COLLEGE SPOTLIGHT - RIDER UNIVERSITY
ACHA Division II
College Spotlight - Rider University
ACHA Division II
Located in Lawrenceville, NJ, Rider University is a medium-sized, 4-year, private university. The coed college is located in a small town in a suburban setting about 10 minutes from Princeton, NJ. Rider is primarily a residential campus.
It offers certificate, associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees and is ranked #38 in Regional Universities North by U.S. News and World Report.
With a 71% acceptance rate, Rider University is a moderately selective school with an ACHA DII hockey program. Half the applicants admitted to Rider University have an SAT score between 1020 and 1210 or ACT score between 19 and 26.
Academics
Rider University offers over 70 academic programs for undergraduate students. The most popular majors at Rider University include:
Business Administration, Global Supply Chain Mangagment, Accounting, Finance , Sports Management; Health Sciences, Education; Psychology; Visual and Performing Arts; and Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs.
The faculty to student ratio is approximately 10:1 and 54% of classes have fewer than 20 students. Rider University achieves a 78% freshmen retention rate, a strong indicator of student satisfaction. 99% of students receive Rider-funded scholarships and financial aid.
Cost
In State Annual Tuition - $44,460
Out of State Annual Tuition - $44,460
On Campus room and board - $15,390
Off Campus room and board - $9,600
Hockey Program
The Rider University Hockey Club offers students a chance to continue playing while acquiring a quality education. The club is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association and competes against teams such as Rowan, Penn State, Drexel, Liberty, and Delaware.
They achieved their best season ever in 2018-2019 finishing with a 20-7 record, finishing the season in the top 20 in the country. In 2000, they captured the M.A.C.H.A. Championship and in 1999, qualified for the A.C.H.A. Nationals in Salt Lake City. Currently, the program is consistently ranked within the top 10 of the southeast region and competes for a spot in going back to nationals annually.
Player Interview
We sat down with Justin Tiso to discuss the differences between NCAA Division III and ACHA hockey. Tiso played for Nichols College before transferring to Rider University.
1. From a hockey perspective, what attracted you to play for Rider University Ice Hockey?
What attracted me to Rider in terms of a hockey perspective were a few things, but most importantly the culture that is instilled within the team at Rider is awesome. I think the staff, current players, and alumni have done a fantastic job building a great culture that leads to success on the ice and off the ice.
Sometimes when we think of Club Hockey programs they can be looked at as a joke or they do not take it seriously at all but when you look at the way Rider runs the hockey program and how seriously everyone takes it, you instantly want to be a part of what they have going on. Another thing that attracted me to Rider was the challenging schedule they play, first off Rider plays in one of the most competitive conferences in the entire country at the ACHA DIV. II level so right there you know you're going to have a competitive schedule.
Also Rider gives its players the opportunity to play some great out of conference games, against tough competition in teams like Boston College and Keene State.
2. How was the hockey experience moving from NCAA Division III to ACHA? Competitive level, competition, expectations, ect.
Going from playing at the NCAA Division III level to the ACHA I really did not know what to expect, especially at the fact I had just taken a full year off of hockey. But after my first skate with Rider I realized how good some of these players are at the ACHA level and a lot of them could even play at the NCAA III level.
Most of the time the games were very competitive but there were times when some teams were just that bad or did not really care that much and that's one of the things that is different about the competition at the NCAA level and ACHA. Some of the guys/teams at the ACHA level do not really care about where they are on the depth chart and are just going out to have fun or whatever it may be, but at the NCAA level most guys night in and night out are competing for their ice time and want to continually crack the lineup.
That is another reason why I really enjoyed my time at Rider, it's run very similar to how an NCAA program is run and you have to work every night and everyday to get ice time.
3. Off the ice, what differences have you noticed between Rider's Hockey program and other NCAA Division III hockey programs (Facilities, Training, Schedule, Apparel, University Support, etc )?
I truly believe that Rider is not too far off from being one of the best if not the best ACHA program in the country, and where it falls a bit short is that it does not have a locker room. This is really the only downfall to the program, the locker room really brings a team together and with how close the group of guys are at Rider each year it would only benefit them even more.
With the support that Rider has and how much they put back into their program I know they would do a tremendous job on creating a locker room and space that the team can use to better themselves on and off the ice. Realistically every NCAA team has a locker room facility and that is really one of the only drawbacks that Rider has, aside from maybe the fact that NCAA programs have scheduled lifts and maintenance for the body. In terms of apparel, equipment, and anything else teams might get it's hard to compare because most NCAA programs give this stuff for free to its players because it's not a club program run by the players.
But I will say this, Rider gives you the best equipment and apparel you can get and you get basically everything you would get at the NCAA level and more at times. I remember going on a visit to an NCAA Division III school with a great reputation at the time and you had to pay for a lot of the equipment. The players are treated extremely well at Rider and the staff does not cut corners when it comes to what they give the players.
When looking at the schedule in terms of a day to day and not the strength of schedule or who they play, this is the part where I got burnt out at the NCAA level and ultimately played a part in me leaving. The ACHA level is a huge commitment, especially at Rider, we have practice, meetings, games, team outings, and you have to put in the extra work yourself.
My experience at the NCAA was a little different than most considering our rink was 30 minutes away from our campus, but it was still such a grind.
4. What advice would you give younger players who are only focused on playing NCAA Division III? What are some questions these younger athletes should be asking coaches as they begin the college search process?
The most common themes I see when players are fixated on playing at the NCAA Division III are as follows:
A) I have been playing hockey my whole life and I want to play at the highest level no matter where it is.
B) I don't want to play at the club level because I don't want to pay.
C) The competition at the ACHA level is "weak".
These are ideas that I hear a lot when talking to players about the NCAA and ACHA. The advice I would give to players who are going through this process is really think about what you want when it comes to your college experience, and make sure you're asking the right question. I think I was one of them who didn't even care where it was. I just wanted to play at the NCAA level and never really thought it through properly, knowing what I know now I would have gone to Rider right out of high school or after playing juniors.
Some Questions that players should be asking coaches / current players as they begin the college search process go as followed:
A) What is the daily schedule like here in terms or practice, lifts, meetings, games, etc.
B) Do they have X,Y,& Z majors here? What are the best departments on campus?
C) Where do you see me fitting in your lineup when I come here?
D) Do you enjoy being a part of this program?
E) How many scratches do you usually carry?
F) What do you get in terms of equipment, clothing, etc?
G) Does the school usually give a lot of money out? Scholarships, fin aid?
H) Why should I come to this school over going to that school?
I always recommend the players asking current players about the social scene at a specific school because it is a major part of the college experience.
5. Advice for High School seniors who are unsure if juniors or college is the best route upon graduation?
The advice I would personally give to students who are unsure whether to go the juniors or college route is pretty simple - go to college. This is a biased opinion but anyone looking to go to the NCAA DIV III level is not going to the NHL most likely never going to make a career out of playing pro hockey so go to college. Find the program that is best suitable for you that you know you will excel in the classroom, on the ice, and hanging with your friends. I can't emphasize more how many more people will enjoy their college experience more by just going to play club ice hockey after high school instead of paying thousands to play juniors or whatever and ending up where they could have been from the start.
Rider University is a great place to look.