List of NCAA conferences
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 |
|
Atlantic Coast Conference | ACC | 1953 | 15[c] | 27[d] | Greensboro, North Carolina |
|
Big Ten Conference | Big Ten B1G |
1896 | 14 | 28 | Rosemont, Illinois |
|
Big 12 Conference | Big 12 | 1996 | 10[e] | 23 | Irving, Texas |
|
Conference USA | C-USA | 1995 | 14[f] | 19 | Irving, Texas |
|
Division I FBS Independents |
Ind. | 7[g] | 1 | None | ||
Mid-American Conference | MAC | 1946 | 12 | 24 | Cleveland, Ohio |
|
Mountain West Conference | MW MWC |
1999 | 11[h] | 18 | Colorado Springs, Colorado |
|
Pac-12 Conference | Pac-12 | 1959[i] | 12 | 24[j] | San Francisco, California |
|
Southeastern Conference | SEC | 1932 | 14[k] | 21 | Birmingham, Alabama |
|
Sun Belt Conference | Sun Belt | 1976 | 12[l] | 17[m] | New Orleans, Louisiana |
- ^ Known as Big East Conference prior to 2013.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 15 members, 14 with football.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 4 independents in 2023 with BYU joining the Big 12 Conference, and Liberty and New Mexico State transferring to Conference USA.
- ^ 11 members (12 football) with Hawaii as a football-only affiliate.
- ^ Pacific Coast Conference chartered in 1915; current charter formed 1959 by five former PCC members, with three others joining by 1964.
- ^ 23 NCAA-sanctioned sports plus men's rowing; the NCAA governs women's rowing but not men's.
- ^ 16 members no later than 2025 with addition of Oklahoma and Texas.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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 South Conference | Big South | 1983 | 11[b] | 19 | Charlotte, North Carolina | |
Colonial Athletic Association | CAA | 1983 | 10[c] | 21 | Richmond, Virginia | |
Division I FCS Independents | 0[d] | 1 | ||||
Ivy League | Ivy League | 1954[e] | 8 | 32[f] | Princeton, New Jersey | |
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | MEAC | 1970 | 8[g] | 15 | Norfolk, Virginia | |
Missouri Valley Football Conference | MVFC | 1985[h] | 11 | 1 | St. Louis, Missouri | |
Northeast Conference | NEC | 1981 | 10[i] | 24[j] | Somerset, New Jersey | |
Ohio Valley Conference | OVC | 1948 | 10[k] | 19 | Brentwood, Tennessee | |
Patriot League | Patriot | 1986 | 10[l] | 24 | Center Valley, Pennsylvania | |
Pioneer Football League | PFL | 1991 | 11 | 1 | St. Louis, Missouri | |
Southern Conference | SoCon | 1921 | 10[m] | 21 | Spartanburg, South Carolina | |
Southland Conference | Southland SLC |
1963 | 8[n] | 18 | Frisco, Texas | |
Southwestern Athletic Conference | SWAC | 1920 | 12 | 18 | Birmingham, Alabama | |
Western Athletic Conference | WAC | 1962 | 13[o] | 20 | Englewood, Colorado |
- ^ 11 full members and 13 football members
- 10 full members and 12 football members in 2022 with loss of Southern Utah.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- 12 full members and 13 football members in 2022 with the following changes:
- ^ 1 independent in 2022 with addition of James Madison.
- No independents in 2023 with James Madison moving to the Sun Belt Conference.
- ^ While the Ivy League considers its athletic conference to have been established in 1954, the history of the athletic league can be traced back decades earlier:
- In 1901, the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League (EIBL) was formed by five schools that would later become part of the current Ivy League; the EIBL membership eventually became identical to that of the future all-sports league. The EIBL was directly absorbed into the all-sports Ivy League, which considers the EIBL to be part of its history.
- In 1945, the Ivy Group Agreement, which governed competition and policies among the Ivy schools in football, was signed by all eight schools that eventually formed the all-sports league.
- The official formation of the athletic Ivy League came in 1954, when the Ivy Group Agreement was extended to cover all sports.
- ^ The Ivy League, by NCAA count, sponsors 28 NCAA-sanctioned sports. The Ivy League awards separate men's and women's fencing championships, while the NCAA considers fencing a single coeducational sport. Additionally, the Ivy League sponsors championships in the non-NCAA sports of men's rowing plus men's and women's squash.
- ^ 8 full members, 6 football members.
- ^ While the MVFC began football competition in 1985, the conference charter dates to 1982. See History of the Missouri Valley Football Conference for more details.
- ^ 10 full members, 8 football members.
- ^ 25 sports in 2022 with addition of men's volleyball.
- ^ 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.
- 8 full members, 7 football members in 2022 with the following changes:
- ^ 10 full members and 7 football members.
- ^ 10 full members, 9 football members.
- ^ 8 full members, 6 football members in 2022 with loss of Incarnate Word and addition of Texas A&M–Commerce.
- ^ 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 | |
ASUN Conference | ASUN | 1978 | 12[b] | 20[c] | Atlanta, Georgia | |
Atlantic 10 Conference | A-10 | 1975 | 14[d] | 21 | Newport News, Virginia | |
Big East Conference | Big East | 1979[e] | 11 | 22 | New York City, New York | |
Big West Conference | Big West BWC |
1969 | 11 | 18 | Irvine, California | |
Coastal Collegiate Sports Association | CCSA | 2008 | 17[f] | 3[g] | Macon, Georgia | |
Horizon League | Horizon | 1979 | 12[h] | 19 | Indianapolis, Indiana | |
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | MAAC | 1980 | 11[i] | 24[j] | Edison, New Jersey | |
Missouri Valley Conference | MVC The Valley |
1907 | 10[k] | 17 | St. Louis, Missouri | |
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation | MPSF | 1992 | 38 | 10 | Woodland, California | |
Summit League | The Summit | 1982 | 10 | 19 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | |
West Coast Conference | WCC | 1952 | 10[l] | 14 | San Bruno, California |
- ^ 9 members in 2022 with loss of Stony Brook.
- 8 members in 2023 with loss of Hartford.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 21 sports in 2022 with addition of FCS football.
- ^ 15 members in 2022 with addition of Loyola Chicago.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Total conference membership; no more than 9 schools compete in any one of the CCSA's three sports.
- ^ Sponsors only men's and women's swimming & diving, plus beach volleyball.
- ^ 11 members in 2022 with loss of UIC.
- ^ 10 members in 2022 with loss of Monmouth.
- ^ 23 NCAA-sanctioned sports plus the non-NCAA sport of men's rowing.
- ^ 12 members in 2022 with addition of Belmont, Murray State, and UIC, plus loss of Loyola Chicago.
- ^ 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 | |
Central Collegiate Hockey Association | CCHA | 2020[a] | 8 (8/none) | Farmington Hills, Michigan | |
College Hockey America | CHA | 1999[b] | 5 (none/5) | Haverhill, Massachusetts | |
ECAC Hockey | ECAC | 1962 | 12 (12/12) | Albany, New York | |
Hockey East | Hockey East HEA |
1984 | 12 (11/10) | Wakefield, Massachusetts | |
Independents | 3 (3/none)[c] | ||||
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 | |
Western Collegiate Hockey Association | WCHA | 1951[g] | 8 (none/8) | Edina, Minnesota |
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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).
- ^ Established as a scheduling alliance in 2017, officially organized as a conference in 2018, and officially recognized by the NCAA in 2019.
- ^ 7 members in 2022 with addition of Stonehill.
- ^ Although founded in 2011, the NCHC did not begin play until 2013.
- ^ 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 Women's Rowing Colleges | EAWRC | ? | 18 | 1 (rowing) | Danbury, Connecticut | |
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) | ? | |
Golden Coast Conference | GCC | 2013[d] | 6 (men) 8 (women) |
1 (water polo) | ? | |
Great America Rifle Conference | GARC | 1998 | 9 | 1 (rifle) | ? | |
Intercollegiate Fencing Conference of Southern California. | IFCSC | 1996? | 2[e] | 1 (fencing) | ? | |
Metropolitan Swimming Conference | METS | ? | 18 (men) 19 (women) |
1 (swimming) | ? | |
Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association | MACFA | 1952 | 8[f] | 1 (fencing) | Hackettstown, New Jersey | |
Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference | MAC | 1978 | 7[g] | 1 (rifle) | ? | |
Midwest Fencing Conference. | MFC | 1968 | 6[h] | 1 (fencing) | University of Notre Dame (?) | |
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) | ? | |
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) | ? | |
Southland Bowling League | SBL | 2015[m] | 6 | 1 (bowling) | Frisco, Texas | |
Western Water Polo Association | WWPA | 1981 | 8 (men) 8 (women) |
1 (water polo) | ? |
- ^ There are 7 NCAA varsity members; the conference also has one junior college member.
- ^ 9 schools have both men's & women's varsity teams, 9 have men's varsity teams only, 8 have women's varsity teams only; additionally, there are 136 men's and 86 women's club teams.
- ^ 6 members in 2022 with loss of Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, and Saint Francis (PA).
- ^ Founded in 2013 as a women's-only conference; men's play added in 2016.
- ^ There are 2 varsity members; the conference also has 7 college club members.
- ^ There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 7 college club members.
- ^ There are 7 varsity members; the conference also has 6 college club members.
- ^ There are 6 varsity members; the conference also has 13 college club members.
- ^ There are 10 varsity members; the conference also has 10 college club members.
- ^ There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 13 college club members.
- ^ There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 5 college club members.
- ^ There are 6 varsity members; the conference also has 4 college club members.
- ^ 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 | |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference | CACC | 1961 | 13[a] | 16 | New Haven, Connecticut | |
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | CIAA | 1912 | 12[b] | 15 | Hampton, Virginia | |
Conference Carolinas | CC | 1930 | 13 | 24 | Thomasville, North Carolina | |
East Coast Conference | ECC | 1989 | 11[c] | 17 | Central Islip, New York | |
Great American Conference | GAC | 2011 | 12 | 16 | Russellville, Arkansas | |
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | GLIAC | 1972 | 11[d] | 21 | Bay City, Michigan | |
Great Lakes Valley Conference | GLVC | 1978 | 15[e] | 24 | Indianapolis, Indiana | |
Great Midwest Athletic Conference | G-MAC | 2011 | 12[f] | 23[g] | Greenwood, Indiana | |
Great Northwest Athletic Conference | GNAC | 2001 | 10[h] | 16[i] | Portland, Oregon | |
Gulf South Conference | GSC | 1970 | 13[j] | 17 | Birmingham, Alabama | |
Division II Independents. | 6[k] | |||||
Lone Star Conference | LSC | 1931 | 18[l] | 18 | Richardson, Texas | |
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | MIAA | 1912 | 14[m] | 19 | Kansas City, Missouri | |
Mountain East Conference | MEC | 2012 | 12[n] | 23 | Bridgeport, West Virginia | |
Northeast-10 Conference | NE-10 | 1980 | 14[o] | 23 | Mansfield, Massachusetts | |
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | NSIC | 1932 | 16[p] | 18 | St. Paul, Minnesota. | |
Pacific West Conference | PacWest | 1992 | 11 | 15 | Newport Beach, California | |
Peach Belt Conference | PBC | 1990 | 10[q] | 15 | Augusta, Georgia | |
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | PSAC | 1951 | 18[r] | 23 | Lock Haven, Pennsylvania | |
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | RMAC | 1909 | 15[s] | 23 | Colorado Springs, Colorado | |
South Atlantic Conference | SAC | 1975 | 13[t] | 20 | Rock Hill, South Carolina | |
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | SIAC | 1913 | 14[u] | 14 | Tucker, Georgia | |
Sunshine State Conference | SSC | 1975 | 11 | 18 | Melbourne, Florida |
- ^ 13 members in 2022 with addition of Bridgeport and closure of USciences.
- ^ 12 full members, 11 football members.
- ^ 10 members in 2022 with loss of Bridgeport.
- ^ 11 full members, 8 football members.
- 10 full members and 7 football members in 2022 with loss of Northwood.
- ^ 15 full members, 8 football members.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Emerging sport wrestling included.
- ^ 10 full members, 3 football members. The football members are in a scheduling partnership with the Lone Star Conference through the 2021 season.
- ^ 15 sports in 2022 with dropping of football; the remaining football members will become single-sport members of the Lone Star Conference.
- ^ 13 full members, 9 football members with North Greenville as a football-only affiliate.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 12 full members, all with football, plus 2 non-football associates that house all of their sports in the MIAA.
- ^ 12 full members with Davis & Elkins as a non-football member; 12 football members with UNC Pembroke as a football affiliate.
- ^ 14 full members, 9 football members.
- ^ 16 full members, 14 football members.
- ^ 11 members in 2022 with addition of South Carolina Beaufort.
- ^ 18 full members, 16 football members.
- ^ 15 full members, 10 football members.
- ^ 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).
- ^ 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 | ? | |
Bluegrass Mountain Conference | BMC | 2000 | 9 (men) 7 (women) |
swimming | Spartanburg, South Carolina | |
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 | ? | |
Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference | PCSC | 2003 | 4 (men) 7 (women) |
swimming | ? |
Other sports[]
These all-sports conferences sponsor sports which do not have D-II championships.
Conference | Nickname | Founded | Members[a] | Sport | Headquarters | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conference Carolinas | CC | 1930 | 9 | men's volleyball | Thomasville, North Carolina | |
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | CIAA | 1912 | 10 | bowling | Hampton, Virginia | |
East Coast Conference | ECC | 1989 | 9 | bowling | Central Islip, New York | |
Great Lakes Valley Conference | GLVC | 1978 | 8 | bowling | Indianapolis, Indiana | |
Northeast-10 Conference | NE-10 | 1980 | 6 | men's ice hockey | South Easton, Massachusetts | |
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | SIAC | 1913 | 6 | men's volleyball | Tucker, Georgia |
- ^ 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 | |
American Rivers Conference | ARC | 1922 | 9 | 22 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | |
American Southwest Conference | ASC | 1996 | 11[b] | 16 | Richardson, Texas | |
Atlantic East Conference | AEC | 2018 | 7 | 20 | Lancaster, Pennsylvania | |
Centennial Conference | Centennial | 1981 | 11 | 24 | Lancaster, Pennsylvania | |
City University of New York Athletic Conference | CUNYAC | 1987 | 8 | 16 | Flushing, Queens, New York | |
Coast to Coast Athletic Conference | C2C | 1989 | 8[c] | 20 | Fredericksburg, Virginia | |
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin | CCIW | 1946 | 9 | 25 | Naperville, Illinois | |
Colonial States Athletic Conference | CSAC | 1992 | 9 | 17 | Aston, Pennsylvania | |
Commonwealth Coast Conference | CCC | 1984 | 10 | 17 | Springfield, Massachusetts | |
Commonwealth Coast Football[d] | CCC Football | 1965[e] | 7 | 1 | Springfield, Massachusetts | |
Eastern Collegiate Football Conference | ECFC | 2009 | 7[f] | 1 | Wilmington, Vermont | |
Empire 8 | E8 | 1964 | 9[g] | 22 | Rochester, New York | |
Great Northeast Athletic Conference | GNAC | 1995 | 14 | 17 | Boston, Massachusetts | |
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference | HCAC | 1987 | 10 | 16 | Greenwood, Indiana | |
Division III Independents | 6[h] | |||||
Landmark Conference | Landmark | 2006 | 8 | 18 | Madison, New Jersey | |
Liberty League | Liberty | 1995 | 11 | 26 | Troy, New York | |
Little East Conference | LEC | 1986 | 9 | 21 | North Dartmouth, Massachusetts | |
Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference | MASCAC | 1971 | 8 | 16 | Westfield, Massachusetts | |
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | MIAA | 1888 | 9 | 22 | Freeland, Michigan | |
Middle Atlantic Conferences | MAC | 1912 | 18[i] | 27 | Annville, Pennsylvania | |
Midwest Conference | Midwest | 1921 | 9 | 20 | Ripon, Wisconsin | |
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | MIAC | 1920 | 13 | 22 | St. Paul, Minnesota | |
New England Collegiate Conference | NECC | 2008 | 4 | 16 | Attleboro, Massachusetts | |
New England Small College Athletic Conference | NESCAC | 1971 | 11 | 26 | Hadley, Massachusetts | |
New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference | NEWMAC | 1998 | 11[j] | 20 | Wellesley, Massachusetts | |
New Jersey Athletic Conference | NJAC | 1985 | 10 | 21 | Pitman, New Jersey | |
North Atlantic Conference | NAC | 1996 | 12 | 15 | Waterville, Maine | |
North Coast Athletic Conference | NCAC | 1983 | 10[k] | 23 | Westlake, Ohio | |
Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | NACC | 2006 | 14 | 19 | Waukesha, Wisconsin | |
Northwest Conference | NWC | 1926 | 9 | 20 | Seattle, Washington | |
Ohio Athletic Conference | OAC | 1902 | 10 | 23 | Austintown, Ohio | |
Old Dominion Athletic Conference | ODAC | 1976 | 14[l] | 24 | Forest, Virginia | |
Presidents' Athletic Conference | PAC | 1955 | 10[m] | 23 | Wexford, Pennsylvania | |
Skyline Conference | Skyline | 1989 | 12 | 17 | Lawrenceville, New Jersey | |
Southern Athletic Association | SAA | 2012 | 8[n] | 21 | Atlanta, Georgia | |
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | SCIAC | 1915 | 9 | 21 | Los Angeles, California | |
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference | SCAC | 1962 | 9 | 18 | Lawrenceville, Georgia | |
State University of New York Athletic Conference | SUNYAC | 1958 | 11 | 20 | Fredonia, New York | |
St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | SLIAC | 1989 | 8[o] | 14 | St. Louis, Missouri | |
United East Conference | United East | 2004 | 9 | 18 | Gansevoort, New York | |
University Athletic Association | UAA | 1986 | 8 | 22 | Rochester, New York | |
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference | UMAC | 1972 | 8 | 16 | St. Paul, Minnesota | |
USA South Athletic Conference | USA South | 1965 | 19[p] | 14 | Fayetteville, North Carolina | |
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | WIAC | 1913 | 8 | 22 | Madison, Wisconsin |
- ^ 8 members in 2022 with loss of Medaille.
- ^ 10 members, 8 football members in 2022 with loss of Belhaven and football affiliate Southwestern.
- ^ 7 members in 2023 with loss of Mills.
- ^ Commonwealth Coast Football is operated by the Commonwealth Coast Conference, but remains a separate entity.
- ^ Commonwealth Coast Football is a 2017 rebranding of the New England Football Conference, which was founded in 1965.
- ^ 6 members in 2023 with loss of SUNY Maritime.
- ^ 10 members in 2022 with addition of Medaille.
- ^ 5 members in 2022 with loss of MUW.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 6 affiliate members, 9 football members in 2023 with addition of SUNY Maritime.
- ^ 9 members in 2022 with loss of Allegheny.
- ^ 15 members in 2022 with addition of Averett.
- ^ 11 members in 2022 with addition of Allegheny.
- ^ 9 football members in 2023 with addition of Southwestern.
- ^ 9 members in 2022 with addition of MUW.
- ^ 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 | |
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 | |
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 |
- ^ 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 | |
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin | CCIW | 1946 | 8 | Bowling | Naperville, Illinois | |
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | WIAC | 1913 | 8 | Women's gymnastics | Madison, Wisconsin |
- ^ Number reflects membership in the sport that lacks a D-III championship, not the total conference membership.
Defunct NCAA conferences[]
Conference | Division | Founded | Folded | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|
America Sky Conference | Division I | 2007 | 2014 | Men's golf conference absorbed by the Big Sky Conference.[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[]
- 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[]
- ^ "New Southland Bowling League Established" (Press release). Southland Conference. January 20, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ Burton, Roy (June 4, 2014). "WSU joins friends/foes as Big Sky brings back men's golf". Standard-Examiner. Ogden, UT. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ^ "Miscellany". Los Angeles Times. April 9, 1991. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
- ^ "CCIW Announces the Addition of Women's Bowling as Its 25th Sport; Three Programs Added as Associate Members" (Press release). College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. July 23, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ "MAC Announces Historic Wrestling Expansion" (Press release). Mid-American Conference. March 5, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
- ^ Mannis, Taylor (March 9, 2017). "Heartland Conference Looking to Expand". The Vantage. Wichita, KS. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ "Lone Star Conference to Add Eight Schools in 2019" (Press release). Lone Star Conference. August 30, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
- ^ "Hillcats to join MIAA Conference for 2019-2020 season" (Press release). Rogers State Hillcats. October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
- ^ "Newman to Compete in MIAA as Associate Member in 2019-20" (Press release). Newman Jets. February 8, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- NCAA conferences
- NCAA lists