Counted from every roster
How tall are college soccer players?
The short answer
The middle listed height of a college soccer player is 5'6" for women and 5'11" for men, from 58,454 heights on 2026-27 rosters. Eight in ten women are listed between 5'2" and 5'9", and eight in ten men between 5'7" and 6'3". Goalkeepers are the tallest position: 5'7" and 6'1".
Counted from our data on
| Women, middle height | 5'6" |
|---|---|
| Women, eight in ten are between | 5'2" and 5'9" |
| Men, middle height | 5'11" |
| Men, eight in ten are between | 5'7" and 6'3" |
| Goalkeepers, women / men | 5'7" / 6'1" |
| Heights counted | 29,287 women, 29,167 men |
The middle height is the median: half of players are listed at or above it.
How tall are college soccer players at each position?
| Position | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | 5'7" (5'4" to 5'10") | 6'1" (5'10" to 6'4") |
| Defenders | 5'6" (5'3" to 5'9") | 6'0" (5'8" to 6'3") |
| Midfielders | 5'5" (5'2" to 5'8") | 5'10" (5'7" to 6'1") |
| Forwards | 5'5" (5'2" to 5'9") | 5'11" (5'7" to 6'2") |
| All positions | 5'6" (5'2" to 5'9") | 5'11" (5'7" to 6'3") |
Among women the tallest position is goalkeepers and the shortest is forwards. Among men the tallest is goalkeepers and the shortest is midfielders. The ranges overlap widely, as the table shows.
Are D1 soccer players taller than D2, D3 or NAIA players?
| Level | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| D1 | 5'6" (5'3" to 5'9") | 6'0" (5'8" to 6'3") |
| D2 | 5'5" (5'2" to 5'9") | 5'11" (5'7" to 6'3") |
| D3 | 5'5" (5'2" to 5'8") | 5'11" (5'7" to 6'2") |
| NAIA | 5'5" (5'2" to 5'8") | 5'10" (5'7" to 6'2") |
The middle Division I player is listed at 5'6" (women) and 6'0" (men). Across the four levels the middle height differs by one inch for women and 2 inches for men, and the ranges at every level overlap.
Is there a minimum height to play college soccer?
No. We found no height rule in any of the manuals, and the rosters show it: one woman in ten is listed at 5'2" or under, and one man in ten at 5'7" or under.
Goalkeeper is the one position where the low end is clearly higher: one keeper in ten is listed at 5'4" or under among women and 5'10" or under among men. More in goalkeeper recruiting.
Are the heights on a roster accurate?
They are what each school prints. We do not measure anyone. Read these figures as how players are listed, which is also how you will be compared when a coach looks at your profile.
On your own profile, list your real height. A coach who meets you at a camp or on a visit will see it.
What should a player do with these numbers?
Use them to stop worrying about the wrong thing. If you are inside the range for your position, height is not what will decide your recruitment. If you are under it, your video has to show what your position needs from a smaller player: speed over the first yards, timing in the air, strength on the ball.
What coaches weigh, with squads counted by position, is in what college soccer coaches look for. What to put on film is in how to make a highlight video.
Quick answers
- What is the average height of a D1 women’s soccer player?
- The middle listed height on Division I women’s rosters is 5'6". Eight in ten are listed between 5'3" and 5'9".
- What is the average height of a D1 men’s soccer player?
- The middle listed height on Division I men’s rosters is 6'0". Eight in ten are listed between 5'8" and 6'3".
- How tall are college goalkeepers?
- The middle listed height is 5'7" for women and 6'1" for men. Eight in ten are between 5'4" and 5'10" for women, and 5'10" and 6'4" for men.
- Am I too short to play college soccer?
- Not by any rule. One woman in ten on a college roster is listed at 5'2" or under, and one man in ten at 5'7" or under.
- Is this the average or the median?
- The median: the height with half of players at or above it. It is not moved by a few unusual listings.
How this was counted
Heights are as each school lists them, on rosters confirmed as the 2026-27 squad, for players whose height the page prints: 58,454 in all. Listings under 4'8" or over 7'0" are treated as errors and left out. Positions are grouped into goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards from the position each roster prints.
Sources
Last checked against these sources on. Figures marked Startline are counted from the data we hold and move when it does. Rules change: check anything dated against the governing body itself.
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