NCAA Division I FCS independent schools

Institutions in the United States whose football programs are not part of a football conference

NCAA Division I FCS
independent schools

Association| NCAA
Founded| 1978; 47 years ago (1978)
Sports fielded|

* 1
* men's: 1

Division| Division I
Subdivision| FCS
No. of teams| 2 (1 in 2026)
Official website| ncaa.com/independents

NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision independent schools are four-year institutions in the United States whose football programs are not members of a football conference. This means that FCS independents are not required to schedule each other for competition as conference schools do.

As of the 2025 season, Merrimack and Sacred Heart will be competing as independents since their primary conference, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, does not sponsor football.[1][2] They were previously members of the Northeast Conference, which sponsored the sport. Following the 2025 season, Sacred Heart will leave the independent ranks to join CAA Football.[3]

## Current FCS independents

[edit]

Institution  | Location  | Founded  | First | Joined  | Type  | Enrollment  | Endowment  | Nickname  | Colors  | Primary conference

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Merrimack College | North Andover, Massachusetts | 1947  | 1996  | 2024  | Private
(Augustinian)  | 5,505  | $55,700,000  | Warriors |     | MAAC
Sacred Heart University | Fairfield, Connecticut | 1963  | 1991  | 2024  | Private
(Catholic)  | 6,524  | $246,000,000  | Pioneers |     | MAAC

## Former FCS independents

[edit]

The following is a complete list of teams that have been Division I-AA/FCS Independents since the formation of Division I-AA in 1978. The "Current Conference" column indicates affiliations for the 2023 college football season. The years listed in this table are football seasons; since football is a fall sport, this means that the final season of independent status, or membership in a given conference, is the calendar year before a conference change took effect.

Teams in italics are current FBS members; this includes second-year transitional schools that are counted as FBS for scheduling purposes but not bowl game eligibility. Because James Madison met FBS scheduling requirements in its first season in the Sun Belt Conference in 2022 (specifically five home games against FBS opposition), it was allowed to skip the first year of the normal two-year process.

Years  | Team  | Previous conference  | Conference joined  | Current conference

|
|
|
|

2013 | Abilene Christian | Lone Star (Div. II) | Southland (2014–2020) | UAC (2023–present)[4]
1987–1991 | Arkansas State | Southland | Division I-A Independent (1992) | Sun Belt (2001–present)[N 1]
1997–2000 | Austin Peay | Ohio Valley[N 2] | Pioneer Football League (2001–2005) | UAC (2023–present)[4]
2006 | Pioneer Football League | Ohio Valley (2007–2021)
1978–1985 | Bucknell | Division II Independent | Patriot League (1986–present)[N 3]
1993–1998 | Buffalo | Division III Independent | Mid-American Conference (1999–present)[N 4]
1996–2003 | Cal Poly | American West | Great West (2004–2011)[N 5] | Big Sky (2012–present)
2001 | Cal State Northridge | Big Sky | Dropped football
2006 | Central Arkansas | Gulf South (Div. II) | Southland (2007–2020) | UAC (2023–present)[4]
1993–1995 | Central Connecticut | Division II Independent | Northeast (1996–present)
1993–2001 | Charleston Southern | No football program | Big South (2002–2022) | OVC–Big South (2023–present)
2013–2014 | Charlotte | No football program | CUSA (2015–2022) | American (2023–present)[5]
2016 | Coastal Carolina | Big South | Sun Belt (2017–present)[N 6]
1982–1985 | Colgate | Division I-A Independent | Patriot League (1986–present)[N 3]
1989 | Davidson | Colonial League[N 3] | Division III Independent (1990–1992) |
1993–2000 | Division III Independent | Pioneer Football League (2001–present)
1980–1985 | Delaware | Division II Independent | Yankee Conference (1986–1996) | CAA Football (2007–2024)[N 7][N 8][N 9]
1993 | Duquesne | Division III Independent | MAAC (1994–2007) | Northeast (2008–present)
2015 | East Tennessee State | No football program[N 10] | Southern (2016–present)[N 11]
1984–1986 | Eastern Washington | Division II Independent | Big Sky (1987–present)
1998–2001 | Elon | Division II Independent | Big South (2002) | CAA Football (2014–present)
1984–1987 | Florida A&M | MEAC[N 12] | MEAC (1988–2003, 2005–2020) | SWAC (2021–present)
2004 | MEAC[N 13] | MEAC (2005–2020) | SWAC (2021–present)
2002–2004 | FIU | No football program | Sun Belt (2005–2012) | CUSA (2013–present)
2001–2004 | Florida Atlantic | No football program | Sun Belt (2005–2012) | The American (2023–present)[5]
1989 | Fordham | Liberty Football Conference | Patriot League (1990–present)
2000 | Georgetown | MAAC | Patriot League (2001–present)
1984–1991 | Georgia Southern | Club football | Southern (1992–2013) | Sun Belt (2014–present)
2010–2011 | Georgia State | No football program | CAA Football (2012) | Sun Belt (2013–present)
2018 | Hampton | MEAC | Big South (2019–2021) | CAA Football (2022–present)
1991–2000 | Hofstra | Division III Independent | Atlantic 10 (2001–2006) | Dropped football
1982–1985 | Holy Cross | Division I-A Independent | Patriot League (1986–present)[N 3]
2013 | Houston Christian[N 14] | No football program | Southland (2014–present)
2008 | Iona | MAAC (1993–2007) | Dropped football
2013 | Incarnate Word | Lone Star (Div. II) | Southland (2014–present)
1982–1985 | Indiana State | Division I-A Independent | MVFC (1997–present)[N 15]
1998–2000 | Jacksonville | No football program | Pioneer Football League (2001–2019) | Dropped football
1980–1992 | James Madison | Division III Independent | Yankee Conference (1993–1996) | Sun Belt (2022–present)
2023 | Kennesaw State | ASUN | CUSA (2024–future)
1978–1985 | Lafayette | Division II Independent | Patriot League (1986–present)[N 3]
1987–1989 | Lamar | Southland | Dropped program (1989–2009)[6]
2010 | No football program | Southland (2011–2020)[6] | Southland (2022–present)[7]
1997–1998 | La Salle | No football program (1942–1996) | MAAC (1999–2007) | Dropped football
1978–1985 | Lehigh | Division II Independent | Patriot League (1986–present)[N 3]
1988–2001 | Liberty | Division II Independent | Big South (2002–2017)[N 16] | CUSA (2023–present)[N 17][8]
1987–1988 | Louisiana Tech | Southland | Division I-A Independent (1989–1992) | CUSA (2013–present)
1993 | Marist | Liberty Football Conference | MAAC (1994–2007) |
2008 | MAAC | Pioneer Football League (2009–present)
1993–1995 | Monmouth | No football program | Northeast (1996–2012) | CAA Football (2022–present)
2013 | Northeast | Big South (2014–2021)
1996–2000 | Morehead State | Ohio Valley | Pioneer Football League (2001–present)
2001–2002 | Morris Brown | SIAC (Div. II) | Dropped football
1978 | Nevada | Division II Independent | Big Sky (1979–1991) | Mountain West (2012–present)
1980–1983 | Nicholls | Division II Independent | Gulf Star (1984–1986) | Southland (1992–present)
1987–1990 | Gulf Star | Southland (1991–present)
2018 | North Alabama | Gulf South (Div. II) | Big South (2019–2021) | UAC (2023–present)[4]
2018–2019 | North Dakota | Big Sky | MVFC (2020–present)
1978–1992 | Northeastern | Division II Independent | Yankee (1993–1996) | Dropped football (2010)
2003 | Northern Colorado | North Central | Great West (2004–2005) | Big Sky (2006–present)
1978–1983 | Northwestern State | Division I Independent | Gulf Star (1984–1986) | Southland (1987–present)
2009–2010 | Old Dominion | No football program | CAA Football (2011–2012) |
2013 | CAA Football | CUSA (2014–2021) | Sun Belt (2022–present)
1978–1980 | Portland State | Division II Independent | Division II Independent (1981) | Big Sky (1996–present)
2020 | Presbyterian | Big South Conference | Pioneer Football League (2021–present)
1982–1985 | Richmond | Division I-A Independent | Yankee Conference (1986–1996) | CAA Football (2007–present)[N 8]
1994–1995 | Robert Morris | No football program | Northeast (1996–2019) | Northeast (2024–future)
1993–1995 | Saint Francis (PA) | Division III Independent | Northeast (1996–present)
1989–2002 | Samford | Division III Independent | Ohio Valley (2003–2007) | Southern (2008–present)
2002–2009 | Savannah State | Division II Independent | MEAC (2010–2018) | SIAC (Div. II; 2019–present)
2011 | South Alabama | Unclassified (exhibition only) | Sun Belt (2012–present)[N 18]
1997–2000 | South Florida | No football program | Division I-A Independent (2001–2002) | American (2013–present)[N 19]
1980–1983 | Southeastern Louisiana | Division II Independent | Gulf Star (1984–1985) | Southland (2005–present)
2003–2004 | No football program[N 20] | Southland (2005–present)
1996–2003 | Southern Utah | American West | Great West (2004–2011)[N 5] | UAC (2023–present)[4]
1998–1999 | St. John's | MAAC | Northeast (2000–2002) | Dropped football (2003)
1993–2003 | Saint Mary's | Division II Independent | Dropped football (2004)
2007 | Stony Brook | Northeast | Big South (2008–2012) | CAA Football (2013–present)
2020 | Tarleton | Lone Star (Division II) | WAC (2021–2022) | UAC (2023–present)[4]
1981–1987 | Tennessee State | Division I-A Independent | Ohio Valley (1988–2022) | OVC–Big South (2023–present)
1987–1996 | Towson | Division II Independent | Patriot League (1997–2003) | CAA Football (2007–present)[N 21]
1993–1995 | Troy | Division II Independent | Southland (1996–2000) |
2001 | Southland | Division I-A Independent (2002–2003) | Sun Belt (2004–present)[N 22]
1993–1995 | UAB | Division III Independent | Division I-A Independent (1996–1998) | American (2023–present)[5]
1990–1995 | UCF | Division II Independent | Division I-A Independent (1996–2001) | Big 12 (2023–present)[9]
2020 | Utah Tech[N 23] | RMAC (Division II) | WAC (2021–2022) | UAC (2023–present)[4]
2011 | UTSA | No football program | WAC (2012) | American (2023–present)[5]
1987 | Villanova | No football program | Yankee Conference (1988–1996) | CAA Football (2007–present)
1993–1995 | Wagner | Liberty Football Conference | Northeast (1996–present)
1982–1998 | Western Kentucky | Ohio Valley | Ohio Valley (1999–2000) |
2007–2008 | Gateway Football Conference[N 15] | Sun Belt (2009–2013) | CUSA (2014–present)
1982–1992 | William & Mary | Division I-A Independent | Yankee Conference (1993–1996) | CAA Football (2007–present)[N 24][N 8]
1995–1996 | Wofford | Division II Independent | Southern (1997–present)
2006 | Winston–Salem State | CIAA (Div. II) | MEAC (2007–2009) | CIAA (Div. II) (2010–present)
1988–1996 | Youngstown State | Ohio Valley | MVFC (1997–present)[N 15]

## See also

[edit]

* List of NCAA Division I FCS football programs
* NCAA Division I FBS independent schools
* NCAA Division I independent schools
* NCAA Division II independent schools
* NCAA Division III independent schools
* NAIA independent schools

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Arkansas State has been a full Sun Belt member since 1991, but the conference did not sponsor football until 2001.
2. ^ Austin Peay only departed OVC football; it remained a full but non-football member before returning to OVC football in 2007.
3. ^ a b c d e f The conference now known as the Patriot League began in 1986 as the football-only Colonial League. It adopted its current name in 1990, when it became an all-sports conference.
4. ^ Buffalo became a full member of the MAC in 1998, but was not a football member until 1999.
5. ^ a b The Great West Conference began in 2004 as the Great West Football Conference. It became an all-sports conference in 2008.
6. ^ Coastal Carolina joined the Sun Belt Conference as a full but non-football member in 2016, and joined Sun Belt football in 2017.
7. ^ Delaware has been a full member of the Coastal Athletic Association since 2001 (when that conference was known as the Colonial Athletic Association). However, the CAA did not sponsor football until 2007, when it effectively took over the football league previously sponsored by the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10), establishing the separate entity of CAA Football to govern that sport.
8. ^ a b c CAA Football is the direct successor of both the Yankee Conference and A-10 football conference. The football-only Yankee Conference was absorbed by the A-10 after the 1996 season. After the 2006 season, the A-10 dropped football after all of its football members joined the newly formed CAA Football. The Yankee Conference's automatic bid to the I-AA/FCS playoffs passed in succession to the A-10 and CAA Football.
9. ^ Delaware will begin a transition to FBS in 2024 and join Conference USA in 2025.
10. ^ ETSU resurrected its football program, dormant since the end of the 2003 season, in 2015, playing that season as an independent before joining Southern Conference football in 2016.
11. ^ ETSU, which had previously been a Southern Conference member from 1978 to 2005, rejoined the SoCon in 2014, initially as a non-football member.
12. ^ Florida A&M was a member of the MEAC in 1986 & 1987, but games played did not count as conference games.
13. ^ Florida A&M was a member of the MEAC in 2004, but games played did not count as conference games
14. ^ Known before 2022 as Houston Baptist.
15. ^ a b c The MVFC did not adopt its current name until 2008. Before then, it was known as the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference (1982–1993) and Gateway Football Conference (1993–2008).
16. ^ Liberty became a full member of the Big South in 1991, remaining a member until joining the non-football ASUN Conference in 2018, but the Big South did not sponsor football until 2002.
17. ^ Liberty began a transition to FBS in the 2017 season, and became a full FBS member in 2019.
18. ^ South Alabama has been a Sun Belt member from the conference's creation in 1976. However, the Sun Belt did not sponsor football until 2001. South Alabama did not start a football program until 2009, and did not play Sun Belt football until 2012.
19. ^ The original Big East Conference split into the football-sponsoring American Athletic Conference and a new non-football Big East Conference in 2013. South Florida remained with the FBS schools in The American.
20. ^ Southeastern Louisiana dropped football after the 1985 season.
21. ^ Towson was a CAA member at the conference's formation in 1979, but left in 1981; after having been a member of four other conferences, it rejoined the CAA in 2001. However, the CAA did not sponsor football until 2007, when it effectively took over the football league previously sponsored by the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10), establishing the separate entity of CAA Football to govern that sport.
22. ^ Troy joined the Sun Belt for football in 2004, and became an all-sports member in 2005.
23. ^ Known before 2022 as Dixie State.
24. ^ William & Mary has been a CAA member since the conference's establishment in 1979. However, the CAA did not sponsor football until 2007, when it effectively took over the football league previously sponsored by the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10), establishing the separate entity of CAA Football for that sport.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Five Home Games Highlight 2024 SHU Football Schedule" (Press release). Sacred Heart Pioneers. February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024. "The Pioneers, in their first season as an FCS Independent, begin 2024 with three straight home games, including the opener against Delaware State on Aug. 31."
2. ^ "Football Releases 2024 Schedule". Merrimack College Athletics. 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
3. ^ "CAA Football Welcomes Sacred Heart University As Its Newest Member For 2026 Season" (Press release). CAA Football. July 22, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
4. ^ a b c d e f g "ASUN-WAC Football Partnership Formally Rebrands as the United Athletic Conference" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
5. ^ a b c d "American Announces Entrance Agreements With Incoming Members for 2023-24 Season" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
6. ^ a b "Lamar Football 2012 Info Guide" (PDF). Lamar University Department of Athletics. p. 101\. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 28, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
7. ^ "Lamar University Prepares for Early Move to Southland Conference" (Press release). Southland Conference. July 11, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
8. ^ "Conference USA Adds Four Members" (Press release). Conference USA. November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
9. ^ "American Announces Agreements With UCF, Cincinnati and Houston on Departure" (Press release). American Athletic Conference. June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision conferences

Current conferences|

* Big Sky
* CAA (AmEast/CAA)
* Ivy
* MEAC
* MVFC (MVC/Summit)
* NEC
* OVC–Big South (OVC/Big South)
* Patriot
* Pioneer
* SoCon
* Southland
* SWAC
* UAC (ASUN / WAC)

Previous conferences|

* American West (defunct 1996)
* Great West (non-football 2012; defunct 2013)
* Gulf Star (defunct 1987)
* MAAC (non-football 2008)
* Yankee (became A10 1997)

Independents

* v
* t
* e

College football

NCAA|

| Competitions|

| Division I|

| FBS|

* National championship
* Playoff
* Playoff National Championship
* BCS National Championship Game
* Bowl games
* List
* Bids
* Coalition
* Alliance
* Championship Series
* Records
* Independent schools
* Rivalries
* Most-played

|

FCS|

* Championship
* Playoff appearances
* Independent schools

Division II|

* Championship

Division III|

* Championship

Other|

* Black college championship

Seasons|

* Division I-A (FBS)
* Division I-AA (FCS)
* Division II
* Division III

Programs|

* Div I (FBS)
* Div I (FCS)
* Div II
* Div III

Conferences 1|

* CAA
* Missouri Valley
* OVC–Big South
* Pioneer
* The United

Stadiums|

* FBS
* FCS

Records|

* Overview
* Teams by wins
* Win-loss records (FBS)
* Win-loss records (FCS)
* Win-loss records (DII)
* Win-loss records (DIII)

Related|

* Heisman Trophy
* Winners
* Curse
* Non-football programs
* Retired numbers
* Teams alignment history

NAIA|

| Competitions|

* National Championship

|

Conferences|

* Independent schools
* Mid-States

Other topics|

* Programs
* Seasons

NJCAA|

| Competitions|

* National Championship

|

Conferences|

* Midwest
* Northeast
* Southwest Junior
* Western States

3C2A|

* SCFA

NCCAA|

* Victory Bowl

Games|

* First games by state
* Games outside the U.S.
* Historically significant games
* Nicknamed games

Media|

* Radio
* Television
* Playoff debate

Related articles|

* AP rankings
* Black college classics
* Junior college programs
* Defunct conferences
* Defunct teams
* Game of the Century
* Hall of Fame
* Institutions with club football teams
* Seasons (list)
* UPI rankings
* American football in the United States

Non-U.S. football|

* Canada
* Ireland
* Japan
* Mexico
* South Korea
* UK

* 1 Note: Football-only conferences are listed

* * *

* Category
* Commons

*[First]: First season
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template