--- title: Retain D3 Student Athletes and Keep Enrollment Numbers Up date: 2024-10-14T15:00:45-04:00 author: Creative Dining Services canonical_url: "https://creativedining.thinkfullcircle.com/insights/increase-enrollment-by-retaining-d3-student-athletes" section: Insight Post --- [ Back to Insights](/insights) [Insights](/insights) ## Retain D3 Student Athletes and Keep Enrollment Numbers Up [![Retain D3 Student Athletes and Keep Enrollment Numbers Up](https://creativedining.thinkfullcircle.com/uploads/images/_1600x900_crop_center-center_95_none/Welcome-Weekend-17-1-scaled.jpg)](https://creativedining.thinkfullcircle.com/uploads/images/_1200x700_crop_center-center_95_none/Welcome-Weekend-17-1-scaled.jpg) **The threat is real. Declining enrollments, especially in four-year private colleges, are placing a notable strain on financial health and stability.** Some of them are Division 3 schools with fewer than 5,000 undergraduates. With little, if any, state funding, they are pressed to double down on tuition revenue and are turning to recruiting athletes as a strategic solution. Attracting athletes is one challenge; keeping them is another. The NCAA reported that across college campuses, [student-athlete graduation rates](https://www.ncaa.org/news/2022/11/15/media-center-student-athletes-continue-to-graduate-at-record-rates.aspx) hold steady at 90%, and Division 3 schools have the highest percentage of athletes as a percentage of their student bodies – one out of six students. So, **what is the key to keeping these athletes at your institution and reducing transfer rates?** ![Pulled pork sandwich and sides](https://creativedining.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Welcome-Weekend-17-1-1366x911.jpg) One of the keys to student success is [a positive student experience](https://creativedining.com/insights/5-ways-universities-can-attract-retain-students-with-food/), which includes dining. While all students have schedules that can consist of classes that overlap typical mealtimes, student-athletes must also make room for practices, travel, and game days, leaving little time for a hearty, healthy meal. With their varying travel and special dietary needs, it can be a real challenge for student-athletes to stay fueled throughout the week. It takes more than preparing healthy food options and serving them at your cafeteria. **Student-athletes need** **food to be available** **when they are available** **and food to be** **easily accessible**. There are a few key things beyond the type of food served that college and university dining programs should consider when serving athletes. ## Food On Demand Student-athletes may not be available to eat when the dining hall is typically open, but they still need to have nutrient-dense, healthy food options to keep them in top physical shape. ### Travel Meals The key is to work with each athletic team’s coach and identify travel dates. Prepackaged, on-the-go meals are essential for keeping student-athletes fueled on their way to a game. At [Hope College](https://hope.edu/offices/dining-services/menus-locations/), the dining team works with the coaches to make it possible for student-athletes to pack their lunch during breakfast hours when the team travels, allowing them to choose exactly what they want for their meals before a game. Buffets of whole foods enable students to select from options curated by our corporate dietitians, Athletics Director, and onsite Chefs. All selections will [fuel athletes for peak performance](https://creativedining.com/featured/using-tailored-sports-nutrition-to-recruit-top-athletic-talent/). Instead of the prepackaged, ho-hum options like a sandwich, chips, and apple, students decide from build-your-own veg-centric bowls, protein packs, and superfoods with complex carbs and lean proteins. ### Dawn to Dusk Dining When student-athletes can’t make it to the dining hall due to practice schedules, your dining program should be flexible enough to open early or stay open a bit later to accommodate athletes. Another option is for the coach or students to pre-order meals to be boxed up and ready for pick-up when they are out of practice or back from the game. ## Access Is King Is your dining hall near the practice fields or the athletic building? If not, you may be making it too difficult for your student-athletes to access healthy food options, leading them to satisfy their cravings with empty-calorie options like fast food. **Consider a micro market** — where students can pick up a salad, sandwich, or healthy snack pre-made at the dining hall — in the athletic building or in a building near the practice fields. This option can reduce the amount of off-campus junk food that athletes may be prone to purchase out of convenience. ![Premade salads in ready-to-go containers](https://creativedining.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Freshly-Prepared-Grab-and-Go-Bowls-in-Cooler.jpg) ## Work Out Fuel To perform at their peak, athletes need different types of food before and after game day. According to [UChicagoMedicine](https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/pediatrics-articles/2023/march/what-young-athletes-should-eat-before-and-after-the-game), student-athletes should carb-load and avoid new foods before a game. Carbs and lean meats will provide fuel, while new foods could lead to an upset stomach. After the game, athletes need a protein-packed meal that will help repair muscle. Dining programs can cater to these needs by identifying carbohydrate-rich options such as whole-wheat pasta, rice, and potatoes, along with lean protein options like grilled chicken, fish, or legumes, and educating student-athletes about how the food choices they make affect their performance. ### Inclusivity and Team Building Sports are about team dynamics, so team building is essential to a team’s performance. Dining programs can play a role in team bonding by hosting team dinners before or after games and encouraging other students to support the team like hosting a Homecoming event that encourages the student body to support the football players and program. ![Dining staff tossing mixed greens](https://creativedining.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2018-11-13-11.14.56-5-1366x911.jpg) Another part of team building is to make sure all members of the team feel important and cared for. Dining Services can play a major part in this when a student has a specific dietary concern. **Creative Dining teams will create individualized meal plans for students with specific dietary needs**, such as accommodating an athlete with Celiac Disease with snacks and high-energy options that fit within their diet. As D3 colleges and universities evaluate their sports programs as a means to attract students, they should consider their dining programs as a way to retain them. With the right partnership, a responsive dining program could be the unexpected key to keeping your student transfer rates low and retention high. ### Interested in seeing how your dining program stacks up? Contact us for a consultation. [Let’s Chat](https://creativedining.com/contact/) [← PreviousFrom Self-Operating to Outsourced: Navigating College Dining Changes](https://creativedining.thinkfullcircle.com/insights/self-operating-to-outsourced-college-dining) [Next →How to Encourage Employee Engagement & Loyalty](https://creativedining.thinkfullcircle.com/insights/how-to-encourage-employee-engagement-loyalty)