City University of New York Athletic Conference
American intercollegiate athletic conference
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The City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNY Athletic Conference or CUNYAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Its member institutions are all located in New York City and are campuses of the City University of New York. The CUNYAC also has a community college division, affiliated with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
- 16
- men's: 8
- women's: 8
| |
| Association | NCAA & NJCAA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1978 (informal), 1987 (charter) |
| Commissioner | Kurt Patberg |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division III |
| No. of teams | 8 (NCAA-DIII) 6 (NJCAA) |
| Headquarters | Flushing, New York |
| Region | New York City |
| Official website | cunyathletics.com |
| Locations | |
 | |
History
– college division members
– community college division
– future college division membersRecent additions
On April 16, 2025, New Jersey City University announced it would return back to the CUNYAC, first as a men's volleyball affiliate beginning in the 2026 spring season (2025–26 academic year), followed by multi-sport affiliation beginning in the 2026–27 academic year, and finally full membership beginning in the 2027–28 academic year, becoming the first full member outside of the City University of New York system. In CUNYAC's official announcement, the conference stated that NJCU was "the first of several" new members. NJCU's official announcement stated that it expected to "become a founding member of a new reconstituted, relaunched, and rebranded league for an anticipated start on July 1, 2027."[1][2] However, NJCU later announced they would instead merge with Kean University following the 2025–26 academic year, greatly downsizing their athletic department and seeking affiliation outside of the NCAA in the process.[3]
On February 25, 2026, the CUNYAC announced that Pratt Institute would join the CUNYAC beginning in the 2027–28 academic year, taking NJCU's place as the first new member in the relaunched league.[4]
Chronological timeline
NCAA Division III (Senior college division)
- 1978 – The CUNYAC was founded as the CUNY Athletic Directions Association (CUNYADA). Charter members included Baruch College, Brooklyn College, the City College of New York (CCNY), Hunter College, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Lehman College, Medgar Evers College, Queens College, the College of Staten Island and York College, beginning the 1978–79 academic year.
- 1980 – Two institutions left the CUNYAC to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 1979–80 academic year:
- Brooklyn to join the Division I ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as an NCAA D-I Independent
- and Queens to join the NCAA Division II ranks as an NCAA D-II Independent
- 1987 – The CUNYADA has rebranded as the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) in the 1987–88 academic year.
- 1996 – Brooklyn rejoined the CUNYAC in the 1996–97 academic year.
- 1999 – New York City College of Technology (New York City Tech) joined the senior college ranks of the CUNYAC in the 1999–2000 academic year.
- 2003 – New Jersey City University (NJCU) joined the CUNYAC as an affiliate member for baseball in the 2004 spring season (2003–04 academic year).
- 2004 – New Jersey City (NJCU) left the CUNYAC as an affiliate member for baseball after the 2004 spring season (2003–04 academic year).
- 2011 – New York City Tech left the CUNYAC to put its athletic program on hiatus after the 2010–11 academic year.
- 2015 – The University of Maine at Presque Isle (Maine–Presque Isle or UMPI) joined the CUNYAC as an affiliate member for baseball during the 2016 spring season (2015–16 academic year).
- 2017 – Finlandia University joined the CUNYAC as an affiliate member for baseball in the 2018 spring season (2017–18 academic year).
- 2018 – Finlandia and Maine–Presque Isle (UMPI) left the CUNYAC as affiliate members for baseball after the 2018 spring season (2017–18 academic year).
- 2019 – Staten Island left the CUNYAC to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the East Coast Conference (ECC) after the 2018–19 academic year.
- 2025 – New Jersey City (NJCU) joined the CUNYAC as an affiliate member for men's volleyball, beginning in the 2026 spring season (2025–26 academic year).
- 2026 – New Jersey City (NJCU) left the CUNYAC as an affiliate member for men's volleyball after the 2026 spring season (2025–26 academic year).
- 2027 – Pratt Institute will join the CUNYAC beginning in the 2027–28 academic year; thus becoming the first full member outside of the City University of New York System.
NJCAA (Community college division)
- 1987 – The community college division of the CUNYAC was founded. Charter members included Bronx Community College, the Borough of Manhattan Community College, Kingsborough Community College, the New York City College of Technology (New York City Tech) and Queensborough Community College, beginning the 1987–88 academic year.
- 1999 – New York City Tech left the community college division of the CUNYAC to join the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the senior college division of the CUNYAC after the 1998–99 academic year.
- 2002 – Hostos Community College joined the community college division of the CUNYAC in the 2002–03 academic year.
- 2013 – LaGuardia Community College joined the community college division of the CUNYAC in the 2002–03 academic year.
- 2017 – LaGuardia left the community college division of the CUNYAC to put its athletic program on hiatus after the 2016–17 academic year.
- 2022 – LaGuardia rejoined the community college division of the CUNYAC in the 2022–23 academic year.
Member schools
NCAA Division III (Senior college division)
Current members
The senior college division of the CUNYAC currently has eight full members, all public schools.
| Institution | Location[a] | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors | Joined[b] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baruch College | Manhattan | 1919 | Public[c] | 20,081 | Bearcats | 1978 | |
| Brooklyn College | Brooklyn | 1930 | 14,390 | Bulldogs | 1978; 1996[d] | ||
| City College of New York | Manhattan | 1847 | 15,544 | Beavers | 1978 | ||
| Hunter College | Manhattan | 1870 | 22,538 | Hawks | 1978 | ||
| John Jay College of Criminal Justice | Manhattan | 1964 | 13,763 | Bloodhounds | 1978 | ||
| Lehman College | The Bronx | 1968 | 13,324 | Lightning | 1978 | ||
| Medgar Evers College | Brooklyn | 1970 | 3,736 | Cougars | 1978 | ||
| York College | Queens | 1966 | 6,174 | Cardinals | 1978 |
- Notes
- All locations are within New York City.
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- Part of the City University of New York System.
- Brooklyn left the CUNYAC after the 1979–80 school year, before rejoining in the 1996–97 school year.
Future members
The senior college division of the CUNYAC will have one new full member, a private school (and also the conference's first member outside the CUNY system).
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Colors | Joining[a] | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pratt Institute | Brooklyn | 1887 | Nonsectarian | 5,356 | Cannoneers | 2027 | Atlantic East (AEC) |
- Notes
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
Former members
The senior college division of the CUNYAC had three former full members, all were public schools:
| Institution | Location[a] | Founded | Affiliation | Nickname | Joined[b] | Left[c] | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City College of Technology | Brooklyn | 1946 | Public[d] | Yellow Jackets | 1999 | 2011 | None[e] |
| Queens College | Queens | 1937 | Knights | 1978 | 1980 | East Coast (ECC)[f] | |
| College of Staten Island | Staten Island | 1976 | Dolphins | 1978 | 2019 | East Coast (ECC)[f] |
- Notes
- All locations are within New York City.
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
- Part of the City University of New York System.
- New York City Tech's athletics program is on hiatus.
- Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
Former associate members
The senior college division of the CUNYAC has two former associate members, both public schools, One of these, New Jersey City, will become a CUNYAC affiliate in men's volleyball in 2025 and in most other sports in 2026 before becoming a full member of the new conference to be formed by CUNYAC members in 2027.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Nickname | Joined[a] | Left[b] | CUNYAC sport |
Current primary conference |
Current conference in former CUNYAC sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finlandia University | Hancock, Michigan | 1896 | Lutheran (ELCA) |
Lions | 2017 | 2018 | baseball | Closed in 2023 | |
| University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI) |
Presque Isle, Maine | 1903 | Public | Owls | 2015[c] | 2018 | North Atlantic (NAC)[d] | ||
| New Jersey City University (NJCU) |
Jersey City, New Jersey | 1929 | Public | Gothic Knights | 2003 | 2004 | New Jersey (NJAC) | ||
- Notes
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
- Maine–Presque Isle (UMPI) joined the CUNYAC in baseball prior to the 2016 conference tournament (2015–16 school year). It played its first full regular-season conference schedule during the 2017 spring season (2016–17 school year).
- During their tenure as an affiliate member of the CUNYAC, UMPI's primary home conference was being an NCAA D-III Independent for 2015–16 and 2016–17, and in the American Collegiate Athletic Association during the 2017–18 school year.
Membership timeline
Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football) Associate member (sport)
NJCAA (community college division)
Current members
The community college division of the CUNYAC currently has six full members, all are public schools:
| Institution[5] | Location[a] | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined[b] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronx Community College | The Bronx | 1957 | Public[c] | 6,787 | Broncos | 1987 |
| Borough of Manhattan Community College | Manhattan | 1963 | 20,123 | Panthers | 1987 | |
| Hostos Community College | The Bronx | 1968 | 5,478 | Caimans | 2002 | |
| Kingsborough Community College | Brooklyn | 1963 | 18,165 | Wave | 1987 | |
| LaGuardia Community College | Queens | 1968 | 14,494 | Red Hawks | 2022[d] | |
| Queensborough Community College | Queens | 1959 | 10,337 | Tigers | 1987 |
- Notes
- All locations are within New York City.
- Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
- Part of the City University of New York System.
Former members
The community college division of the CUNYAC had two former full members, both were public schools:
| Institution | Location[a] | Founded | Affiliation | Nickname | Joined[b] | Left[c] | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City College of Technology | Brooklyn | 1946 | Public[d] | Yellow Jackets | 1987 | 1999 | None[e] |
- Notes
Membership timeline
Full member (all sports) Full member (non-football) Associate member (football) Associate member (sport)
Sports
NCAA Division III
The CUNYAC sponsors Division III intercollegiate athletic competition in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, women's softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and men's and women's volleyball.
Men's sports
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross country | Soccer | Swimming & Diving | Tennis | Track & Field (Indoor) | Track & Field (Outdoor) | Volleyball | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baruch |  | | | | | |  | | | 7 |
| Brooklyn | | | | | | | | | | 6 |
| CCNY | | | | | | | | | | 8 |
| Hunter | | | | | | | | | | 7 |
| John Jay | | | | | | | | | | 6 |
| Lehman | | | | | | | | | | 9 |
| Medgar Evers | | | | | | | | | | 6 |
| York (NY) | | | | | | | | | | 8 |
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the CUNYAC that are played by CUNYAC schools
| School | Fencing | Rifle | Wrestling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter | MACFA | | IND |
| John Jay | | MARC | |
Women's sports
| School | Basketball | Cross country | Soccer | Softball | Swimming & Diving | Tennis | Track & Field (Indoor) | Track & Field (Outdoor) | Volleyball | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baruch | | | | | | | | | | 6 |
| Brooklyn | | | | | | | | | | 7 |
| CCNY | | | | | | | | | | 6 |
| Hunter | | | | | | | | | | 8 |
| John Jay | | | | | | | | | | 7 |
| Lehman | | | | | | | | | | 9 |
| Medgar Evers | | | | | | | | | | 6 |
| York (NY) | | | | | | | | | | 9 |
Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the CUNYAC that are played by CUNYAC schools
| School | Fencing | Rifle |
|---|---|---|
| CCNY | EWFC | |
| Hunter | NIWFA | |
| John Jay | | MARC |
Community college
The CUNYAC sponsors community college (NJCAA) intercollegiate athletic competition in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's soccer, and women's volleyball.
