,992, up 24 percent year-over-year.
  • Female athletics directors numbered 279, up 24 percent over 10 years.
  • Female head coaches totaled 5,126, up 13 percent over 10 years.
  • There were 378 female presidents and chancellors, up 27 percent since 2017.

Record-high participation across NCAA divisions
Of the 242,341 total student-athletes competing in women’s sports during the 2024/25 academic year: 235,349 competed in championship sports, up 12 percent over the past 10 years and 2 percent since 2023/24; 6,992 females competed in sports in the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, a 24 percent increase from 2023/24.

Participation growth spans all three NCAA divisions

  • Division I: 94,935 student-athletes, up 14 percent over 10 years.
  • Division II: 59,999 student-athletes, up 21 percent over 10 years.
  • Division III: 87,407 student-athletes, up 11 percent over 10 years.

The sustained decade-long growth reflects continued investment, expanded opportunities and rising interest in women’s collegiate athletics.

Top women’s sports by participation (2024/25)

  • Outdoor Track & Field: 33,519 student-athletes, up 3 percent since 2023/24, and up 16 percent over 10 years.
  • Indoor Track & Field: 31,828 student-athletes, up 4 percent since 2023/24, and up 20 percent over 10 years.
  • Soccer:  31,200 student-athletes, up 3 percent since 2023/24, up 16 percent over 10 years.
  • Softball:  21,916 student-athletes, steady since 2023/24, up 12 percent over 10 years.
  • Volleyball:  19,810 student-athletes, up 4 percent since 2023/24, up 16 percent over 10 years.

Fastest-growing NCAA women’s sports

  • Stunt: 1,231 student-athletes, up 527 student-athletes, 75 percent, since 2023/24.
  • Triathlon: 362, up 57 student-athletes, 19 percent, since 2023/24.
  • Rugby: 939, up 91 student-athletes, 11 percent, since 2023/24, and up 250 percent over 10 years.
  • Acrobatics & Tumbling: 1,296, up 123 student-athletes, 10 percent, since 2023/24.

Women’s wrestling, which recently came through the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, increased by 42 percent (from 512 to 1,738 student-athletes) since 2023/24, one of the most significant participation increases across all sports.

New NCAA championships signal continued momentum for women’s sports
The NCAA notes in the report that “participation growth is also being matched by a major step forward in the NCAA championship landscape.” At the 2026 NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C., NCAA members approved four new women’s championships:

  • Acrobatics & Tumbling: Inaugural NCAA championship (spring 2027)
  • Stunt: Inaugural NCAA championship (spring 2027)
  • Division II Bowling: Inaugural NCAA championship (spring 2028)
  • Division III Wrestling: Inaugural NCAA championship (spring 2028).

This also marked the first time four championships were added at one NCAA Convention.

The NCAA also voted to add women’s Flag Football to its Emerging Sports for Women program, effective immediately, creating a formal path for the sport to grow toward championship status.

The organization also cited two sports that are “poised for milestones for women this month.” The first National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships are scheduled for March 6-7, and women’s fencers in the NCAA will compete for a separate National Collegiate women’s team title for the first time at the fencing championships March 19-22. Until this year, men and women on NCAA fencing teams competed for a combined NCAA team title.

Growth in women’s athletics leadership roles
The NCAA also notes that “progress is also evident beyond competition, as leadership roles across the NCAA continue to see growth for women.”

In 2025, 279 women served as athletics directors, a 24 percent increase over the past decade.

    • Division I: 62 female athletics directors, up 82 percent over 10 years.
    • Division II: 75, up 29 percent.
    • Division III: 142, up 7 percent.
  • 5,126 women serve as head coaches, a 13 percent increase over the past decade.
    • Division I: 1,798, up 16 percent.
    • Division II: 1,130, up 13 percent.
    • Division III: 2,198, up 10 percent.
  • 378 women serve as college presidents or chancellors, a 27 percent increase since the NCAA began tracking the data in 2017.
    • Division I: 101, up 46 percent since 2017.
    • Division II: 100, up 28 percent since 2017.
    • Division III: 177, up 17 percent since 2017.

 Image courtesy NCAA