List of NAIA conferences
The following is a list of National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics conferences as of the 2021–22 school year. Unless otherwise noted, changes in conference membership occur on July 1 of the given year.
Football conferences[]
| Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sports | Headquarters | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Conference | Frontier | 1952 | 6 | 16 | Billings, Montana | 
|
| Great Plains Athletic Conference | GPAC | 1969 | 12 [FB 1] | 19 | Sioux City, Iowa | 
|
| Heart of America Athletic Conference | HAAC | 1971 | 14 [FB 2] | 20 | Overland Park, Kansas | 
|
| NAIA Independents | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference | KCAC | 1928 | 13 [FB 3] | 21 | Wichita, Kansas | 
|
| Mid-South Conference | MSC | 1995 | 12 [FB 4] | 21 | Louisville, Kentucky | 
|
| Mid-States Football Association | MSFA | 1993 | 16 | 1 | Findlay, Ohio | 
|
| North Star Athletic Association | NSAA | 2013 | 8 [FB 5] | 18 | Jamestown, North Dakota | 
|
| Sooner Athletic Conference | SAC | 1978 | 12 [FB 6] | 15 [FB 7] | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 
|
| Sun Conference | The Sun | 1990 | 11 [FB 8] | 16 [FB 9] | Daytona Beach, Florida | 
|
- Notes
- ^ 12 members; 10 football members, 11 in 2022 with addition of Mount Marty.
- ^ 14 members; 12 football members.
- 13 members and 11 football members in 2023 with loss of Evangel.
- ^ 13 members; 11 football members.
- 14 members and 12 football members in 2023 with addition of Evangel.
- ^ 12 members; 22 football members.
- 11 members and 15 football members in 2022 with loss of Life (GA) and 7 Sun Division football teams.
- 10 members and 14 football members in 2023 with loss of Thomas More.
- ^ 8 members; 7 football members.
- ^ 12 members; 10 football members.
- ^ The conference began sponsoring football in 2018.
- ^ 10 members in 2022 with loss of South Carolina Beaufort.
- ^ 17 sports in 2022 with return of football.
Non-football conferences[]
| Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members | Sports | Headquarters | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Midwest Conference | AMC | 1998 | 10 [NF 1] | 17 | St. Louis, Missouri | 
|
| Appalachian Athletic Conference | AAC | 1985 | 16 | 19 | Asheville, North Carolina | 
|
| California Pacific Conference | CalPac | 1996 | 15 [NF 2] | 10 | Oakland, California | 
|
| Cascade Collegiate Conference | CCC | 1988 | 12 | 13 | Clackamas, Oregon | 
|
| Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference | CCAC | 1949 | 15 | 16 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 
|
| Continental Athletic Conference | CAC | 2008 | 19 [NF 3] | 21 | 
| |
| Crossroads League | CL | 1959 | 10 | 15 | Hartford City, Indiana | 
|
| Golden State Athletic Conference | GSAC | 1986 | 10 | 13 | Irvine, California | 
|
| Gulf Coast Athletic Conference | GCAC | 1981 | 5 [NF 4] | 16 | New Orleans, Louisiana | 
|
| Red River Athletic Conference | RRAC | 1998 | 14 [NF 5] | 15 | Dallas, Texas | 
|
| River States Conference | RSC | 1916 | 13 | 15 | Florence, Kentucky | 
|
| Southern States Athletic Conference | SSAC | 1999 | 10 [NF 6] | 15 | Atlanta, Georgia | 
|
| Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference | WHAC | 1992 | 12 | 21 | Livonia, Michigan | 
|
- Notes
- ^ 10 members in 2022 with addition of Cottey and loss of Lyon.
- ^ 14 members in 2022 with impending loss of Sierra Nevada.
- ^ 17 members in 2022 with loss of Cottey and Lincoln Christian.
- ^ 8 members in 2022 with addition of Oakwood and Wiley, and return of Southern–New Orleans.
- ^ 13 members in 2022 with loss of Wiley.
- ^ 11 members in 2022 with addition of Life (GA).
Defunct conferences[]
- American Mideast Conference (1949–2012)
- Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (1928–1995)
- Central States Intercollegiate Conference (1976-1989)
- Dakota Athletic Conference (2000–2012)
- Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (closed in 2003)
- Evergreen Conference (1948–1984)
- Great Plains Athletic Conference (1972–1976)
- Hoosier–Buckeye Conference (1948–1985)
- Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (1994–2015)
- Midwest Collegiate Conference (1988–2015)
- Missouri College Athletic Union (1924–1970)
- Nebraska College Conference (1916–1976)
- North Dakota College Athletic Conference (closed in 2000), merged with South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference to form Dakota Athletic Conference
- Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference (1929–1973), formerly the Oklahoma Collegiate Conference
- Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference (1974–1997)
- Pacific Northwest Athletic Conference (1984–1998)
- South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (closed in 2000), merged with North Dakota College Athletic Conference to form Dakota Athletic Conference
- South East Atlantic Conference (2004–2008), football only, members became NAIA football independents
- Southern States Conference (1938–1997), formerly the Alabama Intercollegiate Conference and the Alabama Collegiate Conference
- Sunrise Athletic Conference (2002–2011)
- TranSouth Athletic Conference (1996–2013)
- Tri-State Conference (1960–1981)
- Volunteer State Athletic Conference (1940s–early 1980s)
- West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1924–2013), transferred to the NCAA in 1994. Most of the final WVIAC members are now in the NCAA Division II Mountain East Conference.
Former conferences[]
All transferred to the NCAA.
- Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (1961–2002)
- Conference Carolinas (1930–1995), known as Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference after 1961, held dual membership with the NCAA for two years starting in 1993
- Dixie Conference (1963–1973), became the USA South Athletic Conference in 2003
- Lone Star Conference (1931–1982)
- Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (1932–1992), known as Northern Intercollegiate Conference after 1962
- Northwest Conference (1926–1996), Pacific Northwest Conference before 1984 and Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges until 1996
- Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (1972–2008)
See also[]
References[]
External links[]
Categories:
- NAIA conferences