ISO D2 or D3 Baseball with AACSB accreditation business 4.1 & 31 ACT need COA under $15K OOS (no financial aid - all merit awards)

College Search & Lists
1

2026 Junior researching D3 baseball programs (or D2) looking for a unicorn probably:

  1. Strong business college - *AACSB accreditation only (interests -entrepreneurship/real estate/general business) Bonus if MBA (not online) at the university for 5-year program.
  2. Interested in playing D2 or D3 baseball - all merit based with zero financial aid expected
  3. Stats 4.1 Weighted and 4.0 UW, with 31 ACT - need merit to bring COA under $15K/year all in. Will take ACT several more times, trying for 32 composite and 34 superscore.
  4. Don’t care size of university as long as AACSB accreditation
  5. Live in TN but considering up to 6 hour drive from Memphis area - TN, MS, AL, AR, KY, MO, GA

Does this exist? I’ve added all the D3 colleges for baseball to my spreadsheet for MO, KY, TN, AL, MS, AR, but some are financially struggling such as Fontbonne U in St. Louis with only $15M endowment and some business programs are not even worth looking at.

To save research time, please LMK if you have any better insight than Googling each university for the next month and going deep into rabbit holes with online discussions. TIA!

2

I already know Rhodes in Memphis is too expensive. Friends go to that private university and it’s generally a $26K COA and 3 years requirement to live on campus. I live 20 minutes from Rhodes right now. Not worth that. I may as well play at SWTN Community College (considering it) and living at home.

3

Forget business and 6 hours - now factoring in baseball - but $15k full pay will be tough to find.

Room and board alone is $15k.

Mid 20s yes (at d1) - but $15k - no unless you can score free tuition at an ETSU or SEMO or N Alabama type and I don’t think you can and those are D1.

4

That’s what I am worried about. My brother picked Ole Miss and got $13,800 COA OOS with 33 super and GPA combo and then another $3K a year renewable, so he decided to play IM baseball and go with the better COA.

5

Yea there are schools you can do well but a 31 at Ole Miss isn’t quite as good merit wise.

Look at regionals like Central Arkansas. I think it can work. They show no OOS tuition and strong merit. But how do you know you make the team ?

Good luck

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In the state of Alabama, Tuskegee (D2) and AAMU (D1-FCS) would be full rides for a 4.0 HS GPA and 31 ACT, based on their scholarship web pages. Both have AACSB-accredited business majors.

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There are no guarantees of course. I’m getting video together, researching the process, getting ready to contact coaches, on a travel ball team that’s strong, will attend some showcase events, etc. (playing high school ball right now). I know two former classmates playing D3 at a small college. The Net Price Calculator is kind of guesswork - not that accurate on what these private colleges will give. Not National Merit (yet) LOL! Hoping for the best. Decent volunteer work - a couple of clubs, nothing extraordinary.

8

Ole Miss accepts superscore and brother got 33 super with 31 composite, and his COA is now really low (like $40K down to $10,800 a year) but he gave up on baseball to pick a public university with good merit and business. Not that IM baseball is bad - just for fun. Just wondering if there’s a spot for a baseball player out there in D2 or D3 that’s not really expensive private schools. My brother has basically free tuition going on.

9

Please do not put baseball first. Find the colleges that meet your financials with great business programs and play IM.

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10

Thank you - I may end up doing that. Just wondering if there’s a way to do both. Not sure if I could get onto a D1 team and that is where the best deals seem to be for merit (such as Troy University in Alabama, etc).

11

The schools below are AACSB-accredited and offer either D2 or D3 baseball:

  • Arkansas Tech: D2

  • Augusta (GA): D2

  • Berry (GA): D3

  • Clark Atlanta (GA): D2 at this HBCU

  • Columbus State (GA): D2

  • Drury (MO): D2

  • Henderson State (AR): D2

I got up to the Ms, but then the AACSB website stopped working for me.

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12

Thank you - I’ll add to my list and see what the Net Price Calculator says for estimated COA with my stats/parent income.

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13

Berry may be $35k with academic merit.

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14

Does the student want very religious?

15

Sorry. Good catch. Berry is a fit question, besides being over budget.

16

Too expensive - sorry, but thank you.

17

Not really, but as long as a not super strict about it, that’s fine. It’s not a deal breaker.

18

So your best schools may be in the in state publics. Look at TN Tech as an example and I’m looking at direct costs - not transport, etc.

Tuition is next year $11,263

Food and housing is $13,302

So a tad under $25K.

You get $5K merit + hope for $10,500 off - so now you’re under $15K.

Do this for all the state schools - MTSU, UTM, ETSU, Memphis, etc.

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19

Here are Tennessee public schools with AACSB accredited programs:

ETSU, MTSU, TSU, TTU, Memphis, UTC, UTK, UTM

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20

I’m looking at these and they are on the list. Especially helpful to apply in TN when it’s free application week in TN next Sept. 2025 and factoring TN Hope Promise. I was looking at some SLAC schools like Marysville College in TN (business degree accredited by Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs) - a lower accreditation than AACSB. Not sure about that tradeoff.