List of NCAA conferences: Difference between revisions
Dale Arnett (talk | contribs) →Football Bowl Subdivision: Colorado now officially returning to the Big 12 in 2024. |
Cogswobble (talk | contribs) FBS Independents do not have a headquarters, since they are not an actual conference. The NCAA headquarters location was listed, but that is misleading. |
||
Line 37: | Line 37: | ||
| [[Conference USA]] || align=center|'''C-USA''' || align=center|1995 || align=center | 9{{efn|group=FBS|10 members in 2024 with addition of Kennesaw State.}} || align=center | 18 || [[Irving, Texas|Irving]],<br>[[Texas]]|| [[File:New C-USA Map.png|150px]] |
| [[Conference USA]] || align=center|'''C-USA''' || align=center|1995 || align=center | 9{{efn|group=FBS|10 members in 2024 with addition of Kennesaw State.}} || align=center | 18 || [[Irving, Texas|Irving]],<br>[[Texas]]|| [[File:New C-USA Map.png|150px]] |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| [[NCAA Division I FBS independent schools|Division I <br> FBS independents]]{{efn|group=FBS|Note that "independents" is not a conference; it is simply a designation used for schools whose football programs do not play in any conference. All of these schools have conference memberships for other sports.}} || align=center|'''Ind.''' || align=center|1978 || align=center| 4 || align=center|1 || |
| [[NCAA Division I FBS independent schools|Division I <br> FBS independents]]{{efn|group=FBS|Note that "independents" is not a conference; it is simply a designation used for schools whose football programs do not play in any conference. All of these schools have conference memberships for other sports.}} || align=center|'''Ind.''' || align=center|1978 || align=center| 4 || align=center|1 || N/A || [[File:NCAA Division I FBS independent schools map.svg|150px]] |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| [[Mid-American Conference]] || align=center|'''MAC''' || align=center|1946 || align=center|12 || align=center | 23 || [[Cleveland]],<br> [[Ohio]]|| [[File:Mac States.svg|150px]] |
| [[Mid-American Conference]] || align=center|'''MAC''' || align=center|1946 || align=center|12 || align=center | 23 || [[Cleveland]],<br> [[Ohio]]|| [[File:Mac States.svg|150px]] |
Revision as of 05:27, 30 July 2023
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is divided into three divisions based on scholarship allocation. Each division is made up of several conferences for regional league competition. Unless otherwise noted, changes in conference affiliation will occur on July 1 of the given year.
Division I
Under NCAA regulations, all Division I conferences defined as "multisport conferences" must meet the following criteria:[1]
- A total of at least seven active Division I members.
- Separate from the above, at least seven active Division I members that sponsor both men's and women's basketball.
- Sponsorship of at least 12 NCAA Division I sports.
- Minimum of six men's sports, with the following additional restrictions:
- Men's basketball is a mandatory sport, and at least seven members must sponsor that sport.
- Non-football conferences must sponsor at least two men's team sports other than basketball.
- At least six members must sponsor five men's sports other than basketball, including either football or two other team sports.
- Minimum of six women's sports, with the following additional restrictions:
- Women's basketball is a mandatory sport, with at least seven members sponsoring that sport.
- At least two other women's team sports must be sponsored.
- At least six members must sponsor five women's sports other than basketball, including two other team sports. If a conference officially sponsors an NCAA "emerging sport" for women (as of 2023, acrobatics & tumbling, equestrianism, rugby union, stunt, triathlon, or wrestling), that sport will be counted if five members (instead of six) sponsor it.
Schools in all divisions that sponsor athletic programs for only one sex/gender need only meet the sports sponsorship requirements for that sex/gender.[2]
Football Bowl Subdivision
Conferences in the Football Bowl Subdivision must meet a more stringent set of NCAA requirements than other conferences. Among these additional NCAA regulations, institutions in the Football Bowl Subdivision must be "multisport conferences" and participate in conference play in at least six men's and eight women's sports, including football, men's and women's basketball, and at least two other women's team sports. Each school may count one men's and one women's sport not sponsored by its primary conference toward the above limits, as long as that sport competes in another Division I conference. The men's and women's sports so counted need not be the same sport.[3][4]
Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sports | Headquarters | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
American Athletic Conference | The American | 2013[a] | 14 [b] | 22 | Irving, Texas |
![]() |
Atlantic Coast Conference | ACC | 1953 | 15[c] | 27[d] | Greensboro, North Carolina |
![]() |
Big Ten Conference | Big Ten B1G |
1896 | 14[e] | 28 | Rosemont, Illinois |
![]() |
Big 12 Conference | Big 12 | 1996 | 14[f] | 23 | Irving, Texas |
![]() |
Conference USA | C-USA | 1995 | 9[g] | 18 | Irving, Texas |
![]() |
Division I FBS independents[h] |
Ind. | 1978 | 4 | 1 | N/A | ![]() |
Mid-American Conference | MAC | 1946 | 12 | 23 | Cleveland, Ohio |
![]() |
Mountain West Conference | MW MWC |
1999 | 11[i] | 18 | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
![]() |
Pac-12 Conference | Pac-12 | 1959[j] | 12[k] | 24[l] | San Francisco, California |
![]() |
Southeastern Conference | SEC | 1932 | 14[m] | 21 | Birmingham, Alabama |
![]() |
Sun Belt Conference | SBC | 1976 | 14 | 20[n] | New Orleans, Louisiana |
![]() |
- ^ Known as Big East Conference prior to 2013.
- ^ 14 full members with Wichita State as a non-football member; 14 football members with Navy as a football-only affiliate.
- ^ 15 members, 14 football members. Notre Dame football is an FBS independent, but has a substantial cross-scheduling agreement with the ACC.
- ^ 26 sports by NCAA count. The ACC sponsors separate championships for men's and women's fencing, which the NCAA considers to be a single sport.
- 28 sports (27 by NCAA count) in 2023 with addition of women's gymnastics.
- ^ 16 members in 2024 with addition of UCLA and USC.
- ^ 13 members in 2024 with addition of Colorado and loss of Oklahoma and Texas.
- ^ 10 members in 2024 with addition of Kennesaw State.
- ^ Note that "independents" is not a conference; it is simply a designation used for schools whose football programs do not play in any conference. All of these schools have conference memberships for other sports.
- ^ 11 members (12 football) with Hawaii as a football-only affiliate.
- ^ Pacific Coast Conference chartered in 1915; current charter formed 1959 by five former PCC members, with three others joining by 1964.
- ^ 9 members in 2024 with loss of Colorado, UCLA, and USC.
- ^ 23 NCAA-sanctioned sports plus men's rowing; the NCAA governs women's rowing but not men's.
- ^ 16 members in 2024 with addition of Oklahoma and Texas.
- ^ Possibility of 21 sports with the potential addition of field hockey at an indeterminate date.
Football Championship Subdivision
In addition to competing in football, multisport conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision must still meet the general NCAA Division I requirements regarding the minimum number of men's and women's sports (see above).[1]
- ^ 10 full members and 12 football members with Cal Poly and UC Davis as football-only affiliates.
- ^ 10 full members and 6 football members.
- ^ Possibility of 18 sports in 2023, depending on organizational details of the upcoming Big South-OVC football merger.
- ^ While CAA Football was formally founded in 2007, its history can be traced back decades earlier.
- The earliest predecessor is the New England Conference, which existed from 1938–1947. However, CAA Football does not recognize this league as part of its history.
- In 1947, four New England Conference members joined with other schools to form the Yankee Conference under a new charter. CAA Football considers its history to have started with the Yankee Conference.
- The Yankee Conference, by then a football-only league, was taken over by the Atlantic 10 Conference after the 1996 football season.
- The all-sports CAA took over A-10 football in 2007, forming CAA Football as a separate entity.
- ^ The CAA Football Conference is a separate entity from the CAA.
- ^ Note that "Independents" is not a conference; it is simply a designation used for schools whose football programs do not play in any conference. These schools have conference memberships for other sports.
- ^ Kennesaw State started an FBS transition in 2023 and is not participating in the United Athletic Conference.
- No independents in 2024 with Kennesaw State joining Conference USA.
- ^ While the Ivy League considers its athletic conference to have been established in 1954, the history of the athletic league can be traced back decades earlier:
- In 1901, the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League (EIBL) was formed by five schools that would later become part of the current Ivy League; the EIBL membership eventually became identical to that of the future all-sports league. The EIBL was directly absorbed into the all-sports Ivy League, which considers the EIBL to be part of its history.
- In 1945, the Ivy Group Agreement, which governed competition and policies among the Ivy schools in football, was signed by all eight schools that eventually formed the all-sports league.
- The official formation of the athletic Ivy League came in 1954, when the Ivy Group Agreement was extended to cover all sports.
- ^ The Ivy League, by NCAA count, sponsors 28 NCAA-sanctioned sports. The Ivy League awards separate men's and women's fencing championships, while the NCAA considers fencing a single coeducational sport. Additionally, the Ivy League sponsors championships in the non-NCAA sports of men's rowing plus men's and women's squash.
- ^ 8 full members, 6 football members.
- ^ While the MVFC began football competition in 1985, the conference charter dates to 1982. See History of the Missouri Valley Football Conference for more details.
- ^ 12 members in 2023 with addition of Murray State.
- 11 members in 2024 with loss of Western Illinois.
- ^ 9 full members, 8 football members with Fairleigh Dickinson and Le Moyne as non-football members and with Duquesne as a football-only affiliate.
- ^ 11 full members, 6 football members (one full member, Morehead State, plays football outside the OVC in the Pioneer Football League).
- 11 full members, 6 football members in 2023 with loss of football affiliate Murray State and addition of Western Illinois in non-football sports.
- The OVC football league will merge with that of the Big South Conference in 2023.
- Western Illinois football will join the Big South–OVC alliance in 2024.
- ^ 19 sports in 2023 with addition of men's soccer, and possibility of 19 that year, depending on organizational details of the upcoming Big South–OVC football merger.
- ^ 10 full members and 7 football members with Army, Navy, American, Boston, and Loyola (MD) as non-football members (Army and Navy both competes in FBS football) and with Fordham and Georgetown as football-only affiliates.
- ^ 10 full members, 9 football members.
- ^ 10 full members, 8 football members.
- ^ 10 members in 2025 with addition of UTRGV.
Non-football, multi-sport conferences
Multisport conferences that do not compete in football must still meet the general NCAA Division I requirements regarding the minimum number of men's and women's sports (see above).[1]
Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sports | Headquarters | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
America East Conference | America East AmEast |
1979 | 9 | 18 | Boston, Massachusetts | ![]() |
ASUN Conference | ASUN | 1978 | 12[a] | 20 | Atlanta, Georgia | ![]() |
Atlantic 10 Conference | A-10 | 1975 | 15 | 22 | Newport News, Virginia | ![]() |
Big East Conference | Big East | 1979[b] | 11 | 23[c] | New York City, New York | ![]() |
Big West Conference | Big West BWC |
1969 | 11 | 19[d] | Irvine, California | ![]() |
Coastal Athletic Association | CAA | 1983 | 14[e] | 23 | Richmond, Virginia | ![]() |
Coastal Collegiate Sports Association | CCSA | 2008 | 16[f] | 3[g] | Macon, Georgia | ![]() |
Horizon League | Horizon | 1979 | 11 | 19 | Indianapolis, Indiana | ![]() |
Independents | 1[h] | |||||
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | MAAC | 1980 | 11 | 25[i] | Edison, New Jersey | ![]() |
Missouri Valley Conference | MVC The Valley |
1907 | 12 | 17 | St. Louis, Missouri | ![]() |
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation | MPSF | 1992 | 38 | 10 | Woodland, California | ![]() |
Summit League | The Summit | 1982 | 9 | 19 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | ![]() |
West Coast Conference | WCC | 1952 | 9 | 16 | San Bruno, California | |
Western Athletic Conference | WAC | 1962 | 11 | 19 | Arlington, Texas | ![]() |
- ^ 11 members in 2024 with loss of Kennesaw State.
- ^ Although the charter of the current Big East dates only to the 2013 split of the original Big East, both the current Big East and the American Athletic Conference claim 1979 as their founding dates. The current Big East maintains the pre-split history of the original conference in all sports that it sponsors. In football and rowing, the two sports that are sponsored by The American but not the current Big East, neither conference recognizes the history of the original Big East.
- ^ 22 NCAA-sanctioned sports, plus the non-NCAA and fully coeducational esports.
- ^ 21 sports in 2024 with addition of men's and women's swimming & diving.
- ^ The CAA Football Conference is a separate entity from the all-sports CAA.
- ^ Total conference membership; no more than 9 schools compete in any one of the CCSA's three sports.
- 14 members in 2023, with Georgia Southern moving it's women's swimming & diving program to the Sun Belt Conference and Campbell moving it's women's swimming & diving to the CAA.
- No more than 7 schools will compete in any one of the CCSA's three sports in 2023.
- ^ Sponsors only men's and women's swimming & diving, plus beach volleyball.
- ^ Chicago State.
- ^ 23 NCAA-sanctioned sports plus two non-NCAA sports—men's rowing, and Esports, which are fully coeducational.
Ice hockey conferences
Division I ice hockey has a different conference structure than the above multisport conferences. These schools have memberships in other conferences for other sports.
Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members (Men/Women) | Headquarters | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlantic Hockey | Atlantic Hockey AHA |
1997 | 11 (11/none)[a] | Haverhill, Massachusetts | ![]() |
Central Collegiate Hockey Association | CCHA | 2020[b] | 9 (9/none) | Farmington Hills, Michigan | |
College Hockey America | CHA | 1999[c] | 6 (none/6)[a] | Haverhill, Massachusetts | ![]() |
ECAC Hockey | ECAC | 1962 | 12 (12/12) | Albany, New York | ![]() |
Hockey East | Hockey East HEA |
1984 | 12 (11/10) | Wakefield, Massachusetts | ![]() |
Independents | 6 (6/none)[d] | ![]() | |||
New England Women's Hockey Alliance | NEWHA | 2018[e] | 8 (none/8) | Winthrop, Massachusetts | |
National Collegiate Hockey Conference | NCHC | 2011[f] | 8 (8/none)[g] | Colorado Springs, Colorado | ![]() |
Western Collegiate Hockey Association | WCHA | 1951[h] | 8 (none/8) | Edina, Minnesota | ![]() |
- ^ a b Atlantic Hockey and College Hockey America have announced they will merge in 2024. They have not yet determined the branding of the merged entity.
- ^ Founded in 2020, with play starting in 2021, as the revival of an earlier CCHA that existed from 1971 to 2013; the current CCHA considers itself a continuation of the original. Bowling Green, which was a member of the original CCHA for its entire existence and is a charter member of the revived conference, maintained rights to the league name.
- ^ College Hockey America was formed in 1999 as a men's-only conference; women's play began in 2002. The men's side of CHA folded after the 2009–10 season.
- ^ 5 members in 2024 with Arizona State joining the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.
- ^ Established as a scheduling alliance in 2017, officially organized as a conference in 2018, and officially recognized by the NCAA in 2019.
- ^ Although founded in 2011, the NCHC did not begin play until 2013.
- ^ 9 members in 2024 with addition of Arizona State.
- ^ Founded in 1951 as a men's-only conference; women's play began in 1999. The men's side of the WCHA folded after the 2020–21 season, with most of its members forming the revived CCHA.
Other single-sport conferences
This list includes conferences in sports that the NCAA does not fully split into divisions, such as men's volleyball and rifle. Sports in which the NCAA sponsors separate championships for men and women are officially treated by the NCAA as two separate sports.
- ^ There are 7 NCAA varsity members; the conference also has one junior college member.
- ^ 9 schools have both men's & women's varsity teams, 9 have men's varsity teams only, 8 have women's varsity teams only; additionally, there are 136 men's and 86 women's club teams.
- ^ Women only. The GCC was founded in 2013 as a women's-only conference; a men's division was added in 2016 and shut down in 2023.
- ^ There are 2 varsity members; the conference also has 7 college club members.
- ^ There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 7 college club members.
- ^ There are 7 varsity members; the conference also has 6 college club members.
- ^ There are 6 varsity members; the conference also has 13 college club members.
- ^ There are 10 varsity members; the conference also has 10 college club members.
- ^ There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 13 college club members.
- ^ There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 5 college club members.
- ^ There are 6 varsity members; the conference also has 4 college club members.
Division II
Among the NCAA regulations, Division II institutions have to sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women (or four for men and six for women), with two team sports for each sex, and each playing season represented by each sex. Teams that consist of both men and women are counted as men's teams for sports sponsorship purposes.[5]
Current conferences
Conferences that sponsor football are highlighted in yellow.
- ^ 13 full members; 12 football members.
- ^ 15 members in 2024 with addition of Shorter.
- ^ 26 sports in 2025 with addition of football.
- ^ 10 competing full members, 7 football members. Roosevelt joined for administrative purposes in 2023 but does not start GLIAC competition until 2024.
- 11 total members and 8 football members in 2024 once Roosevelt starts GLIAC competition.
- ^ 14 full members, 8 football members.
- 15 full members, 9 football members in 2024 with addition of Lincoln (MO).
- ^ 14 full members, 10 football members.
- ^ Emerging sport wrestling included.
- ^ 13 full members, 10 football members.
- 12 full members, 10 football members in 2024 with addition of Erskine as a football-only affiliate and loss of Shorter.
- 7 football members in 2025 with loss of Chowan, Erskine, and North Greenville.
- ^ 4 all-sports independents, plus Post, a full member of a non-football conference, as a football independent.
- 1 football independent in 2024 with addition of Shorter and loss of Post.
- No football football independents in 2025 with loss of Shorter.
- ^ 17 full members, 9 football members with Central Washington and Western Oregon as football-only affiliates.
- 18 full members, 10 football members in 2024 with addition of Sul Ross State.
- ^ 14 full members, 12 football members.
- 13 full members, 11 football members with loss of Lincoln (MO).
- ^ 12 full members with Davis & Elkins as a non-football member; 12 football members with UNC Pembroke as a football affiliate.
- ^ 12 full members, 8 football members.
- 9 football members in 2024 with addition of Post as a football-only affiliate.
- ^ 15 full members, 13 football members.
- ^ 14 members in 2024 with possible additions of Jessup, Menlo, and Vanguard, once they are scheduled to start PacWest competition.
- ^ 11 members in 2025 with possible addition of Middle Georgia.
- ^ 18 full members, 16 football members.
- ^ 15 full members, 10 football members.
- ^ 13 full members, with Anderson (SC), Coker, and Lincoln Memorial as non-football members; 12 football members with Barton and Erskine as football affiliates.
- 12 football members no later than 2024 with addition of football by current full member Anderson (SC) and loss of Erskine.
- ^ 15 full members, 13 football members.
Single-sport conferences
Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sport | Headquarters | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appalachian Swimming Conference | ASC | ? | 6 (men) 4 (women) |
swimming | ? | ![]() |
players+ ECAC Division II Field Hockey League | ECAC | 2014 | 6 | field hockey | Danbury, Connecticut | |
ECAC Division II Wrestling League | ECAC | 2015 | 7 | wrestling | Danbury, Connecticut |
--> |
New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference. | NSISC | 1995 | 5 (men) 6 (women) |
swimming | ? | ![]() |
Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference | PCSC | 2003 | 9 (men) 15 (women) |
swimming | ? | ![]() |
Other sports
These all-sports conferences sponsor sports which do not have D-II championships.
Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members[a] | Sport | Headquarters | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conference Carolinas | CC | 1930 | 8 | men's volleyball | Thomasville, North Carolina | |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference | CACC | 1961 | 6 | bowling | New Haven, Connecticut | |
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | CIAA | 1912 | 10 | bowling | Hampton, Virginia | ![]() |
East Coast Conference | ECC | 1989 | 10 | bowling | Central Islip, New York | ![]() |
4 | men's volleyball[b] | |||||
Great Lakes Valley Conference | GLVC | 1978 | 8 | bowling | Indianapolis, Indiana | ![]() |
Northeast-10 Conference | NE-10 | 1980 | 6 | men's ice hockey | South Easton, Massachusetts | ![]() |
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | SIAC | 1913 | 6 | men's volleyball | Tucker, Georgia | ![]() |
Division III
Unlike the other two divisions, Division III institutions cannot offer athletic scholarships. Among the other NCAA Division III requirements, schools have sports sponsorship requirements set by the NCAA. All institutions, regardless of enrollment, must sponsor at least three team sports for each sex/gender, and each playing season represented by each sex/gender.[6]
A sports sponsorship rule unique to Division III is that the total number of sports that must be sponsored differs by a school's full-time undergraduate enrollment. Schools with an enrollment of 1,000 or fewer must sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women; those with larger enrollments must sponsor six men's and six women's sports. As in the other divisions, teams that include both men and women are treated as men's sports for the purpose of these regulations.[7]
Current conferences
Conferences that sponsor football highlighted in yellow.
- ^ 10 full members with Concordia Texas, LeTourneau, Ozarks, and UT Dallas as non-football members, 8 football members with Austin and Texas Lutheran as football-only affiliates.
- 6 full members and 4 football members in 2024 with departure of full members Concordia Texas, McMurry, the Ozarks and Sul Ross State and football-only members Austin and Texas Lutheran.
- 5 full members members in 2025 with the departure of UT Dallas.
- ^ 7 full members in 2024 with the closure of Cabrini and addition of Pratt.
- ^ 11 full members, 7 football members.
- ^ 6 full members in 2024 with departure of Pratt.
- ^ 9 full members, 10 football members with Washington (MO) as a football-only affiliate.
- ^ 8 members in 2024 with loss of Berea.
- ^ 10 members, 6 football members.
- 11 members in 2024 with addition of Johnson & Wales.
- ^ 4 members in 2024 with loss of Castleton.
- ^ 9 full members with Elmira, Houghton, Keuka, Nazareth, and Russell Sage as non-football members; 7 football members with SUNY Brockport, SUNY Cortland, and SUNY Morrisville as football-only affiliates.
- ^ 15 members in 2024 with loss of Johnson & Wales.
- ^ 10 full members, 8 football members.
- 11 full members in 2024 with addition of non-football Berea.
- ^ 3 all-sports independents (non-football), 2 football independents (which are members of non-football conferences).
- ^ 10 members with Drew, Elizabethtown, Goucher, and Scranton as non-football members and 7 football with Keystone as a football-only affiliate.
- ^ 12 full members, 7 football members with Buffalo State as a football-only affiliate.
- ^ 8 full members with MCLA and Salem State as non-football members, 9 football members with Plymouth State, UMass–Dartmouth, and Western Connecticut State as football affiliates.
- ^ 9 full members, 7 football members.
- ^ The MAC is actually an umbrella organization of three conferences. Eight schools are members of the MAC Commonwealth and eight others are members of the MAC Freedom. Each league conducts competition in the same set of 14 sports, not including football. The third league, called the Middle Atlantic Conference, combines schools from the MAC Commonwealth and MAC Freedom for 13 other sports, including football.
- ^ 16 full members (8 Commonwealth, 8 Freedom) and 10 football members.
- ^ 9 full members, 10 football members with Chicago as a football affiliate.
- ^ 13 full members, 10 football members.
- ^ 11 full members, 10 football members.
- ^ 12 full members and 8 football members.
- ^ 10 full members with New Jersey City, Ramapo, Rutgers–Newark, Rutgers–Camden, and Stockton as non-football members; 7 football members with Christopher Newport and Salisbury as football affiliates.
- ^ 13 full members in 2024 with loss of Northern Vermont–Johnson.
- ^ 14 full members, 9 football members with Eureka as a football-only affiliate.
- ^ 9 full members, 8 football members.
- ^ 15 full members, 8 football members.
- ^ 11 full members, 11 football members, with two full members not sponsoring football (Chatham and Franciscan) and two football affiliates (Carnegie Mellon and Case Western Reserve).
- ^ 8 full members, 9 football members with one full member not sponsoring football (Oglethorpe) and two football affiliates (Southwestern and Trinity [TX]).
- 10 full members in 2025 with Southwestern and Trinity (TX) moving all their other sports from the SCAC.
- ^ 9 full members, 6 football members.
- ^ 10 full members in 2024 with addition of McMurry and 4 football members planned for the reinstated football league in that year, with full members Austin, Centenary (LA), and McMurry joined by football-only affiliate Lyon.
- 8 full members in 2025 with losses of Southwestern and Trinity (TX).
- 6 football members no later than 2026, with the four inaugural football members joined by full members Schreiner (adding football in 2025 or 2026) and Texas Lutheran.
- ^ 19 sports in 2024 with reinstatement of football.
- ^ In December 2022, the Colonial States Athletic Conference and United East announced their intent to merge effective in 2023–24.[9] Shortly before the merger took effect, both agreed that the merged league would operate under the United East banner. [10]
- ^ 8 full members with Bethany Lutheran, North Central, Northland, and Wisconsin–Superior as non-football members; 6 football members with Greenville, and Westminster (MO) as football-only affiliates.
- ^ 10 full members with Mary Baldwin, Meredith, Pfeiffer, Salem College, and William Peace as non-football members; 9 football members with Belhaven, Huntingdon, LaGrange, and Maryville as football-affiliates.
Single-sport conferences
Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sport | Headquarters | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coastal Lacrosse Conference | CLC | 2022 | 6 | Men's lacrosse | ![]() | |
Continental Volleyball Conference | CVC | 2011 | 9 | Men's volleyball | Madison, New Jersey | |
Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League | MCVL | 2014 | 10 | Men's volleyball | Bradenton, Florida | |
Midwest Lacrosse Conference | MLC | 2009 | 8 | Men's lacrosse | Waukesha, Wisconsin | |
Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference | MWLC | 2010 | 10 | Women's Lacrosse | Waukesha, Wisconsin | |
New England Collegiate Conference | NECC | 2007[a] | 7 | Men's volleyball[b] | Mansfield, Massachusetts | |
New England Hockey Conference | NEHC | 2015 | 10 (men) 13 (women) |
Ice hockey | N/A | ![]() |
Northeast Women's Hockey League | NEWHL | 2017 | 7 | Women's ice hockey | ||
Northern Collegiate Hockey Association | NCHA | 1981 | 10 (men) 7 (women) |
Ice hockey | Waukesha, Wisconsin | ![]() |
United Volleyball Conference | UVC | 2010 | 8 | Men's volleyball | Rochester, New York | |
United Collegiate Hockey Conference | UCHC | 2016 | 12 (men) 13 (women) |
Ice hockey | Danbury, Connecticut | ![]() |
Other sports
These all-sports conferences sponsor sports which do not have D-III championships.
Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members[a] | Sport | Headquarters | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference | AMCC | 1997 | 8 | Bowling | North Boston, New York | ![]() |
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin | CCIW | 1946 | 8 | Bowling | Naperville, Illinois | ![]() |
Metropolitan Swimming Conference | METS | ? | 14 (men) 17 (women) |
1 (swimming) | ? | ![]() |
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | WIAC | 1913 | 8 | Women's gymnastics | Madison, Wisconsin |
- ^ Number reflects membership in the sport that lacks a D-III championship, not the total conference membership.
Defunct NCAA conferences
Conference | Division | Founded | Folded | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|
America Sky Conference | Division I | 2007 | 2014 | Men's golf conference absorbed by the Big Sky Conference.[11] |
American Collegiate Athletic Association | Division III | 2017 | 2020 | Merged with the Capital Athletic Conference, with the merged conference renaming itself the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference shortly thereafter. |
American Lacrosse Conference | Division I | 2001 | 2014 | Women's lacrosse conference that folded after the 2014 season due to fallout of the early-2010s conference realignment, specifically the 2013 announcement by the Big Ten that it would add men's and women's lacrosse for the 2014–15 school year (2015 season). Four of the seven final ALC members are full Big Ten members. Johns Hopkins went independent before joining Big Ten women's lacrosse in the 2017 season. The other two members became Big East affiliates. |
American South Conference | Division I | 1987 | 1991 | Merged with the Sun Belt Conference. The new conference used the Sun Belt name.[12] |
Atlantic Central Football Conference | Division III | 1997 | 2010 | Disbanded |
Atlantic Soccer Conference | Division I | 2000 | 2012 | Disbanded |
Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference | Division III | 1995 | 2007 | Disbanded |
Big Central Soccer Conference | Division I | 1987 | 1991 | Men's soccer-only conference disbanded after the all-sports conferences of all but two of its members began sponsoring the sport. |
Big Eight Conference | Division I | 1907 | 1996 | Initially formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, before six schools split away to form the Big Six in 1928. Disbanded to join with four former Southwest Conference schools to create the Big 12 Conference. |
Border Conference | University Division | 1931 | 1962 | Members split between the newly formed WAC and independent statuses. |
Central Collegiate Hockey Association (original) | Division I | 1971 | 2013 | The decision of the Big Ten Conference to add men's ice hockey as a sponsored sport in the 2013–14 season, taking three of the most successful members of the then-11-member league, led to a major conference realignment that ultimately consumed the CCHA. Two members joined the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference, one member joined Hockey East, and the remaining five members joined or rejoined the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The CCHA would be revived in 2021 with eight members, four of which played in the final season of the original league; the current CCHA considers itself a continuation of the original. |
Central Intercollegiate Bowling Conference | Division III | 2019 | 2020 | Bowling-only league effectively absorbed by the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.[13] |
Colonial Hockey Conference | Division III | 2015 | 2020 | Women's ice hockey-only conference. Disbanded after the 2019–20 season when the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) took over operations.[14] At that time, all of the remaining members were full members of the CCC. |
Colonial States Athletic Conference | Division III | 1992 | 2023 | Merged with the United East Conference. The 'new' conference used the United East name.[15] |
Commonwealth Coast Football | Division III | 1965 | 2022 | Football-only conference, absorbed by the Commonwealth Coast Conference. Rebranded in 2017 from its original name, the New England Football Conference. |
Continental Divide Conference | Division II | ??? | 1992 | Women's-only conference that merged with the men's-only Great Northwest Conference (not to be confused with the current Great Northwest Athletic Conference) to form the Pacific West Conference. |
Deep South Conference | Division II | 1994 | 2013 | Men's lacrosse conference disbanded when the South Atlantic Conference and Sunshine State Conference, home to all nine of the final conference members, began sponsoring the sport. |
Dixie Conference | * | 1930 | 1942 | Disbanded after most of its members suspended athletics during World War II. |
Dixie Conference | * | 1948 | 1954 | Disbanded |
East Coast Conference | Division I | 1958 | 1994 | Absorbed by the Mid-Continent Conference, now known as The Summit League. |
Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League | * | 1929 | 1992 | Baseball-only conference absorbed by the Ivy League, disbanded when Army and Navy aligned their baseball teams with the bulk of their other teams in the Patriot League. |
Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League | * | 1901 | 1955 | Basketball-only conference absorbed by the Ivy League, which claims the EIBL as part of its own history. |
Eastern Wrestling League | Division I | 1975 | 2019 | Wrestling-only league absorbed by the Mid-American Conference.[16] |
ECAC Lacrosse League | Division I | 1999 | 2014 | Men's lacrosse conference that disbanded after the 2014 season. The conference lost many members after the 2010 season when the original Big East launched a men's lacrosse league, and lost still more members with the Big Ten announcement. At the end of the final ECAC Lacrosse season, only one member had not announced a new lacrosse affiliation for the 2014–15 school year; that school would later join Southern Conference men's lacrosse. |
ECAC Division II Lacrosse League | Division II | 2012 | 2016 | Disbanded. Six members began play in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, leaving three members to become independents. |
ECAC Northeast | Division III | 1971 | 2016 | Ice hockey-only conference. Disbanded |
ECAC West | Division III | 1984 | 2016 | Ice hockey-only conference. Disbanded |
Freedom Football Conference | Division III | 1992 | 2003 | Disbanded |
Great Lakes Football Conference | Division II | 2006 | 2012 | Football-only conference, effectively absorbed by the Great Lakes Valley Conference. |
Great Midwest Conference | Division I | 1991 | 1995 | Merged with the Metro Conference to form Conference USA. |
Great Northwest Conference | Division II | ??? | 1992 | The second part of the merger that created the current Pacific West Conference. |
Great South Athletic Conference | Division III | 1999 | 2016 | Ended sponsorship of men's sports in 2012; remained a women-only league until disbanding entirely. One media outlet specializing in D-III sports coverage considered the Collegiate Conference of the South, formed in 2022 by an amicable split of the USA South Athletic Conference, a spiritual successor, noting that seven of the nine charter CCS members had been Great South members in the last season that it sponsored men's sports.[17] |
Great West Conference | Division I | 2004 | 2013 | Disbanded after all but one of its members joined more established conferences during the early-2010s conference realignment. The men's golf history and Internet presence of the Great West were maintained by the America Sky Conference (above) before the latter conference's absorption by the Big Sky. |
Great West Hockey Conference | Division I | 1985 | 1988 | Ice hockey-only conference formed by four Western schools, but had one of its members drop hockey after its first season. After failing to attract additional members in 1988, the league folded when one of the remaining members shut down its entire athletic program. |
Great Western Lacrosse League | Division I | 1993 | 2010 | Members joined the ECAC Lacrosse League (see above). |
Gulf Coast Conference | College Division | 1949 | 1957 | Disbanded |
Gulf Star Conference | Division I | 1984 | 1987 | Effectively absorbed by the Southland Conference. |
Heartland Conference | Division II | 1999 | 2019 | In August 2017, eight of the nine members announced a mass exodus to the Lone Star Conference (LSC)—a conference with which the Heartland Conference had recently discussed a potential merger[18]— effective in 2019.[19] One of the eight schools changed course and instead opted to become a de facto member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in 2019,[20] joining the remaining Heartland member in that status.[21] |
High Country Athletic Conference | Division I | 1983 | 1990 | Women's-only conference absorbed by the Western Athletic Conference. |
Indiana Collegiate Conference | Division II | 1950 | 1978 | Disbanded |
Indiana Intercollegiate Conference | * | 1922 | 1950 | Disbanded |
Indiana Intercollegiate Conference | Unknown | 1922 | 1950 | Split into two conferences, the Indiana Collegiate Conference was made of the larger schools; the Hoosier Collegiate Conference was made of the small, private schools |
Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | University Division | 1908 | 1970 | Previously known as Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, disbanded. |
Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest | * | 1892 | 1893 | Disbanded, precursor to the Big Ten Conference. |
Lake Michigan Conference | Division III | 1974 | 2007 | Merged with the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference to form the Northern Athletics Conference, now known as the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. |
Metro Conference | Division I | 1975 | 1995 | Merged with the Great Midwest Conference to form Conference USA. |
Metropolitan Collegiate Conference | University Division | 1965 | 1969 | Disbanded |
Metropolitan New York Conference | University Division | 1933 | 1963 | Disbanded |
Mid-Continent Athletic Association | Division II, later Division I | 1978 | 1981 | Football-only conference absorbed by the Association of Mid-Continent Universities in 1982. Effectively one of the precursors to the current Missouri Valley Football Conference. |
Midwest Athletic Conference for Women | Division III | 1977 | 1994 | Merged with the men's Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference, forming the current Midwest Conference. |
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association | Division III | 1998 | 2013 | Absorbed by the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association. |
Midwestern Conference | University Division | 1970 | 1972 | The five member schools were unable to find the 6th member required for NCAA recognition. |
Mountain States Conference (aka Skyline Conference) | University Division | 1938 | 1962 | Disbanded, members split between the newly formed WAC and independent statuses. |
Mountain West Athletic Conference | Division I | 1982 | 1988 | Women's-only conference (not to be confused with the modern Mountain West Conference) absorbed by the Big Sky Conference. |
National Lacrosse Conference | Division I | 2008 | 2012 | Disbanded after the ASUN Conference and Big South Conference began sponsoring women's lacrosse. |
New England Collegiate Conference | Division III | 2007 | 2023 | Disbanded as an all-sports conference after steady losses of membership, both by schools closing and moves to other conferences. Remains in operation for men's volleyball and the non-NCAA esports. |
New England Conference | * | 1938 | 1947 | Disbanded; the final four members joined two other schools to form the Yankee Conference under a new charter. Effectively the earliest ancestor of CAA Football, a conference operated by the Coastal Athletic Association but a separate legal entity, although CAA Football does not claim the NEC's history. |
New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance | Division III | 1998 | 2012 | Disbanded |
New South Women's Athletic Conference | Division I | 1985 | 1991 | Women's-only conference initially known as the New South Conference; absorbed by the Trans America Athletic Conference, now known as the ASUN Conference. |
North Central Conference | Division II | 1922 | 2008 | Disbanded |
North East Collegiate Volleyball Association | Division III | 1995 | 2011 | Men's volleyball conference disbanded in 2011 due to the 2012 establishment of the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship. Most of the all-sports conferences that were home to NECVA members began sponsoring men's volleyball at that time. |
North Star Conference | Division I | 1983 | 1992 | Women's-only conference effectively absorbed by the Mid-Continent Conference (now The Summit League). |
Northern California Athletic Conference | Division II | 1925 | 1996 | Football-only conference, dissolved when most members decided to drop football. |
Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference | Division III | 1969 | 2007 | Merged with the Lake Michigan Conference to form the Northern Athletics Conference, now known as the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. |
Northern Pacific Conference | Division I | 1982 | 1986 | Women's-only conference. Disbanded when the Pac-10, home to five of the seven final conference members, began sponsoring women's sports. |
Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference | Division I | 1982 | 2015 | Field hockey-only conference that folded after the 2014 season. After a period in which the conference expanded to span both coasts, most of the eastern teams left over time. Four of the six final members, all from California (and also the league's founding members), became America East affiliates. The remaining two members became independents; one is now a field hockey member of the Big East and the other is now a MAC field hockey member. |
Northern Sun Conference | Division II | 1979 | 1992 | Women's-only conference that merged with the men's Northern Intercollegiate Conference, forming the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. |
Ohio River Lacrosse Conference | Division III | 2014 | 2018 | Men's and women's lacrosse-only conference. Disbanded after the 2017–18 season. |
Pacific Coast Conference | University Division | 1915 | 1959 | Forerunner to the Pac-12, disbanded due to scandal and infighting. The Pac-12 considers its history to have started with the formation of the PCC. |
Pacific Coast Softball Conference | Division I | 2002 | 2013 | Softball-only; disbanded due to fallout from the early-2010s conference realignment. After the 2012 season, it lost five members when the Big Sky added the sport and a sixth to the WAC. After the 2013 season, the final seven members left when the West Coast Conference began sponsoring the sport (five were already WCC members, and the other two joined the WAC in softball). |
Pilgrim Lacrosse League | Division III | 1986 | 2014 | Absorbed by the NEWMAC. |
Southeast Team Handball Conference | Division I (de facto) | 1997 | 2006 | Women-only team handball conference. Disbanded when the sport was dropped from the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program. |
Southland Bowling League | Division I | 2015 | 2023 | Bowling-only league founded by, but independent of, the Southland Conference.[22] Merged into Conference USA; one of the final members was already a full C-USA member, another became a full C-USA member in 2023, and the others became C-USA associates.[23] |
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association | * | 1894 | 1941 | Disbanded with the onset of American involvement in World War II. |
Southwest Conference | Division I | 1914 | 1996 | Disbanded, members split into the Big 12, WAC, and C-USA. |
United Soccer Conference | Division I | 2005 | 2009 | Women's soccer-only, absorbed by the Great West Conference. |
West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Division II | 1924 | 2013 | Disbanded after the conference's football schools announced a split from the non-football schools. Ultimately, nine of the final schools became charter members of the Mountain East Conference, three joined the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, two joined the PSAC, and one went independent. |
Western Collegiate Athletic Association | Division I | 1981 | 1986 | Women's-only conference; known in its final season of 1985–86 as the Pacific West Conference (not to be confused with the current NCAA Division II conference). Disbanded when the Pac-10, home to the final five conference members, began sponsoring women's sports. |
Western Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association | Division II | 2010 | 2015 | Lacrosse-only conference absorbed by the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference; all final teams are members of the RMAC, including one affiliate. The RMAC had absorbed the women's side of the WILA in 2013; five of the members were RMAC members including one affiliate, one additional women's member became an independent. |
Western Wrestling Conference | Division I | 2006 | 2015 | Wrestling-only conference effectively absorbed by the Big 12 Conference, with all but one of its final members immediately becoming single-sport Big 12 associates and the remaining member joining Big 12 wrestling in 2017. |
Yankee Conference | Division I | 1947 | 1997 | Football-only conference from 1975 until its absorption by the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1997. Also an effective ancestor of CAA Football, and officially recognized by CAA Football as its earliest predecessor. |
- * - Operated before the NCAA split into divisions in 1955.
In addition to the above, three single-sport conferences that currently participate in NCAA National Collegiate sports (those whose championship events are open to members of more than one NCAA division) and previously operated both men's and women's divisions now operate as women-only leagues.
Conference | Division | Founded | Folded | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|
College Hockey America (men's) | Division I | 1999 | 2010 | Founded as a men's-only league; added a women's division in 2002. The men's division disbanded in 2010 after steady losses of membership. |
Golden Coast Conference (men's) | National Collegiate | 2013 | 2023 | Water polo-only conference founded as a women's-only league; added a men's division in 2016. The men's division disbanded after the 2022 season (2022–23 school year) after all six of its final members joined the new men's water polo leagues of the Big West Conference and West Coast Conference. |
Western Collegiate Hockey Association (men's) | Division I | 1951 | 2021 | Founded as a men's-only league; added a women's division in 1999. The men's division disbanded in 2021 after seven of its members left to reestablish the Central Collegiate Hockey Association; two other men's members dropped hockey, and the other went independent. |
See also
- List of college athletic conferences in the United States
- List of schools reclassifying their athletic programs to NCAA Division I
- List of NAIA conferences
References
- ^ a b c "Bylaw 20.02.5: Multisport Conference". 2020–21 NCAA Division I Manual (PDF). August 7, 2020. pp. 394–95. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ "Bylaw 20.10.5.3: Sports Sponsorship, Single-Gender Institution Exception". 2021–22 NCAA Division I Manual. NCAA. August 1, 2021. p. 402. Retrieved April 23, 2022. Identically numbered and worded bylaws exist in the Division II and Division III Manuals, though page numbering is different from that in the Division I Manual.
- ^ "Bylaw 20.02.6: Football Bowl Subdivision Conference". 2020–21 NCAA Division I Manual (PDF). August 7, 2020. p. 395. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ "Who We Are: Our Three Divisions". NCAA. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ "Bylaw 20.10.3 Sports Sponsorship". 2017–18 NCAA Division II Manual (PDF). p. 316. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ "Divisional Differences and the History of Multidivision Classification". NCAA. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- ^ "Bylaw 20.11.3: Sports Sponsorship". 2021–22 NCAA Division I Manual. NCAA. August 1, 2021. pp. 221–25. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ "USA South Announces Conference Restructuring". USA South Athletic Conference. February 18, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
- ^ "CSAC and United East Conference - Intent to Merge". CSAC (Press release). December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ "CSAC, United East Finalize Conference Merger" (Press release). United East Conference. June 22, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ^ Burton, Roy (June 4, 2014). "WSU joins friends/foes as Big Sky brings back men's golf". Standard-Examiner. Ogden, UT. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ "Miscellany". Los Angeles Times. April 9, 1991. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
- ^ "CCIW Announces the Addition of Women's Bowling as Its 25th Sport; Three Programs Added as Associate Members" (Press release). College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. July 23, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ "Commonwealth Coast Conference starting women's hockey in 2020-21, will assume operation of Colonial Hockey Conference". 6 October 2019.
- ^ "United East Conference and Colonial States Athletic Conference Officially Merge". The Southern Maryland Chronicle. June 23, 2023.
- ^ "MAC Announces Historic Wrestling Expansion" (Press release). Mid-American Conference. March 5, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ Coleman, Pat; McHugh, Dave (February 16, 2022). "USA South Athletic Conference to split in two". D3Sports.com. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
- ^ Mannis, Taylor (March 9, 2017). "Heartland Conference Looking to Expand". The Vantage. Wichita, KS. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ "Lone Star Conference to Add Eight Schools in 2019" (Press release). Lone Star Conference. August 30, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
- ^ "Hillcats to join MIAA Conference for 2019-2020 season" (Press release). Rogers State Hillcats. October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
- ^ "Newman to Compete in MIAA as Associate Member in 2019-20" (Press release). Newman Jets. February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ "New Southland Bowling League Established" (Press release). Southland Conference. January 20, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ "Conference USA to Add Bowling for 2023-24 Season" (Press release). Conference USA. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.