List of NCAA conferences

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

[edit]

Main articles: NCAA Division I and List of NCAA Division I institutions

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

[edit]

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

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American Conference | American | 2013[a] | 13[b] | 22 | Irving,
Texas |
Atlantic Coast Conference | ACC | 1953 | 18[c] | 28[d] | Charlotte,
North Carolina |
Big Ten Conference | Big Ten
B1G | 1896 | 18 | 28 | Rosemont,
Illinois |
Big 12 Conference | Big 12
B12  | 1996 | 16 | 25 | Irving,
Texas |
Conference USA | CUSA | 1995 | 12[e] | 18 | Dallas,
Texas |
Division I
FBS independents[f] | Ind. | N/A | 2 | 1 | N/A |
Mid-American Conference | MAC | 1946 | 13[g] | 23 | Cleveland,
Ohio |
Mountain West Conference | MW
MWC | 1999 | 12[h] | 18 | Colorado Springs,
Colorado[i] |
Pac-12 Conference | Pac-12
P12  | 1959[j] | 2[k] | 24[l] | San Ramon, California |
Southeastern Conference | SEC

Southeastern  | 1932 | 16 | 22 | Birmingham,
Alabama |
Sun Belt Conference | SBC

Sun Belt  | 1976 | 14[m] | 20 | New Orleans,
Louisiana |

1. ^ Known as Big East Conference prior to 2013. The American operates under the original 1979 Big East charter, but considers its competitive history to have started in 2013.
2. ^ 13 full members with Wichita State as a non-football member; 14 football members with Army and Navy as football-only affiliates.
3. ^ 18 full members, 17 football members. Notre Dame football is an FBS independent, but has a substantial cross-scheduling agreement with the ACC.
4. ^ Number of conference championships awarded. The conference sponsors separate championships for men's and women's fencing, while the NCAA organizes a single coeducational championship event.
5. ^ 10 members in 2026 with loss of UTEP and Louisiana Tech.
6. ^ 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.
7. ^ 12 members in 2026 with loss of Northern Illinois.
8. ^ 12 full members, 12 football members with Grand Canyon as a non-football member and Hawaii as a football-only affiliate.
* 11 full members, 9 football members in 2026 with the following changes:
* Loss of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State.
* Addition of Northern Illinois (football only), UC Davis (non-football), and UTEP (all sports).
* Upgrade of Hawaii's membership to all-sports.
9. ^ Headquarters moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in July 2026.
10. ^ Pacific Coast Conference chartered in 1915; current charter formed 1959 by five former PCC members, with three others joining by 1964.
11. ^ 9 full members and 8 football members in 2026 with addition of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Texas State, and Utah State, plus Gonzaga as a non-football member.
12. ^ 23 NCAA-sanctioned sports plus men's rowing; the NCAA governs women's rowing but not men's.
13. ^ Loses Texas State & gains Louisiana Tech in 2026

### Football Championship Subdivision

[edit]

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]

Conference | Nickname | Founded | Full Members | Sports | Headquarters | Map

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Big Sky Conference | Big Sky
BSC | 1963 | 10[a] | 16 | Ogden, Utah |
Big South Conference | Big South | 1983 | 9[b] | 19 | Charlotte, North Carolina |
Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference | CAA Football | 2007[c] | 14[d][e] | 1 | Richmond, Virginia |
Division I FCS Independents[f] |  |  | 2[g] | 1 |  |
Ivy League | Ivy League | 1954[h] | 8 | 32[i] | Princeton, New Jersey |
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | MEAC | 1970 | 8[j] | 14 | Norfolk, Virginia |
Missouri Valley Football Conference | MVFC | 1985[k] | 10 | 1 | St. Louis, Missouri |
Northeast Conference | NEC | 1981 | 10[l] | 25 | Somerset, New Jersey |
Ohio Valley Conference | OVC | 1948 | 11[m] | 19 | Brentwood, Tennessee |
Patriot League | Patriot | 1986 | 10[n] | 24 | Center Valley, Pennsylvania |
Pioneer Football League | PFL | 1991 | 11 | 1 | St. Louis, Missouri |
Southern Conference | SoCon | 1921 | 10[o] | 20 | Spartanburg, South Carolina |
Southland Conference | Southland
SLC | 1963 | 12[p] | 18 | Frisco, Texas |
Southwestern Athletic Conference | SWAC | 1920 | 12 | 18 | Birmingham, Alabama |
United Athletic Conference[q][r] | UAC | 2023 | 9[s] | 1[t] |  |

1. ^ 10 full members and 12 football members with Cal Poly and UC Davis as football-only affiliates.
* 11 confirmed full members and 13 likely football members in 2026 with departure of Sacramento State, plus addition of Southern Utah and Utah Tech.
2. ^ 9 full members and 2 football members.
* Both football members play in the OVC–Big South Football Association, an alliance between the Ohio Valley Conference and the Big South Conference which shares a single automatic berth in the FCS playoffs.
3. ^ 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.
4. ^ CAA Football is a separate entity from the multi-sports CAA.
5. ^ 13 members in 2026 with loss of Villanova and William & Mary, plus addition of Sacred Heart.
6. ^ 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.
7. ^ 2 independents possible in 2026 with confirmed move of Sacred Heart to CAA Football and potential addition of Sacramento State.
8. ^ 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.
For more details, see the section on the history of the athletic Ivy League.
9. ^ 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.
10. ^ 8 full members, 6 football members.
11. ^ 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. ^ 10 full members, 8 football members with Chicago State, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Le Moyne as non-football members and with Duquesne and Robert Morris as football-only affiliates.
* 9 full members, 8 football members likely in 2026 with confirmed loss of Saint Francis and expected addition of football by Chicago State.
13. ^ 11 full members, 7 football members (full member Morehead State plays football in the Pioneer Football League).
* All current OVC football members (not counting Morehead State) play that sport in the OVC–Big South Football Association.
14. ^ 10 full members and 8 football members with Army, Navy, American, Boston, and Loyola (MD) as non-football members (Army and Navy both compete in FBS football) and with Fordham, Georgetown, and Richmond as football-only affiliates.
* 10 football members in 2026 with addition of Villanova and William & Mary as football affiliates.
15. ^ 10 full members, 9 football members.
16. ^ 12 full members, 10 football members.
17. ^ Not an officially recognized NCAA conference; that body treats the UAC as the continuation of a preexisting football-only alliance between the Atlantic Sun Conference and Western Athletic Conference.
18. ^ Becomes an official NCAA conference in 2026 as a rebranded Western Athletic Conference.
19. ^ 8 full members, 7 football members in 2026 with the following changes:
* Addition of UT Arlington as a full but non-football member.
* Loss of Southern Utah and Utah Tech.
20. ^ Number of sports in 2026 to be determined.

### Non-football, multi-sport conferences

[edit]

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

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America East Conference | America East
AmEast | 1979 | 9 | 18 | Boston, Massachusetts |
Atlantic Sun Conference | ASUN | 1978 | 12[a] | 20 | Jacksonville, Florida |
Atlantic 10 Conference | A-10 | 1975 | 14 | 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[d] | 21 | Irvine, California |
Coastal Athletic Association | CAA | 1983 | 13[e] | 23 | Richmond, Virginia |
Horizon League | Horizon | 1979 | 11[f] | 19 | Indianapolis, Indiana |
Independents |  |  | – |  |  |
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | MAAC | 1980 | 13 | 25[g] | Edison, New Jersey |
Missouri Valley Conference | MVC
The Valley | 1907 | 11 | 18 | St. Louis, Missouri |
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation | MPSF | 1992 | 59[h] | 15[i] | Woodland, California |
Summit League | The Summit | 1982 | 9 | 19 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota |
West Coast Conference | WCC | 1952 | 10[j] | 16 | San Bruno, California |
Western Athletic Conference[k] | WAC | 1962 | 7[l] | 19 | Arlington, Texas |

1. ^ 7 members in 2026 with loss of Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, and West Georgia.
2. ^ 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 were sponsored by The American but not the current Big East after the split, neither conference recognizes the history of the original Big East.
3. ^ 22 NCAA-sanctioned sports, plus the non-NCAA and fully coeducational esports.
4. ^ 12 members in 2026 with the following changes:
* Loss of Hawaiʻi and UC Davis.
* Addition of California Baptist, Sacramento State, and Utah Valley.
5. ^ The CAA Football Conference is a separate entity from the all-sports CAA.
6. ^ 12 members in 2026 with return of Northern Illinois.
7. ^ 23 NCAA-sanctioned sports plus two non-NCAA sports—men's rowing, and Esports, which are fully coeducational.
8. ^ No more than 13 schools competed in any one of the MPSF's sports in 2024–25.
* 58 members in 2026 with loss of California Baptist.
9. ^ Sponsors 13 fully recognized NCAA sports (two of which feature only Division II members) and 2 non-NCAA sports (artistic swimming and men's rowing).
10. ^ 9 members in 2026 with loss of Gonzaga.
11. ^ Rebranding as the United Athletic Conference in 2026.
12. ^ 8 members under the United Athletic Conference banner in 2026 with the following changes:
* Addition of Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, and West Georgia.
* Loss of California Baptist, Southern Utah, Utah Tech, and Utah Valley.

### Ice hockey conferences

[edit]

See also: List of NCAA Division I ice hockey programs

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

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Atlantic Hockey America | Atlantic Hockey
AHA | 1997[a] | 14 (10/7) | Haverhill, Massachusetts |
Central Collegiate Hockey Association | CCHA | 2020[b] | 9 (9/none)[c] | Farmington Hills, Michigan |
ECAC Hockey | ECAC | 1962 | 12 (12/12) | Albany, New York |
Hockey East | Hockey East
HEA | 1984 | 12 (11/10) | Amesbury, Massachusetts |
Independents |  |  | 6 (6/none) |  |
New England Women's Hockey Alliance | NEWHA | 2018[d] | 8 (none/8) | Winthrop, Massachusetts |
National Collegiate Hockey Conference | NCHC | 2011[e] | 9 (9/none)[f] | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
Western Collegiate Hockey Association | WCHA | 1951[g] | 8 (none/8) | Edina, Minnesota |

1. ^ The Atlantic Hockey Association and College Hockey America merged in 2024 to form Atlantic Hockey America. Atlantic Hockey was founded (as the MAAC) in 1997 and the CHA in 1999.
2. ^ 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.
3. ^ 8 members in 2026 with loss of St. Thomas.
4. ^ Established as a scheduling alliance in 2017, officially organized as a conference in 2018, and officially recognized by the NCAA in 2019.
5. ^ Although founded in 2011, the NCHC did not begin play until 2013.
6. ^ 10 members in 2026 with addition of St. Thomas.
7. ^ 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

[edit]

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.

Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sport | Headquarters | Map

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Central Collegiate Fencing Conference | CCFC |  | 6 | Fencing | ? |
Central Collegiate Ski Association | CCSA | 2009 | 7[a] | Skiing | ? |
Collegiate Water Polo Association | CWPA | 1970s | 26[b] | water polo | Bridgeport, Pennsylvania |
East Atlantic Gymnastics League | EAGL | 1995 | 7 | gymnastics | ? |
Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges | EARC | ? | 18 | rowing | Danbury, Connecticut |
Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges | EAWRC | ? | 18 | rowing | Danbury, Connecticut |
Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League | EIGL | ? | 5 | 1 (gymnastics) | Danbury, Connecticut |
Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association | EISA | ? | 15 | 1 (Skiing) | ? |
Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association | EIVA | 1977 | 7 | 1 (men's volleyball) | Bronxville, New York |
Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association | EIWA | 1905 | 17 | 1 (wrestling) | ? |
Eastern Women's Fencing Conference | EWFC | 2000 | 7 | 1 (fencing) | ? |
Golden Coast Conference | GCC | 2013[c] | 8 | 1 (water polo) | ? |
Great America Rifle Conference | GARC | 1998 | 9 | 1 (rifle) | ? |
Intercollegiate Fencing Conference of Southern California. | IFCSC | 1996? | 2[d] | 1 (fencing) | ? |
Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association | MACFA | 1952 | 8[e] | 1 (fencing) | Hackettstown, New Jersey |
Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference | MAC | 1978 | 7[f] | 1 (rifle) | ? |
Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference | MAWPC |  | 7 | 1 (Water Polo) | ? |
Midwest Fencing Conference | MFC | 1968 | 6[g] | 1 (fencing) | ? |
Midwest Independent Conference | MIC | ? | 6 | 1 (women's gymnastics) | UIC (?) |
Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association | MIVA | 1961 | 9[h] | 1 (men's volleyball) | Columbus, Ohio |
National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association | NIWFA | 1929 | 10[i] | 1 (fencing) | ? |
New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference | NEIFC | ? | 8[j] | 1 (fencing) | ? |
Northeast Fencing Conference | NFC | 1992 | 8[k] | 1 (fencing) | ? |
Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference | PCSC | 2002 | 9 (men)
15 (women) | 1 (swimming) | ? |
Patriot Rifle Conference | PRC | 2013 | 6 | 1 (rifle) | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association | RMISA | 1950 | 6[l] | 1 (Skiing) | ? |
Western Water Polo Association | WWPA | 1981 | 7 (men)
8 (women) | 1 (water polo) | ? |

1. ^ There are 7 NCAA varsity members; the conference also has one junior college member.
2. ^ 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.
3. ^ 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.
4. ^ There are 2 varsity members; the conference also has 7 college club members.
5. ^ There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 7 college club members.
6. ^ There are 7 varsity members; the conference also has 6 college club members.
7. ^ There are 6 varsity members; the conference also has 13 college club members.
8. ^ 9 members in 2025 with addition of Northern Kentucky and loss of Quincy.
9. ^ There are 10 varsity members; the conference also has 10 college club members.
10. ^ There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 13 college club members.
11. ^ There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 5 college club members.
12. ^ There are 6 varsity members; the conference also has 4 college club members.

## Division II

[edit]

Main articles: NCAA Division II and List of NCAA Division II institutions

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

[edit]

Conferences that sponsor football are highlighted in yellow.

Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sports | Headquarters | Map

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California Collegiate Athletic Association | CCAA | 1938 | 12[a] | 13 | Walnut Creek, California |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference | CACC | 1961 | 13 | 16 | New Haven, Connecticut |
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | CIAA | 1912 | 13[b] | 15 | Hampton, Virginia |
Conference Carolinas | CC | 1930 | 15[c] | 26[d] | Thomasville, North Carolina |
East Coast Conference | ECC | 1989 | 9 | 18 | Central Islip, New York |
Great American Conference | GAC | 2011 | 12 | 16 | Russellville, Arkansas |
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | GLIAC | 1972 | 11[e] | 21 | Bay City, Michigan |
Great Lakes Valley Conference | GLVC | 1978 | 15[f] | 24[g] | Indianapolis, Indiana |
Great Midwest Athletic Conference | G-MAC | 2011 | 13[h] | 23[i] | Greenwood, Indiana |
Great Northwest Athletic Conference | GNAC | 2001 | 10 | 15 | Portland, Oregon |
Gulf South Conference | GSC | 1970 | 12[j] | 17 | Birmingham, Alabama |
Division II independents |  |  | 4[k] |  |  |
Lone Star Conference | LSC | 1931 | 17[l] | 18 | Richardson, Texas |
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | MIAA | 1912 | 14[m] | 19 | Kansas City, Missouri |
Mountain East Conference | MEC | 2012 | 11[n] | 23 | Bridgeport, West Virginia |
Northeast-10 Conference | NE-10 | 1980 | 11[o] | 23 | Mansfield, Massachusetts |
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | NSIC | 1932 | 15[p] | 18 | St. Paul, Minnesota |
Pacific West Conference | PacWest | 1992 | 14[q] | 15 | Newport Beach, California |
Peach Belt Conference | PBC | 1990 | 10[r] | 15 | Augusta, Georgia |
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | PSAC | 1951 | 17[s] | 23 | Lock Haven, Pennsylvania |
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | RMAC | 1909 | 15[t] | 23 | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
South Atlantic Conference | SAC | 1975 | 13[u] | 20 | Rock Hill, South Carolina |
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | SIAC | 1913 | 15[v] | 14 | Tucker, Georgia |
Sunshine State Conference | SSC | 1975 | 11 | 18 | Melbourne, Florida |

1. ^ 13 members in 2025 with addition of UC Merced.
2. ^ 13 full members; 12 football members.
3. ^ 16 members in 2025 with addition of Ferrum.
4. ^ 28 sports in 2025 with addition of (men's) football and women's flag football. The latter is currently a non-NCAA sport but is expected to become part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program no later than 2026–27.
5. ^ 11 full members, 8 football members.
6. ^ 15 full members, 9 football members.
7. ^ 26 sports in 2025 with addition of stunt and men's volleyball.
8. ^ 13 full members, 10 football members.
9. ^ Emerging sport wrestling included.
10. ^ 12 full members, 9 football members with Erskine as a football-only affiliate.
* 6 football members in 2025 with loss of Chowan, Erskine, and North Greenville.
11. ^ 4 all-sports independents (non-football), plus two football independents: Northeastern State and Shorter, a full member of a non-football conference.
* 1 football independent in 2025 with loss of Shorter.
12. ^ 17 full members, 10 football members with Central Washington and Western Oregon as football-only affiliates.
* 18 full members in 2025 with possible addition of UT Dallas.
13. ^ 14 full members, 10 football members with Northeastern State competing as a D-II Independent in football.
14. ^ 11 full members with Davis & Elkins and Point Park as non-football members; 10 football members with UNC Pembroke as a football affiliate.
* 11 full members and 9 football members in 2025 with loss of football-only member UNC Pembroke.
15. ^ 11 full members, 9 football members with Post as a football-only affiliate.
16. ^ 15 full members, 13 football members.
* 16 members, 14 football members in 2025 with addition of Jamestown.
17. ^ 13 members in 2206 with loss of Azusa Pacific.
18. ^ 11 members in 2025 with addition of Middle Georgia.
19. ^ 17 full members, 15 football members.
* 18 full members, 16 football members in 2026 with addition of Lackawanna.
20. ^ 15 full members, 10 football members.
21. ^ 13 full members, with Coker and Lincoln Memorial as non-football members; 12 football members with Barton as football-only affiliate.
* 12 full members and 11 football members in 2025 with closure of Limestone.
22. ^ 15 full members, 13 football members.

### Single-sport conferences

[edit]

Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sport | Headquarters | Map

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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

[edit]

These all-sports conferences sponsor sports which do not have D-II championships.

Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members[a] | Sport | Headquarters | Map

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Conference Carolinas | CC | 1930 | 8 | Men's volleyball | Thomasville, North Carolina |
6  | Women's flag football[b]
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
Great Lakes Valley Conference | GLVC | 1978 | 7 | Bowling | Indianapolis, Indiana |
7  | Stunt[c]
8  | Men's volleyball
Northeast-10 Conference | NE-10 | 1980 | 7 | Men's ice hockey | South Easton, Massachusetts |
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | SIAC | 1913 | 7 | Men's volleyball | Tucker, Georgia |

1. ^ Number reflects membership in the sport that lacks a D-II championship, not the number of full members.
2. ^ Expected to become part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program no later than 2026–27.
3. ^ Part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program; expected to become an official NCAA championship sport in 2026–27.

## Division III

[edit]

Main articles: NCAA Division III and List of NCAA Division III institutions

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

[edit]

Conferences that sponsor football highlighted in yellow.

Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sports | Headquarters | Map

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Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference | AMCC | 1997 | 9 | 16 | North Boston, New York |
American Rivers Conference | ARC | 1922 | 9[a] | 22 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
American Southwest Conference | ASC | 1996 | 6[b] | 16 | Richardson, Texas |
Atlantic East Conference | AEC | 2018 | 7[c] | 21[d] | Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
Centennial Conference | Centennial | 1981 | 11[e] | 24 | Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
City University of New York Athletic Conference[f] | CUNYAC | 1987 | 8[g] | 16 | Flushing, Queens, New York |
Coast to Coast Athletic Conference | C2C | 1989 | 6[h] | 19 | Fredericksburg, Virginia |
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin | CCIW | 1946 | 9[i] | 26 | Naperville, Illinois |
Collegiate Conference of the South[8] | CCS | 2022 | 9 | 14 | Atlanta, Georgia |
Conference of New England | CNE | 1984 | 11[j] | 18 | Springfield, Massachusetts |
Empire 8 | E8 | 1964 | 12[k] | 22 | Rochester, New York |
Great Northeast Athletic Conference | GNAC | 1995 | 15[l] | 17 | Boston, Massachusetts |
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference | HCAC | 1987 | 10[m] | 16 | Greenwood, Indiana |
Division III Independents |  |  | 2[n] |  |  |
Landmark Conference | Landmark | 2006 | 10[o] | 23 | Madison, New Jersey |
Liberty League | Liberty | 1995 | 12[p] | 26 | Troy, New York |
Little East Conference | LEC | 1986 | 9 | 21 | North Dartmouth, Massachusetts |
Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference | MASCAC | 1971 | 8[q] | 16 | Westfield, Massachusetts |
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | MIAA | 1888 | 9[r] | 22 | Freeland, Michigan |
Middle Atlantic Conferences | MAC | 1912 | 16[s][t] | 27 | Annville, Pennsylvania |
Midwest Conference | Midwest | 1921 | 9[u] | 20 | Ripon, Wisconsin |
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | MIAC | 1920 | 13[v] | 22 | St. Paul, Minnesota |
New England Small College Athletic Conference | NESCAC | 1971 | 11[w] | 26 | Hadley, Massachusetts |
New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference | NEWMAC | 1998 | 12[x] | 20 | Wellesley, Massachusetts |
New Jersey Athletic Conference | NJAC | 1985 | 10[y] | 21 | Pitman, New Jersey |
North Atlantic Conference | NAC | 1996 | 10 | 15 | Waterville, Maine |
North Coast Athletic Conference | NCAC | 1983 | 9[z] | 23 | Westlake, Ohio |
Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | NACC | 2006 | 14[aa] | 19 | Waukesha, Wisconsin |
Northwest Conference | NWC | 1926 | 9[ab] | 20 | Seattle, Washington |
Ohio Athletic Conference | OAC | 1902 | 10[ac] | 23 | Austintown, Ohio |
Old Dominion Athletic Conference | ODAC | 1976 | 15[ad] | 26 | Forest, Virginia |
Presidents' Athletic Conference | PAC | 1955 | 11[ae] | 24 | Wexford, Pennsylvania |
St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | SLIAC | 1989 | 10[af] | 14 | St. Louis, Missouri |
Skyline Conference | Skyline | 1989 | 12 | 17 | Lawrenceville, New Jersey |
Southern Athletic Association | SAA | 2012 | 7[ag] | 21 | Atlanta, Georgia |
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | SCIAC | 1915 | 9[ah] | 21 | Los Angeles, California |
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference | SCAC | 1962 | 12[ai] | 9 | Suwanee, Georgia |
State University of New York Athletic Conference | SUNYAC | 1958 | 10 | 20 | Fredonia, New York |
United East Conference | United East | 2004 | 17[aj] | 20 | Gansevoort, New York |
University Athletic Association | UAA | 1986 | 8 | 22 | Rochester, New York |
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference | UMAC | 1972 | 8[ak] | 16 | St. Paul, Minnesota |
USA South Athletic Conference | USA South | 1965 | 10[al] | 14 | Fayetteville, North Carolina |
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | WIAC | 1913 | 8 | 22 | Madison, Wisconsin |

1. ^ 8 members in 2026 with loss of Luther.
2. ^ 6 full members with Concordia Texas, LeTourneau, Ozarks, and UT Dallas as non-football members; 4 football members.
* 4 full members in 2025 with loss of UT Dallas and LeTourneau.
3. ^ 8 members in 2025 with addition of Saint Elizabeth.
* 7 members in 2026 with loss of Neumann.
4. ^ 20 NCAA sports plus women's flag football, currently a non-NCAA sport but expected to become part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program no later than 2026–27.
5. ^ 11 full members, 7 football members.
6. ^ Plans to adopt a new name in 2027.
7. ^ 9 members in 2027 with addition of New Jersey City.
8. ^ 7 members in 2025 with loss of Mount Mary and addition of Johnson & Wales (NC) and Regent.
9. ^ 9 full members, 10 football members with Washington (MO) as a football-only affiliate.
10. ^ 11 members, 6 football members.
* 8 football members in 2025 with addition of Maine Maritime and New England College as football-only affiliates.
11. ^ 12 full members with Elmira, Houghton, Keuka, Nazareth, Russell Sage, SUNY Geneseo, and SUNY Poly as non-football members; 8 football members with Hilbert, SUNY Cortland, and SUNY Morrisville as football-only affiliates.
12. ^ 14 full members in 2025 with loss of Anna Maria.
13. ^ 10 full members, 7 football members.
14. ^ 2 all-sports independents (non-football), 1 football independent (which are members of non-football conferences).
* No football independents in 2025 with loss of Maine Maritime.
15. ^ 10 members with Drew, Elizabethtown, Goucher, and Scranton as non-football members and 7 football with Keystone as a football-only affiliate.
16. ^ 12 full members, 7 football members with Buffalo State as a football-only affiliate.
17. ^ 8 full members with MCLA and Salem State as non-football members, 10 football members with Castleton, Plymouth State, UMass Dartmouth, and Western Connecticut as football affiliates.
* 9 full members, 11 football members in 2025 with addition of Anna Maria.
18. ^ 9 full members, 8 football members.
19. ^ 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.
20. ^ 16 full members (8 Commonwealth, 8 Freedom) and 10 football members.
* 17 full members in 2026 with addition of non-football Neumann. The overall MAC has yet to announce whether Neumann will join Commonwealth or Freedom.
21. ^ 9 full members, 10 football members with Chicago as a football affiliate.
* 10 full members, 11 football members in 2026 with addition of Luther.
22. ^ 13 full members, 10 football members.
23. ^ 11 full members, 10 football members.
24. ^ 12 full members and 8 football members.
25. ^ 10 full members with New Jersey City, Ramapo, Rutgers–Camden, Rutgers–Newark, and Stockton as non-football members; 7 football members with Christopher Newport and Salisbury as football affiliates.
* 9 full members in 2027 with loss of New Jersey City.
26. ^ 9 members in 2025 with loss of Hiram and addition of John Carroll.
27. ^ 14 full members, 9 football members with Eureka as a football-only affiliate.
28. ^ 9 full members, 8 football members.
29. ^ 9 members in 2025 with loss of John Carroll.
30. ^ 15 full members, 8 football members.
* 14 full members, 9 football members in 2025 with addition of Roanoke football, Gallaudet as a football-only affiliate, and loss of Ferrum.
31. ^ 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).
* 12 full members and 12 football members in 2025 with addition of Hiram.
* 13 full members and 13 football members in 2026 with addition of Saint Francis.
32. ^ 9 full members in 2025 with closure of Fontbonne.
33. ^ 7 full members, 8 football members with one full member not sponsoring football (Oglethorpe) and two football affiliates (Southwestern and Trinity [TX]).
* 8 full members in 2025 with loss of Hendrix and addition of Southwestern and Trinity (TX) for non-football sports.
34. ^ 9 full members, 6 football members.
* 10 full members, 8 football members in 2026 with addition of Azusa Pacific and reinstatement of football by full member Whittier.
35. ^ 12 full members, 5 football members with football-only affiliate Lyon.
* 11 full members in 2025 with addition of Hendrix and loss of Southwestern and Trinity (TX).
* 7 football members no later than 2026, with addition of Schreiner football.
36. ^ 15 members in 2025 with loss of Bryn Athyn and Saint Elizabeth.
* 14 members in 2026 with loss of Rosemont.
37. ^ 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.
38. ^ 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

[edit]

Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sport | Headquarters | Map

|
|
|
|
|
|

Coastal Lacrosse Conference | CLC | 2022 | 7 | Men's lacrosse |  |
Colonial Women’s Golf Conference | CWGC | 2025 | 7 | Women's golf | N/A |
Continental Volleyball Conference | CVC | 2011 | 9 | Men's volleyball | Madison, New Jersey |
Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League | MCVL | 2014 | 9[a] | 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[b] | 9[c] | Men's volleyball[d] | Mansfield, Massachusetts |
Northeast Women's Golf Conference | NWGC | 2019 | 14 | Women's golf | N/A |
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 |

1. ^ 10 members in 2025 with addition of Spalding.
2. ^ Operated as an all-sports conference from 2007–2023.
3. ^ 8 members in 2025 with loss of Lesley.
4. ^ Also organizes competition in the non-NCAA esports.

### Other sports

[edit]

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 |

1. ^ Number reflects membership in the sport that lacks a D-III championship, not the total conference membership.

## Defunct NCAA conferences

[edit]

Conference | Division | Founded | Folded | Fate

|
|
|
|

America Sky Conference | Division I | 2007 | 2014 | Men's golf conference absorbed by the Big Sky Conference.[9]
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.[10]
Atlantic Central Football Conference | Division III | 1997 | 2010 | Disbanded
Atlantic Hockey Association | Division I | 2003 | 2024 | Founded in 1997 as the men's hockey league of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference; separated from the MAAC in 2003. Merged with College Hockey America to form the current Atlantic Hockey America.
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.
Brought in four former Southwest Conference schools to grow into 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.[11]
Coastal Collegiate Sports Association | Division I | 2008 | 2025 | Originally started as a joint venture of several all-sports conferences to house their swimming & diving programs. Beach volleyball was later added to the conference's scope. The swimming & diving side was effectively absorbed by the Atlantic Sun Conference when it started sponsoring men's and women's swim/dive in 2023, and the final beach volleyball members joined the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation for that sport after the 2025 season.
College Hockey America | Division I | 1999 | 2024 | 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. The women's division merged with the Atlantic Hockey Association to form the current Atlantic Hockey America
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), now known as the Conference of New England, took over operations.[12] 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.[13]
Commonwealth Coast Football | Division III | 1965 | 2022 | Football-only conference, absorbed by the Commonwealth Coast Conference (now the Conference of New England). 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 Collegiate Football Conference | Division III | 2009 | 2024 | Football-only conference. Disbanded
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.[14]
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.[15]
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[16]— effective in 2019.[17] 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,[18] joining the remaining Heartland member in that status.[19]
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 Rim Gymnastics Conference | Division I | 2013 | 2023 | Women's gymnastics conference; disbanded after the Mountain West Conference began sponsoring women's gymnastics.
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 Atlantic Sun 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 Hockey Conference | Division III | 2015 | 2025 | Ice hockey-only conference. Disbanded
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 Atlantic Sun 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.
Northeast Women's Hockey League | Division III | 2017 | 2023 | Women's ice hockey only conference. It was absorbed by SUNYAC.
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.[20] Merged into Conference USA; one of the final members was already a full CUSA member, another became a full CUSA member in 2023, and the others became CUSA associates.[21]
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association | * | 1894 | 1941 | Disbanded with the onset of American involvement in World War II.
Southwest Conference | Division I | 1914 | 1996 | Disbanded.
4 members left to join the Big Eight Conference in forming the Big 12.
3 members left to join the WAC.
1 member left to join CUSA.
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, two 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

|
|
|
|

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

[edit]

* 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

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Bylaw 20.02.5: Multisport Conference". 2020–21 NCAA Division I Manual (PDF). August 7, 2020. pp. 394–95\. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
2. ^ "Bylaw 20.10.5.3: Sports Sponsorship, Single-Gender Institution Exception". 2021–22 NCAA Division I Manual. NCAA. August 1, 2021. p. 402\. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2022. Identically numbered and worded bylaws exist in the Division II Archived 2022-04-23 at the Wayback Machine and Division III Archived 2020-11-01 at the Wayback Machine Manuals, though page numbering is different from that in the Division I Manual.
3. ^ "Bylaw 20.02.6: Football Bowl Subdivision Conference". 2020–21 NCAA Division I Manual (PDF). August 7, 2020. p. 395\. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
4. ^ "Who We Are: Our Three Divisions". NCAA. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
5. ^ "Bylaw 20.10.3 Sports Sponsorship". 2017–18 NCAA Division II Manual (PDF). p. 316\. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
6. ^ "Divisional Differences and the History of Multidivision Classification". NCAA. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
7. ^ "Bylaw 20.11.3: Sports Sponsorship". 2021–22 NCAA Division I Manual. NCAA. August 1, 2021. pp. 221–25\. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
8. ^ "USA South Announces Conference Restructuring". USA South Athletic Conference. February 18, 2022. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
9. ^ Burton, Roy (June 4, 2014). "WSU joins friends/foes as Big Sky brings back men's golf". Standard-Examiner. Ogden, UT. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
10. ^ "Miscellany". Los Angeles Times. April 9, 1991. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
11. ^ "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. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
12. ^ "Commonwealth Coast Conference starting women's hockey in 2020-21, will assume operation of Colonial Hockey Conference". 6 October 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
13. ^ "United East Conference and Colonial States Athletic Conference Officially Merge". The Southern Maryland Chronicle. June 23, 2023. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
14. ^ "MAC Announces Historic Wrestling Expansion" (Press release). Mid-American Conference. March 5, 2019. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
15. ^ Coleman, Pat; McHugh, Dave (February 16, 2022). "USA South Athletic Conference to split in two". D3Sports.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
16. ^ Mannis, Taylor (March 9, 2017). "Heartland Conference Looking to Expand". The Vantage. Wichita, KS. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
17. ^ "Lone Star Conference to Add Eight Schools in 2019" (Press release). Lone Star Conference. August 30, 2017. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
18. ^ "Hillcats to join MIAA Conference for 2019-2020 season" (Press release). Rogers State Hillcats. October 18, 2018. Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
19. ^ "Newman to Compete in MIAA as Associate Member in 2019-20" (Press release). Newman Jets. February 8, 2018. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
20. ^ "New Southland Bowling League Established" (Press release). Southland Conference. January 20, 2015. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
21. ^ "Conference USA to Add Bowling for 2023-24 Season" (Press release). Conference USA. May 10, 2023. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.

* v
* t
* e

National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA|

* Amateurism
* Awards
* Conferences
* Hall of Champions
* Sanity Code

Division I|

* Institutions
* Athletic directors
* Non-football programs
* Realignment
* 1928–1999
* 2000s
* 2010s
* 2020s
* Baseball
* championship
* MCWS
* Basketball
* men
* women
* Cross country
* men
* women
* Field hockey
* championship
* Football
* FBS
* FCS
* Golf
* men
* women
* Ice hockey
* men
* Lacrosse
* men
* women
* Rowing
* women
* Soccer
* men
* women
* Softball
* championship
* WCWS
* Swimming and diving
* men
* women
* Tennis
* men
* women
* Track and field
* men's indoor and outdoor
* women's indoor and outdoor
* Volleyball
* men
* women
* Wrestling
* championship
* Schools with most national championships
* Schools with most championships

Division II|

* Institutions
* Baseball
* championship
* Basketball
* men
* women
* Cross country
* men
* women
* Field hockey
* championship
* Football
* championship
* Golf
* men
* women
* Gymnastics
* men
* women
* Ice hockey
* men
* Lacrosse
* men
* women
* Rowing
* women
* Soccer
* men
* women
* Softball
* championship
* Swimming and diving
* men
* women
* Tennis
* men
* women
* Track and field
* men's indoor and outdoor
* women's indoor and outdoor
* Volleyball
* men
* women
* Wrestling
* championship

Division III|

* Institutions
* Baseball
* championship
* Basketball
* men
* women
* Cross country
* men
* women
* Field hockey
* championship
* Football
* championship
* Golf
* men
* women
* Ice hockey
* men
* women
* Lacrosse
* men
* women
* Rowing
* women
* Soccer
* men
* women
* Softball
* championship
* Swimming and diving
* men
* women
* Tennis
* men
* women
* Track and field
* Men's indoor and outdoor
* Women's indoor and outdoor
* Volleyball
* men
* women
* Wrestling
* championship

Single-division or
National Collegiate sports
and championships|

* Beach volleyball
* women
* Bowling
* women
* Boxing
* championship
* Fencing
* championship
* Ice hockey
* women
* Gymnastics
* men
* women
* Rifle
* championship
* Skiing
* championship
* Trampoline
* championship
* Volleyball
* men
* Water polo
* men
* women
* Wrestling
* women, from 2025–26

Litigation|

* NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma (1984)
* NCAA v. Smith (1999)
* O'Bannon v. NCAA (2015)
* Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association (2018)
* National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston (2021)
* House v. NCAA (2024)

Related topics|

* College athletics in the United States
* Championship game outcomes
* NCAA University Division
* Transfer portal

* events listed in italics have been discontinued
* Category
* Commons

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