List of NCAA conferences

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is divided into three divisions, based roughly on school size. Each division is made up of several conferences for regional league play. Unless otherwise noted, changes in conference affiliation will occur on July 1 of the given year.

Division I[]

Football Bowl Subdivision[]

Conference Nickname Founded Members Sports Headquarters Map
American Athletic Conference The American 2013[a] 11[b] 22 Irving,
Texas		 American Athletic Conference map.svg
Atlantic Coast Conference ACC 1953 15[c] 27[d] Greensboro,
North Carolina		 ACC overview map 2012-13a.png
Big Ten Conference Big Ten
B1G		 1896 14 28 Rosemont,
Illinois		 Big 10 Map.svg
Big 12 Conference Big 12 1996 10[e] 23 Irving,
Texas		 Big 12 Conference Map.svg
Conference USA C-USA 1995 14[f] 19 Irving,
Texas		 C-USA-USA-states.PNG
Division I
FBS Independents		 Ind. 7[g] 1 None NCAA Division I FBS independent schools map.svg
Mid-American Conference MAC 1946 12 24 Cleveland,
Ohio		 Mac States.svg
Mountain West Conference MW
MWC		 1999 11[h] 18 Colorado Springs,
Colorado		 Mountain West for 2012-13.png
Pac-12 Conference Pac-12 1959[i] 12 24[j] San Francisco,
California		 Pac-12 Conference states.svg
Southeastern Conference SEC 1932 14[k] 21 Birmingham,
Alabama		 SEC-USA-states2011.png
Sun Belt Conference Sun Belt 1976 12[l] 17[m] New Orleans,
Louisiana		 Sun Belt states map updated 2016.svg
  1. ^ Known as Big East Conference prior to 2013.
  2. ^ 11 full members with Wichita State as a non-football member; 11 football members with Navy as a football-only affiliate.
    • 14 full members and 14 football members in 2023 with loss of Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF, plus addition of Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA.
  3. ^ 15 members, 14 with football.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ As many as 14 members in 2023 with addition of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF.
    • 12 members no later than 2025 with loss of Oklahoma and Texas.
  6. ^ 9 members in 2023 with addition of Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State, and Sam Houston, and loss of Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Old Dominion, Marshall, North Texas, Rice, Southern Miss, UAB, and UTSA.
  7. ^ 4 independents in 2023 with BYU joining the Big 12 Conference, and Liberty and New Mexico State transferring to Conference USA.
  8. ^ 11 members (12 football) with Hawaii as a football-only affiliate.
  9. ^ Pacific Coast Conference chartered in 1915; current charter formed 1959 by five former PCC members, with three others joining by 1964.
  10. ^ 23 NCAA-sanctioned sports plus men's rowing; the NCAA governs women's rowing but not men's.
  11. ^ 16 members no later than 2025 with addition of Oklahoma and Texas.
  12. ^ 12 full members with Little Rock and UT Arlington as non-football members.
    • 10 full members in 2022 with loss of Little Rock and UT Arlington.
    • 14 full members in 2023 with addition of James Madison, Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss.
  13. ^ 18 sports no later than 2023 with reinstatement of men's soccer.

Football Championship Subdivision[]

Conference Nickname Founded Full Members Sports Headquarters Map
Big Sky Conference Big Sky
BSC		 1963 11[a] 16 Ogden, Utah Big Sky Map.svg
Big South Conference Big South 1983 11[b] 19 Charlotte, North Carolina BigSouthMap.PNG
Colonial Athletic Association CAA 1983 10[c] 21 Richmond, Virginia Colonial Athletic Association Map.svg
Division I FCS Independents 0[d] 1
Ivy League Ivy League 1954[e] 8 32[f] Princeton, New Jersey Ivy League Map.svg
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference MEAC 1970 8[g] 15 Norfolk, Virginia Meac2021.png
Missouri Valley Football Conference MVFC 1985[h] 11 1 St. Louis, Missouri Missouri Valley Football Conference map.png
Northeast Conference NEC 1981 10[i] 24[j] Somerset, New Jersey MapNEC (Football).PNG
Ohio Valley Conference OVC 1948 10[k] 19 Brentwood, Tennessee Ohio Valley Conference map.png
Patriot League Patriot 1986 10[l] 24 Center Valley, Pennsylvania Patriot League Map.svg
Pioneer Football League PFL 1991 11 1 St. Louis, Missouri Pioneer Football League map.png
Southern Conference SoCon 1921 10[m] 21 Spartanburg, South Carolina Southern Conference Map version 1.1revised03092021.png
Southland Conference Southland
SLC		 1963 8[n] 18 Frisco, Texas Southland Conference Map.svg
Southwestern Athletic Conference SWAC 1920 12 18 Birmingham, Alabama Swac2021.png
Western Athletic Conference WAC 1962 13[o] 20 Englewood, Colorado Map - Western Athletic Conference.svg
  1. ^ 11 full members and 13 football members
    • 10 full members and 12 football members in 2022 with loss of Southern Utah.
  2. ^ 12 full members and 9 football members
    • 11 full members and 5 football members in 2022 with loss of full member Hampton and football-only Kennesaw State, Monmouth, and North Alabama.
  3. ^ 10 full members and 12 football members
    • 12 full members and 13 football members in 2022 with the following changes:
      • Addition of Hampton and Monmouth as full members, including football.
      • Elevation of football-only member Stony Brook to full membership.
      • Loss of full member James Madison.
  4. ^ 1 independent in 2022 with addition of James Madison.
    • No independents in 2023 with James Madison moving to the Sun Belt Conference.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 8 full members, 6 football members.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 10 full members, 8 football members.
  10. ^ 25 sports in 2022 with addition of men's volleyball.
  11. ^ 10 full members, 7 football members (one full member, Morehead State, plays football outside the OVC in the Pioneer Football League)
    • 8 full members, 7 football members in 2022 with the following changes:
      • Loss of football-sponsoring Austin Peay to the ASUN Conference, which will start its football league in 2022.
      • Loss of football-sponsoring Murray State, which will remain in the OVC as a football affiliate only through the 2022 season, seeking MVFC membership for 2023.
      • Loss of non-football Belmont.
      • Addition of non-football Little Rock.
  12. ^ 10 full members and 7 football members.
  13. ^ 10 full members, 9 football members.
  14. ^ 8 full members, 6 football members in 2022 with loss of Incarnate Word and addition of Texas A&M–Commerce.
  15. ^ 13 members and 9 football members.
    • 15 members and 8 football members in 2022, although only 6 will compete for the WAC football title, with addition of Incarnate Word, Southern Utah, and non-football UT Arlington, loss of full non-football member Chicago State, and moves of football-only members Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, and Jacksonville State to the newly formed ASUN football league.
    • 13 members and 7 football members in 2023 with loss of non-football member New Mexico State and football-sponsoring Sam Houston.
    • 8 football members by 2024 with addition of football by current full member UTRGV.

Non-football, multi-sport conferences[]

Conference Nickname Founded Members Sports Headquarters Map
America East Conference America East
AmEast		 1979 10[a] 18 Boston, Massachusetts America East Conference Locations.png
ASUN Conference ASUN 1978 12[b] 20[c] Atlanta, Georgia ASUN Map.svg
Atlantic 10 Conference A-10 1975 14[d] 21 Newport News, Virginia Atlantic 10 Conference map.svg
Big East Conference Big East 1979[e] 11 22 New York City, New York Big East Conference states map.svg
Big West Conference Big West
BWC		 1969 11 18 Irvine, California Big West-USA-states.png
Coastal Collegiate Sports Association CCSA 2008 17[f] 3[g] Macon, Georgia Coastal Collegiate Sports Association map.png
Horizon League Horizon 1979 12[h] 19 Indianapolis, Indiana Updated HL Map.png
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference MAAC 1980 11[i] 24[j] Edison, New Jersey Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference map.svg
Missouri Valley Conference MVC
The Valley		 1907 10[k] 17 St. Louis, Missouri Missouri Valley Conference map.svg
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation MPSF 1992 38 10 Woodland, California Mountain Pacific Sports Federation map.svg
Summit League The Summit 1982 10 19 Sioux Falls, South Dakota The Summit League map.svg
West Coast Conference WCC 1952 10[l] 14 San Bruno, California WCC West Coast Conference Map.PNG
  1. ^ 9 members in 2022 with loss of Stony Brook.
    • 8 members in 2023 with loss of Hartford.
  2. ^ 13 full members and 6 football members in 2022 with addition of Austin Peay, joining full ASUN members Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, and North Alabama in the upcoming ASUN football league.
    • 11 full members and 5 football members in 2023 with loss of Jacksonville State and non-football member Liberty.
  3. ^ 21 sports in 2022 with addition of FCS football.
  4. ^ 15 members in 2022 with addition of Loyola Chicago.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Total conference membership; no more than 9 schools compete in any one of the CCSA's three sports.
  7. ^ Sponsors only men's and women's swimming & diving, plus beach volleyball.
  8. ^ 11 members in 2022 with loss of UIC.
  9. ^ 10 members in 2022 with loss of Monmouth.
  10. ^ 23 NCAA-sanctioned sports plus the non-NCAA sport of men's rowing.
  11. ^ 12 members in 2022 with addition of Belmont, Murray State, and UIC, plus loss of Loyola Chicago.
  12. ^ 9 members in 2023 with loss of BYU.

Ice hockey conferences[]

Conference Nickname Founded Members (Men/Women) Headquarters Map
Atlantic Hockey Atlantic Hockey
AHA		 1997 10 (10/none) Haverhill, Massachusetts Map - College Hockey - Atlantic Hockey states.svg
Central Collegiate Hockey Association CCHA 2020[a] 8 (8/none) Farmington Hills, Michigan
College Hockey America CHA 1999[b] 5 (none/5) Haverhill, Massachusetts Map - College Hockey - College Hockey America states.svg
ECAC Hockey ECAC 1962 12 (12/12) Albany, New York Map - College Hockey - ECAC Hockey states.svg
Hockey East Hockey East
HEA		 1984 12 (11/10) Wakefield, Massachusetts Map - College Hockey - Hockey East states.svg
Independents 3 (3/none)[c] Map - College Hockey - Independents states.svg
New England Women's Hockey Alliance NEWHA 2018[d] 6 (none/6)[e] Winthrop, Massachusetts
National Collegiate Hockey Conference NCHC 2011[f] 8 (8/none) Colorado Springs, Colorado NCHC states.svg
Western Collegiate Hockey Association WCHA 1951[g] 8 (none/8) Edina, Minnesota Map - College Hockey - WCHA states.svg
  1. ^ Founded in 2020, with play starting in 2021, as the revival of an earlier CCHA that existed from 1971 to 2013. 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ As many as 5 men's independents possible in 2022 with reinstatement of hockey by Alaska Anchorage and addition of men's hockey by Lindenwood.
    • As many as 6 men's independents in 2023 with addition of Augustana (SD).
  4. ^ Established as a scheduling alliance in 2017, officially organized as a conference in 2018, and officially recognized by the NCAA in 2019.
  5. ^ 7 members in 2022 with addition of Stonehill.
  6. ^ Although founded in 2011, the NCHC did not begin play until 2013.
  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[]

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 Sports Headquarters Map
Central Collegiate Ski Association CCSA 2009 7[a] 1 (Skiing) ?
Collegiate Water Polo Association CWPA 1970s 26[b] 1 (water polo) Bridgeport, Pennsylvania
East Atlantic Gymnastics League EAGL 1995 7 1 (gymnastics) ?
Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges EARC ? 18 1 (rowing) Danbury, Connecticut Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges map.png
Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges EAWRC ? 18 1 (rowing) Danbury, Connecticut Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges map.png
Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League EIGL ? 4 1 (gymnastics) Danbury, Connecticut
Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association EISA ? 15 1 (Skiing) ?
Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association EIVA 1977 9[c] 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) ? EWFC map.svg
Golden Coast Conference GCC 2013[d] 6 (men)
8 (women)		 1 (water polo) ? CCAAstates.png
Great America Rifle Conference GARC 1998 9 1 (rifle) ?
Intercollegiate Fencing Conference of Southern California. IFCSC 1996? 2[e] 1 (fencing) ? IFCSC map.svg
Metropolitan Swimming Conference METS ? 18 (men)
19 (women)		 1 (swimming) ? MetroSwimstates.png
Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association MACFA 1952 8[f] 1 (fencing) Hackettstown, New Jersey MACFA map.svg
Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference MAC 1978 7[g] 1 (rifle) ?
Midwest Fencing Conference. MFC 1968 6[h] 1 (fencing) University of Notre Dame (?) MFC map.svg
Midwest Independent Conference MIC ? 6 1 (women's gymnastics) UIC (?)
Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association MIVA 1961 8 1 (men's volleyball) Columbus, Ohio
Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference MRGC 2013 4 1 (women's gymnastics)
National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association NIWFA 1929 10[i] 1 (fencing) ? NIWFA map.svg
New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference NEIFC ? 8[j] 1 (fencing) ? NEIFC map.svg
Northeast Fencing Conference NFC 1992 8[k] 1 (fencing) ? NFC map.svg
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) ?
Southland Bowling League SBL 2015[m] 6 1 (bowling) Frisco, Texas
Western Water Polo Association WWPA 1981 8 (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. ^ 6 members in 2022 with loss of Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, and Saint Francis (PA).
  4. ^ Founded in 2013 as a women's-only conference; men's play added in 2016.
  5. ^ There are 2 varsity members; the conference also has 7 college club members.
  6. ^ There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 7 college club members.
  7. ^ There are 7 varsity members; the conference also has 6 college club members.
  8. ^ There are 6 varsity members; the conference also has 13 college club members.
  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.
  13. ^ The SBL was established during the 2014–15 school year with competition starting immediately. While the Southland Conference provides administrative support, the SBL operates separately.[1]

Division II[]

Current conferences[]

Football conferences highlighted in yellow.

Conference Nickname Founded Members Sports Headquarters Map
California Collegiate Athletic Association CCAA 1938 12 13 Walnut Creek, California CCAAstates.png
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference CACC 1961 13[a] 16 New Haven, Connecticut CACCstates.PNG
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association CIAA 1912 12[b] 15 Hampton, Virginia Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, coverage map2.png
Conference Carolinas CC 1930 13 24 Thomasville, North Carolina CVACstates.PNG
East Coast Conference ECC 1989 11[c] 17 Central Islip, New York ECCMap.png
Great American Conference GAC 2011 12 16 Russellville, Arkansas GACstates.png
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference GLIAC 1972 11[d] 21 Bay City, Michigan GLIACstates.png
Great Lakes Valley Conference GLVC 1978 15[e] 24 Indianapolis, Indiana GLVCstates.png
Great Midwest Athletic Conference G-MAC 2011 12[f] 23[g] Greenwood, Indiana Great midwest athletic conference map2.png
Great Northwest Athletic Conference GNAC 2001 10[h] 16[i] Portland, Oregon Gnac-States.PNG
Gulf South Conference GSC 1970 13[j] 17 Birmingham, Alabama Gulf South Conference map.png
Division II Independents. 6[k] DII-indiesstates.png
Lone Star Conference LSC 1931 18[l] 18 Richardson, Texas LSCstates.png
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association MIAA 1912 14[m] 19 Kansas City, Missouri MIAAstates.svg
Mountain East Conference MEC 2012 12[n] 23 Bridgeport, West Virginia MECstates.png
Northeast-10 Conference NE-10 1980 14[o] 23 Mansfield, Massachusetts Northeast10-USA-states.png
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference NSIC 1932 16[p] 18 St. Paul, Minnesota. NSICstates.svg
Pacific West Conference PacWest 1992 11 15 Newport Beach, California PWCstates.png
Peach Belt Conference PBC 1990 10[q] 15 Augusta, Georgia Peachbeltstates.png
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference PSAC 1951 18[r] 23 Lock Haven, Pennsylvania PSACstates.png
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference RMAC 1909 15[s] 23 Colorado Springs, Colorado RMACstates.svg
South Atlantic Conference SAC 1975 13[t] 20 Rock Hill, South Carolina SAC-USA-states.png
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference SIAC 1913 14[u] 14 Tucker, Georgia SIACstates.png
Sunshine State Conference SSC 1975 11 18 Melbourne, Florida Sunshineconferencestates.png
  1. ^ 13 members in 2022 with addition of Bridgeport and closure of USciences.
  2. ^ 12 full members, 11 football members.
  3. ^ 10 members in 2022 with loss of Bridgeport.
  4. ^ 11 full members, 8 football members.
    • 10 full members and 7 football members in 2022 with loss of Northwood.
  5. ^ 15 full members, 8 football members.
  6. ^ 12 members, 9 football members.
    • 13 total members and 10 football members in 2022 with addition of Northwood. Thomas More also joins in 2022, but will not start G-MAC competition until 2023.
    • 14 total members and 11 football members in 2023 once Thomas More starts G-MAC competition.
  7. ^ Emerging sport wrestling included.
  8. ^ 10 full members, 3 football members. The football members are in a scheduling partnership with the Lone Star Conference through the 2021 season.
  9. ^ 15 sports in 2022 with dropping of football; the remaining football members will become single-sport members of the Lone Star Conference.
  10. ^ 13 full members, 9 football members with North Greenville as a football-only affiliate.
  11. ^ 6 all-sports independents. 2 football independents are full members of non-football conferences.
    • 5 all-sports independents and 2 football independents in 2022 (Bluefield State is independent in all-sports with football included) - Emory & Henry will join the South Atlantic Conference, Barton's and Erskine's football teams also will join that conference, and Post will start their football program as an independent.
  12. ^ 18 full members, 8 football members.
    • 17 full members, 10 football members in 2022 with loss of Texas A&M–Commerce and addition of the three remaining Great Northwest Athletic Conference football schools (Central Washington, Simon Fraser, Western Oregon) as football-only members.
  13. ^ 12 full members, all with football, plus 2 non-football associates that house all of their sports in the MIAA.
  14. ^ 12 full members with Davis & Elkins as a non-football member; 12 football members with UNC Pembroke as a football affiliate.
  15. ^ 14 full members, 9 football members.
  16. ^ 16 full members, 14 football members.
  17. ^ 11 members in 2022 with addition of South Carolina Beaufort.
  18. ^ 18 full members, 16 football members.
  19. ^ 15 full members, 10 football members.
  20. ^ 13 full members, 9 football members. Football independent Barton has a scheduling agreement with the SAC for 2020 and 2021.
    • 14 total members and 12 football members in 2022 with addition of Emory & Henry, and Barton and Erskine's football teams.
    • 13 football members no later than 2024 with addition of football by current full member Anderson (SC).
  21. ^ 14 full members, 13 football members.

Single-sport conferences[]

Conference Nickname Founded Members Sport Headquarters Map
Appalachian Swimming Conference ASC ? 6 (men)
4 (women)		 swimming ? ASCstates.png
Bluegrass Mountain Conference BMC 2000 9 (men)
7 (women)		 swimming Spartanburg, South Carolina BMC swim states.png
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 6 (men)
6 (women)		 swimming ? NSISC swim states.png
Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference PCSC 2003 4 (men)
7 (women)		 swimming ? PacificCollegiateSwim.png

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 9 men's volleyball Thomasville, North Carolina CVACstates.PNG
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association CIAA 1912 10 bowling Hampton, Virginia Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, coverage map.png
East Coast Conference ECC 1989 9 bowling Central Islip, New York ECCMap.png
Great Lakes Valley Conference GLVC 1978 8 bowling Indianapolis, Indiana GLVCstates.png
Northeast-10 Conference NE-10 1980 6 men's ice hockey South Easton, Massachusetts Northeast10-USA-states.png
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference SIAC 1913 6 men's volleyball Tucker, Georgia SIACstates.png
  1. ^ Number reflects membership in the sport that lacks a D-II championship, not the total conference membership.

Division III[]

Current conferences[]

Conference Nickname Founded Members Sports Headquarters Map
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference AMCC 1997 9[a] 16 North Boston, New York ALMCC-USA-states.png
American Rivers Conference ARC 1922 9 22 Cedar Rapids, Iowa Iowa-USA-states.png
American Southwest Conference ASC 1996 11[b] 16 Richardson, Texas ASW-USA-states.png
Atlantic East Conference AEC 2018 7 20 Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Centennial Conference Centennial 1981 11 24 Lancaster, Pennsylvania CC-USA-states.png
City University of New York Athletic Conference CUNYAC 1987 8 16 Flushing, Queens, New York CUNYAC-USA-states.png
Coast to Coast Athletic Conference C2C 1989 8[c] 20 Fredericksburg, Virginia Coast to Coast Member Map.png
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin CCIW 1946 9 25 Naperville, Illinois CCIW-USA-states.png
Colonial States Athletic Conference CSAC 1992 9 17 Aston, Pennsylvania PAC-USA-states.png
Commonwealth Coast Conference CCC 1984 10 17 Springfield, Massachusetts Map of the USA with The Commonwealth Coast Conference region highlighted.png
Commonwealth Coast Football[d] CCC Football 1965[e] 7 1 Springfield, Massachusetts Map of the USA with The Commonwealth Coast Conference region highlighted.png
Eastern Collegiate Football Conference ECFC 2009 7[f] 1 Wilmington, Vermont Eastern Collegiate Football Conference Map.svg
Empire 8 E8 1964 9[g] 22 Rochester, New York E8-USA-states.png
Great Northeast Athletic Conference GNAC 1995 14 17 Boston, Massachusetts GNEAC-USA-states.png
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference HCAC 1987 10 16 Greenwood, Indiana Heartland-USA-states.png
Division III Independents 6[h] D3Indies-USA-states.png
Landmark Conference Landmark 2006 8 18 Madison, New Jersey Landmark-USA-states.png
Liberty League Liberty 1995 11 26 Troy, New York Liberty-USA-states.png
Little East Conference LEC 1986 9 21 North Dartmouth, Massachusetts LEC-USA-states.png
Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference MASCAC 1971 8 16 Westfield, Massachusetts MASAC-USA-states.png
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association MIAA 1888 9 22 Freeland, Michigan MIAA-USA-states.png
Middle Atlantic Conferences MAC 1912 18[i] 27 Annville, Pennsylvania MAC-USA-states.png
Midwest Conference Midwest 1921 9 20 Ripon, Wisconsin Midwest-USA-states.png
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference MIAC 1920 13 22 St. Paul, Minnesota MIAC-USA-states.png
New England Collegiate Conference NECC 2008 4 16 Attleboro, Massachusetts NECC-USA.png
New England Small College Athletic Conference NESCAC 1971 11 26 Hadley, Massachusetts NESCAC-USA-states.png
New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference NEWMAC 1998 11[j] 20 Wellesley, Massachusetts NEWAMC-USA-states.png
New Jersey Athletic Conference NJAC 1985 10 21 Pitman, New Jersey NJAC-USA-states.png
North Atlantic Conference NAC 1996 12 15 Waterville, Maine NAC-USA-states.PNG
North Coast Athletic Conference NCAC 1983 10[k] 23 Westlake, Ohio NCAC-USA-states.png
Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference NACC 2006 14 19 Waukesha, Wisconsin CCIW-USA-states.png
Northwest Conference NWC 1926 9 20 Seattle, Washington NWC-USA-states.png
Ohio Athletic Conference OAC 1902 10 23 Austintown, Ohio OAC-USA-states.png
Old Dominion Athletic Conference ODAC 1976 14[l] 24 Forest, Virginia ODAC-USA-states.png
Presidents' Athletic Conference PAC 1955 10[m] 23 Wexford, Pennsylvania Presidents Athletic Conference map.svg
Skyline Conference Skyline 1989 12 17 Lawrenceville, New Jersey SL-USA-states.png
Southern Athletic Association SAA 2012 8[n] 21 Atlanta, Georgia Southern Athletic Association Map.svg
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference SCIAC 1915 9 21 Los Angeles, California SCIAC-USA-states.png
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference SCAC 1962 9 18 Lawrenceville, Georgia Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Map.svg
State University of New York Athletic Conference SUNYAC 1958 11 20 Fredonia, New York SL-USA-states.png
St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference SLIAC 1989 8[o] 14 St. Louis, Missouri SLIAC-USA-states.png
United East Conference United East 2004 9 18 Gansevoort, New York NEAC-USA-states.png
University Athletic Association UAA 1986 8 22 Rochester, New York UAA-USA-states.png
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference UMAC 1972 8 16 St. Paul, Minnesota Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Map.svg
USA South Athletic Conference USA South 1965 19[p] 14 Fayetteville, North Carolina USASouth-USA-states.png
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference WIAC 1913 8 22 Madison, Wisconsin WIAC-USA-states.png
  1. ^ 8 members in 2022 with loss of Medaille.
  2. ^ 10 members, 8 football members in 2022 with loss of Belhaven and football affiliate Southwestern.
  3. ^ 7 members in 2023 with loss of Mills.
  4. ^ Commonwealth Coast Football is operated by the Commonwealth Coast Conference, but remains a separate entity.
  5. ^ Commonwealth Coast Football is a 2017 rebranding of the New England Football Conference, which was founded in 1965.
  6. ^ 6 members in 2023 with loss of SUNY Maritime.
  7. ^ 10 members in 2022 with addition of Medaille.
  8. ^ 5 members in 2022 with loss of MUW.
  9. ^ The MAC is actually an umbrella organization of three conferences. Nine schools are members of the Commonwealth Conference and nine others are members of the Freedom Conference. 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 Commonwealth and Freedom Conferences for 13 other sports, including football.
  10. ^ 6 affiliate members, 9 football members in 2023 with addition of SUNY Maritime.
  11. ^ 9 members in 2022 with loss of Allegheny.
  12. ^ 15 members in 2022 with addition of Averett.
  13. ^ 11 members in 2022 with addition of Allegheny.
  14. ^ 9 football members in 2023 with addition of Southwestern.
  15. ^ 9 members in 2022 with addition of MUW.
  16. ^ 19 members in 2022 with loss of Averett and addition of Belhaven.

Single-sport conferences[]

Conference Nickname Founded Members Sport Headquarters Map
Colonial Hockey Conference CHC 2015 4 Women's ice hockey
Continental Volleyball Conference CVC 2011 9 Men's volleyball Madison, New Jersey
Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League MCVL 2014 9 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 Hockey Conference NEHC 2015 10 (men)
13 (women)		 Ice hockey N/A Map - College Hockey - D3 - ECAC East states.svg
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 Map - College Hockey - D3 - NCHA states.svg
Ohio River Lacrosse Conference ORLC 2014 7 (men)
10 (women)		 Lacrosse Greenwood, Indiana
United Volleyball Conference UVC 2010 8 Men's volleyball Rochester, New York
United Collegiate Hockey Conference UCHC 2016 11 (men)[a]
13 (women)		 Ice hockey Danbury, Connecticut Map - College Hockey - D3 - ECAC West states.svg
  1. ^ 12 men's members in 2022 with addition of men's hockey by current women's member Alvernia.

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 ALMCC-USA-states.png
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin CCIW 1946 8 Bowling Naperville, Illinois CCIW-USA-states.png
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[]

Conference Division Founded Folded Fate
America Sky Conference Division I 2007 2014 Men's golf conference absorbed by the Big Sky Conference.[2]
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.[3]
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.[4]
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 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.[5]
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 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 Disbanded
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[6]— effective in 2019.[7] 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,[8] joining the remaining Heartland member in that status.[9]
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 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 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 today's Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) football conference.
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 Men's Division III 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.
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.
Pacific Coast Conference University Division 1915 1959 Forerunner to the Pac-12, disbanded due to scandal and infighting
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 Unknown 1997 2006 Handball only, disbanded
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 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 of its final members becoming single-sport Big 12 associates.
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 today's CAA football conference.
  • * - Operated before the NCAA split into divisions in 1955.

In addition to the above, two of the five conferences that currently participate in the NCAA's National Collegiate division (equivalent to Division I) of women's ice hockey once operated men's divisions:

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.
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[]

References[]

  1. ^ "New Southland Bowling League Established" (Press release). Southland Conference. January 20, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Miscellany". Los Angeles Times. April 9, 1991. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ "MAC Announces Historic Wrestling Expansion" (Press release). Mid-American Conference. March 5, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  6. ^ Mannis, Taylor (March 9, 2017). "Heartland Conference Looking to Expand". The Vantage. Wichita, KS. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  7. ^ "Lone Star Conference to Add Eight Schools in 2019" (Press release). Lone Star Conference. August 30, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  8. ^ "Hillcats to join MIAA Conference for 2019-2020 season" (Press release). Rogers State Hillcats. October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  9. ^ "Newman to Compete in MIAA as Associate Member in 2019-20" (Press release). Newman Jets. February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
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