List of NCAA conferences

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

Division I

Under NCAA regulations, all Division I conferences defined as "multisport conferences" must meet the following criteria:[1]

  • A total of at least seven active Division I members.
  • Separate from the above, at least seven active Division I members that sponsor both men's and women's basketball.
  • Sponsorship of at least 12 NCAA Division I sports.
  • Minimum of six men's sports, with the following additional restrictions:
    • Men's basketball is a mandatory sport, and at least seven members must sponsor that sport.
    • Non-football conferences must sponsor at least two men's team sports other than basketball.
    • At least six members must sponsor five men's sports other than basketball, including either football or two other team sports.
  • Minimum of six women's sports, with the following additional restrictions:
    • Women's basketball is a mandatory sport, with at least seven members sponsoring that sport.
    • At least two other women's team sports must be sponsored.
    • At least six members must sponsor five women's sports other than basketball, including two other team sports. If a conference officially sponsors an NCAA "emerging sport" for women (as of 2023, acrobatics & tumbling, equestrianism, rugby union, stunt, triathlon, or wrestling), that sport will be counted if five members (instead of six) sponsor it.

Schools in all divisions that sponsor athletic programs for only one sex/gender need only meet the sports sponsorship requirements for that sex/gender.[2]

Football Bowl Subdivision

Conferences in the Football Bowl Subdivision must meet a more stringent set of NCAA requirements than other conferences. Among these additional NCAA regulations, Football Bowl Subdivision conferences must be "multisport", with institutions participating in conference play in at least six men's and eight women's sports, including football, men's and women's basketball, and at least two other women's team sports. Each school may count one men's and one women's sport not sponsored by its primary conference towards these limits, as long as that sport competes in another Division I conference. The men's and women's sports so counted need not be the same sport.[3][4]

More information Conference, Nickname ...
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  1. Known as Big East Conference prior to 2013. The American operates under the original 1979 Big East charter, but considers its competitive history to have started in 2013.
  2. 13 full members with Wichita State as a non-football member; 14 football members with Army and Navy as football-only affiliates.
  3. 18 full members, 17 football members. Notre Dame football is an FBS independent, but has a substantial cross-scheduling agreement with the ACC.
  4. 10 members in 2026 with loss of UTEP and Louisiana Tech.
  5. Note that "independents" is not a conference; it is simply a designation used for schools whose football programs do not play in any conference. All of these schools have conference memberships for other sports.
  6. 12 full members and 13 football members in 2026 with loss of full member Northern Illinois, plus addition of Sacramento State for football only.
  7. 12 full members, 12 football members with Grand Canyon as a non-football member and Hawaii as a football-only affiliate.
  8. 20 sports in 2026 with addition of men's soccer and men's swimming & diving.
  9. Headquarters moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in July 2026.
  10. Pacific Coast Conference chartered in 1915; current charter formed in 1959 by four former PCC members, with a fifth joining later in 1959 and three others joining by 1964.
  11. 9 full members and 8 football members in 2026 with addition of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Texas State, and Utah State, plus Gonzaga as a non-football member.
  12. 19 sports upon resumption of full operation in 2026.
  13. Loses Texas State & gains Louisiana Tech in 2026

Football Championship Subdivision

Unlike in the Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision conferences are allowed to be single-sport, only sponsoring football.[5] Multisport conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision must still meet the general NCAA Division I requirements regarding the minimum number of men's and women's sports in addition to competing in football (see above).[1]

  1. 10 full members and 12 football members with Cal Poly and UC Davis as football-only affiliates.
  2. 9 full members and 2 football members.
    • Both football members play in the OVC–Big South Football Association, an alliance between the Ohio Valley Conference and the Big South Conference which shares a single automatic berth in the FCS playoffs.
  3. While CAA Football was formally founded in 2007, its history can be traced back decades earlier.
    • The earliest predecessor is the New England Conference, which existed from 1938–1947. However, CAA Football does not recognize this league as part of its history.
    • In 1947, four New England Conference members joined with other schools to form the Yankee Conference under a new charter. CAA Football considers its history to have started with the Yankee Conference.
    • The Yankee Conference, by then a football-only league, was taken over by the Atlantic 10 Conference after the 1996 football season.
    • The all-sports CAA took over A-10 football in 2007, forming CAA Football as a separate entity.
  4. CAA Football is a separate entity from the multi-sports CAA.
  5. 13 members in 2026 with loss of Villanova and William & Mary, plus addition of Sacred Heart.
  6. Note that "Independents" is not a conference; it is simply a designation used for schools whose football programs do not play in any conference. These schools have conference memberships for other sports.
  7. 2 independents in 2026 with move of Sacred Heart to CAA Football and addition of Chicago State.
    • 1 independent in 2027 with Chicago State joining NEC football.
  8. 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.
  9. Number of sports in which Ivy League championships are awarded, with the following caveats:
    • Championships are awarded in the non-NCAA sports of men's rowing plus men's and women's squash.
    • While championships are awarded in men's and women's ice hockey, no Ivy League tournaments are held. All Ivy ice hockey members compete in ECAC Hockey for that league's automatic NCAA tournament bids. Ivy champions are extrapolated from regular-season results of ECAC games that involve two Ivy teams.
  10. 8 full members, 6 football members.
  11. 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.
  12. 9 members in 2026 with loss of North Dakota State.
  13. Media outlets still generally use the former name of "Northeast Conference".
  14. 10 full members, 8 football members with Chicago State, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Le Moyne as non-football members and with Duquesne and Robert Morris as football-only affiliates.
    • 9 full members, 7 football members in 2026 with loss of Saint Francis.
    • 8 football members in 2027 with addition of Chicago State.
  15. 11 full members, 7 football members (full member Morehead State plays football in the Pioneer Football League).
    • 9 full members, 6 football members in 2026 with loss of Tennessee Tech and non-football Little Rock.
    • All current OVC football members (not counting Morehead State) play that sport in the OVC–Big South Football Association.
  16. 10 full members and 8 football members with Army, Navy, American, Boston, and Loyola (MD) as non-football members (Army and Navy both compete in FBS football) and with Fordham, Georgetown, and Richmond as football-only affiliates.
    • 10 football members in 2026 with addition of Villanova and William & Mary as football affiliates.
  17. 10 full members, 9 football members.
    • 11 full members, 10 football members in 2026 with addition of Tennessee Tech.
  18. 12 full members, 10 football members.
  19. Not an officially recognized NCAA conference; that body treats the UAC as the continuation of a preexisting football-only alliance between the Atlantic Sun Conference and Western Athletic Conference.
  20. Becomes an official NCAA conference in 2026 as a rebranded Western Athletic Conference.
  21. 9 full members, 7 football members in 2026 with the following changes:
  22. Number of sports in 2026 to be determined.

Non-football, multi-sport conferences

Multisport conferences that do not compete in football must still meet the general NCAA Division I requirements regarding the minimum number of men's and women's sports (see above).[1]

  1. 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 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. Neither conference recognizes the history of the original Big East in football (currently sponsored by the American but not the present Big East) or rowing (formerly sponsored by the American and never sponsored by the current Big East).
  2. 22 NCAA-sanctioned sports, plus the non-NCAA and fully coeducational esports.
  3. 12 members in 2026 with loss of Hawaiʻi and UC Davis, plus addition of California Baptist, Sacramento State, and Utah Valley.
  4. The CAA Football Conference is a separate entity from the all-sports CAA.
  5. 12 members in 2026 with return of Northern Illinois.
  6. 23 NCAA-sanctioned sports plus two non-NCAA sports—men's rowing, and esports, which are fully coeducational.
  7. No more than 14 schools are competing in any one of the MPSF's sports in 2025–26.
    • 62 members in 2026 with loss of California Baptist and Southern Utah.
  8. Sponsors 14 fully recognized NCAA sports (two of which feature only Division II members) and 2 non-NCAA sports (artistic swimming and men's rowing).
  9. 8 members in 2026 with loss of Denver.
  10. 10 members in 2026 with addition of Denver and loss of Gonzaga.
    • 11 members in 2027 with addition of UC San Diego.
  11. Rebranding as the United Athletic Conference in 2026, with football already being sponsored by the UAC.
  12. 9 members under the United Athletic Conference banner in 2026 with the following changes:

Ice hockey conferences

Division I ice hockey has a different conference structure than the above multisport conferences. These schools have memberships in other conferences for other sports.

More information Conference, Nickname ...
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  1. The Atlantic Hockey Association and College Hockey America merged in 2024 to form Atlantic Hockey America. Atlantic Hockey was founded (as the MAAC) in 1997 and the CHA in 1999.
  2. Founded in 2020, with play starting in 2021, as the revival of an earlier CCHA that existed from 1971 to 2013; the current CCHA considers itself a continuation of the original. 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.
  3. 8 members in 2026 with loss of St. Thomas.
  4. 6 independents in 2026 with addition of Tennessee State.
  5. Established as a scheduling alliance in 2017, officially organized as a conference in 2018, and officially recognized by the NCAA in 2019.
  6. Although founded in 2011, the NCHC did not begin play until 2013.
  7. 10 members in 2026 with addition of St. Thomas.
  8. 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.

More information Conference, Nickname ...
ConferenceNicknameFoundedMembersSportHeadquartersMap
Central Collegiate Fencing ConferenceCCFC6Fencing?
Central Collegiate Ski AssociationCCSA20097[a]Skiing?
Collegiate Water Polo AssociationCWPA1970s26[b]water poloBridgeport, Pennsylvania
East Atlantic Gymnastics LeagueEAGL19957gymnastics?
Eastern Association of Rowing CollegesEARC?18rowingDanbury, Connecticut
Eastern Association of Women's Rowing CollegesEAWRC?18rowingDanbury, Connecticut
Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics LeagueEIGL?51 (gymnastics)Danbury, Connecticut
Eastern Intercollegiate Ski AssociationEISA?151 (Skiing)?
Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball AssociationEIVA197771 (Men's volleyball)Bronxville, New York
Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling AssociationEIWA1905171 (wrestling)?
Eastern Women's Fencing ConferenceEWFC200071 (fencing)?
Golden Coast ConferenceGCC2013[c]81 (water polo)?
Great America Rifle ConferenceGARC199891 (rifle)?
Gymnastics East ConferenceGEC202181 (Women's gymnastics)?
Intercollegiate Fencing Conference of Southern California.IFCSC1996?2[d]1 (fencing)?
Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Fencing AssociationMACFA19528[e]1 (fencing)Hackettstown, New Jersey
Mid-Atlantic Rifle ConferenceMAC19787[f]1 (rifle)?
Mid-Atlantic Water Polo ConferenceMAWPC71 (Water polo)?
Midwest Fencing ConferenceMFC19686[g]1 (fencing)?
Midwest Independent ConferenceMIC?61 (women's gymnastics)UIC (?)
Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball AssociationMIVA196191 (Men's volleyball)Columbus, Ohio
National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing AssociationNIWFA192910[h]1 (fencing)?
New England Intercollegiate Fencing ConferenceNEIFC?8[i]1 (fencing)?
Northeast Fencing ConferenceNFC19928[j]1 (fencing)?
Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive ConferencePCSC20029 (men)
15 (women)
1 (swimming)?
Patriot Rifle ConferencePRC201361 (rifle)Colorado Springs, Colorado
Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski AssociationRMISA19506[k]1 (Skiing)?
Western Water Polo AssociationWWPA19817 (men)
8 (women)
1 (water polo)?
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  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. Women only. The GCC was founded in 2013 as a women's-only conference; a men's division was added in 2016 and shut down in 2023.
  4. There are 2 varsity members; the conference also has 7 college club members.
  5. There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 7 college club members.
  6. There are 7 varsity members; the conference also has 6 college club members.
  7. There are 6 varsity members; the conference also has 13 college club members.
  8. There are 10 varsity members; the conference also has 10 college club members.
  9. There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 13 college club members.
  10. There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 5 college club members.
  11. There are 6 varsity members; the conference also has 4 college club members.

Division II

Among the NCAA regulations, Division II institutions have to sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women (or four for men and six for women), with two team sports for each sex, and each playing season represented by each sex. Teams that consist of both men and women are counted as men's teams for sports sponsorship purposes.[6]

Current conferences

Conferences that sponsor football are highlighted in yellow.

More information Conference, Nickname ...
ConferenceNicknameFoundedMembersSportsHeadquartersMap
California Collegiate Athletic AssociationCCAA193812[a]13Walnut Creek, California
Central Atlantic Collegiate ConferenceCACC196111[b]16New Haven, Connecticut
Central Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationCIAA191213[c]15Hampton, Virginia
Conference CarolinasCC193016[d]26[e]Greenville, South Carolina
East Coast ConferenceECC1989918Central Islip, New York
Great American ConferenceGAC20111216Russellville, Arkansas
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceGLIAC197211[f]21Bay City, Michigan
Great Lakes Valley ConferenceGLVC197815[g]26Indianapolis, Indiana
Great Midwest Athletic ConferenceG-MAC201113[h]25Greenwood, Indiana
Great Northwest Athletic ConferenceGNAC200110[i]15Portland, Oregon
Gulf South ConferenceGSC197012[j]17Birmingham, Alabama
Division II independents5[k]
Lone Star ConferenceLSC193118[l]19Richardson, Texas
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics AssociationMIAA191214[m]19Kansas City, Missouri
Mountain East ConferenceMEC201211[n]23Bridgeport, West VirginiaMountainEastConference2025
Northeast-10 ConferenceNE-10198011[o]23Mansfield, Massachusetts
Northern Sun Intercollegiate ConferenceNSIC193216[p]18St. Paul, Minnesota
Pacific West ConferencePacWest199213[q]15Newport Beach, California
Peach Belt ConferencePBC19901115Augusta, Georgia
Pennsylvania State Athletic ConferencePSAC195117[r]23Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
Rocky Mountain Athletic ConferenceRMAC190915[s]23Colorado Springs, Colorado
South Atlantic ConferenceSAC197513[t]20Rock Hill, South Carolina
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceSIAC191315[u]14Tucker, Georgia
Sunshine State ConferenceSSC19751118Melbourne, Florida
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  1. 14 members in 2026 with addition of Fresno Pacific and Menlo.
  2. 12 members in 2026 with addition of Monroe.
  3. 13 full members; 12 football members.
  4. 16 full members, 7 football members.
  5. 25 NCAA championship sports plus women's flag football, currently part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program.
  6. 11 full members, 8 football members.
  7. 15 full members, 9 football members.
  8. 13 full members, 10 football members.
  9. 9 full members in 2027 with loss of Simon Fraser.
  10. 12 full members, 4 football members.
  11. 5 all-sports independents (non-football), plus one football independent (Northeastern State)
  12. 18 full members, 10 football members with Central Washington and Western Oregon as football-only affiliates.
  13. 14 full members, 10 football members with Northeastern State competing as a D-II Independent in football.
  14. 11 full members, 9 football members.
    • 12 full members, 9 football members in 2026 with addition of Shawnee State.
  15. 11 full members, 9 football members with Post as a football-only affiliate.
  16. 16 full members, 14 football members.
  17. 10 members in 2026 with loss of Azusa Pacific, Fresno Pacific, and Menlo.
  18. 17 full members, 15 football members.
    • 18 full members, 16 football members in 2026 with addition of Lackawanna.
  19. 15 full members, 10 football members.
  20. 12 full members, 10 football members.
  21. 15 full members, 13 football members.

Single-sport conferences

More information Conference, Nickname ...
ConferenceNicknameFoundedMembersSportHeadquartersMap
Appalachian Swimming ConferenceASC?6 (men)
4 (women)
swimming?
players+ ECAC Division II Field Hockey LeagueECAC20146field hockeyDanbury, Connecticut
ECAC Division II Wrestling LeagueECAC20157wrestlingDanbury, Connecticut
New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference.NSISC19955 (men)
6 (women)
swimming?
Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive ConferencePCSC20039 (men)
15 (women)
swimming?
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    Other sports

    These all-sports conferences sponsor sports which do not have D-II championships. Bowling will become a Division II championship sport in 2027–28; conferences affected by this change are highlighed in pink.

    1. Number reflects membership in the sport that lacks a D-II championship, not the number of full members.
    2. Graduated from the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program to full championship status in January 2026, with the first NCAA championship set for 2026–27.
    3. 6 women's wrestling members in 2026, with full member Western Colorado adding the sport.

    Division III

    Unlike the other two divisions, Division III institutions cannot offer athletic scholarships. Among the other NCAA Division III requirements, schools have sports sponsorship requirements set by the NCAA. All institutions, regardless of enrollment, must sponsor at least three team sports for each sex/gender, and each playing season represented by each sex/gender.[7]

    A sports sponsorship rule unique to Division III is that the total number of sports that must be sponsored differs by a school's full-time undergraduate enrollment. Schools with an enrollment of 1,000 or fewer must sponsor at least five sports for men and five for women; those with larger enrollments must sponsor six men's and six women's sports. As in the other divisions, teams that include both men and women are treated as men's sports for the purpose of these regulations.[8]

    Current conferences

    Conferences that sponsor football highlighted in yellow.

    More information Conference, Nickname ...
    ConferenceNicknameFoundedMembersSportsHeadquartersMap
    Allegheny Mountain Collegiate ConferenceAMCC19979[a]16North Boston, New York
    American Rivers ConferenceA-R-C19229[b]22Cedar Rapids, Iowa
    American Southwest ConferenceASC19964[c]16[d]Richardson, Texas
    Atlantic East ConferenceAEC20188[e]21[f]Lancaster, Pennsylvania
    Centennial ConferenceCentennial198111[g]24Lancaster, Pennsylvania
    City University of New York Athletic Conference[h]CUNYAC19878[i]16Flushing, Queens, New York
    Coast to Coast Athletic ConferenceC2C19897[j]19Fredericksburg, Virginia
    College Conference of Illinois and WisconsinCCIW19469[k]26Naperville, Illinois
    Collegiate Conference of the South[9]CCS20229[l]14Atlanta, Georgia
    Conference of New EnglandCNE198411[m]18Springfield, Massachusetts
    Empire 8E8196412[n]22Rochester, New York
    Great Northeast Athletic ConferenceGNAC19951417Boston, Massachusetts
    Heartland Collegiate Athletic ConferenceHCAC198710[o]16Greenwood, Indiana
    Division III Independents2[p]
    Landmark ConferenceLandmark200610[q]23Madison, New Jersey
    Liberty LeagueLiberty199512[r]26Troy, New York
    Little East ConferenceLEC1986921North Dartmouth, Massachusetts
    Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic ConferenceMASCAC19719[s]16Westfield, Massachusetts
    Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationMIAA18889[t]22Freeland, Michigan
    Middle Atlantic ConferencesMAC191216[u][v]27Annville, Pennsylvania
    Midwest ConferenceMidwest19219[w]20Ripon, Wisconsin
    Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceMIAC192013[x]22St. Paul, Minnesota
    New England Small College Athletic ConferenceNESCAC197111[y]26Hadley, Massachusetts
    New England Women's and Men's Athletic ConferenceNEWMAC199812[z]20Wellesley, Massachusetts
    New Jersey Athletic ConferenceNJAC198510[aa]21Pitman, New Jersey
    North Atlantic ConferenceNAC199610[ab]15Waterville, Maine
    North Coast Athletic ConferenceNCAC19839[ac]23Westlake, Ohio
    Northern Athletics Collegiate ConferenceNACC200614[ad]19Waukesha, Wisconsin
    Northwest ConferenceNWC19269[ae]20Seattle, Washington
    Ohio Athletic ConferenceOAC1902923Austintown, Ohio
    Old Dominion Athletic ConferenceODAC197614[af]26Forest, Virginia
    Presidents' Athletic ConferencePAC195512[ag]24Wexford, Pennsylvania
    St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceSLIAC1989914St. Louis, Missouri
    Skyline ConferenceSkyline19891217Lawrenceville, New Jersey
    Southern Athletic AssociationSAA20128[ah]21Atlanta, Georgia
    Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceSCIAC19159[ai]21Los Angeles, California
    Southern Collegiate Athletic ConferenceSCAC196211[aj]9Suwanee, Georgia
    State University of New York Athletic ConferenceSUNYAC195810[ak]20Fredonia, New York
    United East ConferenceUnited East200415[al]20Gansevoort, New York
    University Athletic AssociationUAA1986822Rochester, New York
    Upper Midwest Athletic ConferenceUMAC19728[am]16St. Paul, Minnesota
    USA South Athletic ConferenceUSA South196510[an]14Fayetteville, North Carolina
    Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceWIAC1913822Madison, Wisconsin
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    1. 8 members in 2026 with loss of Alfred State.
    2. 8 members in 2026 with loss of Luther.
    3. 4 full members.
      • 6 full members in 2026 with addition of Schreiner and McMurry.
    4. 17 sports in 2026 with addition of beach volleyball.
    5. 6 members in 2026 with loss of Marywood and Neumann.
    6. 20 NCAA championship sports plus women's flag football, currently part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program.
    7. 11 full members, 7 football members.
    8. Plans to adopt a new name in 2027.
    9. 9 members in 2027 with addition of New Jersey City.
    10. 8 full members in 2026 with addition of Alverno.
    11. 9 full members, 10 football members with Washington (MO) as a football-only affiliate.
      • 9 football members in 2026 with loss of Washington (MO).
      • 10 full members, 10 football members in 2027 with addition of Concordia (WI).
    12. 7 full members in 2026 with loss of Maryville and Wesleyan (GA).
    13. 11 members, 8 football members with Maine Maritime and New England College as football-only affiliates.
    14. 12 full members with Elmira, Houghton, Keuka, Nazareth, Russell Sage, SUNY Geneseo, and SUNY Poly as non-football members; 8 football members with Hilbert, SUNY Cortland, and SUNY Morrisville as football-only affiliates.
    15. 10 full members, 7 football members.
    16. 2 all-sports independents (non-football), 0 football independent (which are members of non-football conferences).
    17. 10 members with Drew, Elizabethtown, Goucher, and Scranton as non-football members and 7 football with Keystone as a football-only affiliate.
    18. 12 full members, 7 football members with Buffalo State as a football-only affiliate.
    19. 9 full members with MCLA and Salem State as non-football members, 11 football members with Anna Maria, Castleton, Plymouth State, UMass Dartmouth, and Western Connecticut as football affiliates.
    20. 9 full members, 8 football members.
    21. The MAC is actually an umbrella organization of three conferences. Eight schools are members of the MAC Commonwealth and eight others are members of the MAC Freedom. 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 MAC Commonwealth and MAC Freedom for 13 other sports, including football.
    22. 16 full members (8 Commonwealth, 8 Freedom) and 10 football members.
      • 18 full members in 2026 (9 Commonwealth, 9 Freedom) with addition of non-football Marywood (Freedom) and Neumann (Commonwealth).
    23. 9 full members, 10 football members with Chicago as a football affiliate.
      • 10 full members, 11 football members in 2026 with addition of Luther.
    24. 13 full members, 10 football members.
    25. 11 full members, 10 football members.
    26. 12 full members and 8 football members.
    27. 10 full members with New Jersey City, Ramapo, Rutgers–Camden, Rutgers–Newark, and Stockton as non-football members; 7 football members with Christopher Newport and Salisbury as football affiliates.
      • 11 full members in 2026 with addition of SUNY New Paltz.
      • 10 full members in 2027 with loss of New Jersey City.
    28. 8 full members in 2026 with loss of SUNY Cobleskill and SUNY Delhi.
    29. 10 football members in 2026 with addition of Washington (MO).
    30. 14 full members, 9 football members with Eureka as a football-only affiliate.
      • 13 full members, 9 football members in 2026 with loss of non-football Alverno.
        • 12 full members, 8 football members in 2027 with loss of Concordia (WI).
    31. 9 full members, 8 football members.
    32. 14 full members, 9 football members with Gallaudet as a football-only affiliate.
    33. 12 full members, 12 football members, with two full members not sponsoring football (Chatham and Franciscan) and two football affiliates (Carnegie Mellon and Case Western Reserve).
      • 13 full members and 13 football members in 2026 with addition of Saint Francis.
    34. 8 full members, 8 football members with one full member not sponsoring football (Oglethorpe).
      • 9 full members and 9 football members in 2026 with addition of Maryville.
    35. 9 full members, 6 football members.
      • 10 full members, 8 football members in 2026 with addition of Azusa Pacific and reinstatement of football by full member Whittier.
    36. 11 full members, 5 football members with football-only affiliate Lyon.
      • 10 full members, 5 football members in 2026 with loss of Schreiner and McMurry.
    37. 12 full members in 2026 with loss of SUNY New Paltz and promotion of associate members Alfred State, SUNY Cobleskill, and SUNY Delhi.
    38. 14 members in 2026 with loss of Rosemont.
    39. 8 full members with Bethany Lutheran, North Central, Northland, and Wisconsin–Superior as non-football members; 6 football members with Greenville, and Westminster (MO) as football-only affiliates.
    40. 10 full members with Mary Baldwin, Meredith, Pfeiffer, Salem College, and William Peace as non-football members; 9 football members with Belhaven, Huntingdon, LaGrange, and Maryville as football-affiliates.

    Single-sport conferences

    More information Conference, Nickname ...
    ConferenceNicknameFoundedMembersSportHeadquartersMap
    Coastal Lacrosse ConferenceCLC20227Men's lacrosse
    Colonial Women’s Golf ConferenceCWGC20257Women's golfN/A
    Continental Volleyball ConferenceCVC20119Men's volleyballMadison, New Jersey
    Midwest Collegiate Volleyball LeagueMCVL201410Men's volleyballBradenton, Florida
    New England Collegiate ConferenceNECC2007[a]8Men's volleyball[b]Mansfield, Massachusetts
    Northeast Women's Golf ConferenceNWGC201914Women's golfN/A
    Northern Collegiate Hockey AssociationNCHA198110 (men)
    7 (women)
    Ice hockeyWaukesha, Wisconsin
    United Volleyball ConferenceUVC20108Men's volleyballRochester, New York
    United Collegiate Hockey ConferenceUCHC201612 (men)
    13 (women)
    Ice hockeyDanbury, Connecticut
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    1. Operated as an all-sports conference from 2007–2023.
    2. Also organizes competition in the non-NCAA esports.

    Other sports

    These all-sports conferences sponsor sports which do not have D-III championships. A Division III women's wrestling championship will be established in 2027–28; conferences affected by this change are highlighted in pink.

    More information Conference, Nickname ...
    Close
    1. Number reflects membership in the sport that lacks a D-III championship, not the total conference membership.
    2. 7 or 8 women's wrestling members in 2026. Full member Coe will add the sport. Another full member, Luther (IA), will leave for the Midwest Conference, but since that conference does not sponsor women's wrestling, Luther may remain an A-R-C associate.
    3. 9 women's wrestling members in 2026 with full conference member Millikin adding the sport.
    4. 7 women's wrestling members at an indeterminate future time, with full conference member Blackburn adding the sport].

    Defunct NCAA conferences

    More information Conference, Division ...
    ConferenceDivisionFoundedFoldedFate
    America Sky ConferenceDivision I20072014Men's golf conference absorbed by the Big Sky Conference.[10]
    American Collegiate Athletic AssociationDivision III20172020Merged with the Capital Athletic Conference, with the merged conference renaming itself the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference shortly thereafter.
    American Lacrosse ConferenceDivision I20012014Women'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 ConferenceDivision I19871991Merged with the Sun Belt Conference. The new conference used the Sun Belt name.[11]
    Atlantic Central Football ConferenceDivision III19972010Disbanded
    Atlantic Hockey AssociationDivision I20032024Founded in 1997 as the men's hockey league of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference; separated from the MAAC in 2003. Merged with College Hockey America to form the current Atlantic Hockey America.
    Atlantic Soccer ConferenceDivision I20002012Disbanded
    Atlantic Women's Colleges ConferenceDivision III19952007Disbanded
    Big Central Soccer ConferenceDivision I19871991Men's soccer-only conference disbanded after the all-sports conferences of all but two of its members began sponsoring the sport.
    Big Eight ConferenceDivision I19071996Initially formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, before six schools split away to form the Big Six in 1928.
    Brought in four former Southwest Conference schools to grow into the Big 12 Conference.
    Border ConferenceUniversity Division19311962Members split between the newly formed WAC and independent statuses.
    Central Collegiate Hockey Association (original)Division I19712013The 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 ConferenceDivision III20192020Bowling-only league effectively absorbed by the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.[12]
    Coastal Collegiate Sports AssociationDivision I20082025Originally started as a joint venture of several all-sports conferences to house their swimming & diving programs. Beach volleyball was later added to the conference's scope. The swimming & diving side was effectively absorbed by the Atlantic Sun Conference when it started sponsoring men's and women's swim/dive in 2023. Of the final four beach volleyball members, two joined the Big 12 Conference and two joined the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation for that sport after the 2025 season.
    College Hockey AmericaDivision I19992024Founded 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. The women's division merged with the Atlantic Hockey Association to form the current Atlantic Hockey America
    Colonial Hockey ConferenceDivision III20152020Women's ice hockey-only conference. Disbanded after the 2019–20 season when the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), now known as the Conference of New England, took over operations.[13] At that time, all of the remaining members were full members of the CCC.
    Colonial States Athletic ConferenceDivision III19922023Merged with the United East Conference. The 'new' conference used the United East name.[14]
    Commonwealth Coast FootballDivision III19652022Football-only conference, absorbed by the Commonwealth Coast Conference (now the Conference of New England). Rebranded in 2017 from its original name, the New England Football Conference.
    Continental Divide ConferenceDivision II???1992Women'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 ConferenceDivision II19942013Men'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*19301942Disbanded after most of its members suspended athletics during World War II.
    Dixie Conference*19481954Disbanded
    East Coast ConferenceDivision I19581994Absorbed by the Mid-Continent Conference, now known as The Summit League.
    Eastern Collegiate Football ConferenceDivision III20092024Football-only conference. Disbanded
    Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League*19291992Baseball-only conference absorbed by the Ivy League, disbanded when Army and Navy aligned their baseball teams with the bulk of their other teams in the Patriot League.
    Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League*19011955Basketball-only conference absorbed by the Ivy League, which claims the EIBL as part of its own history.
    Eastern Wrestling LeagueDivision I19752019Wrestling-only league absorbed by the Mid-American Conference.[15]
    ECAC Lacrosse LeagueDivision I19992014Men'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 LeagueDivision II20122016Disbanded. Six members began play in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, leaving three members to become independents.
    ECAC NortheastDivision III19712016Ice hockey-only conference. Disbanded
    ECAC WestDivision III19842016Ice hockey-only conference. Disbanded
    Freedom Football ConferenceDivision III19922003Disbanded
    Great Lakes Football ConferenceDivision II20062012Football-only conference, effectively absorbed by the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
    Great Midwest ConferenceDivision I19911995Merged with the Metro Conference to form Conference USA.
    Great Northwest ConferenceDivision II???1992The second part of the merger that created the current Pacific West Conference.
    Great South Athletic ConferenceDivision III19992016Ended sponsorship of men's sports in 2012; remained a women-only league until disbanding entirely. One media outlet specializing in D-III sports coverage considered the Collegiate Conference of the South, formed in 2022 by an amicable split of the USA South Athletic Conference, a spiritual successor, noting that seven of the nine charter CCS members had been Great South members in the last season that it sponsored men's sports.[16]
    Great West ConferenceDivision I20042013Disbanded 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 ConferenceDivision I19851988Ice 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 LeagueDivision I19932010Members joined the ECAC Lacrosse League (see above).
    Gulf Coast ConferenceCollege Division19491957Disbanded
    Gulf Star ConferenceDivision I19841987Effectively absorbed by the Southland Conference.
    Heartland ConferenceDivision II19992019In 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[17]— effective in 2019.[18] 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,[19] joining the remaining Heartland member in that status.[20]
    High Country Athletic ConferenceDivision I19831990Women's-only conference absorbed by the Western Athletic Conference.
    Indiana Collegiate ConferenceDivision II19501978Disbanded
    Indiana Intercollegiate Conference*19221950Disbanded
    Indiana Intercollegiate ConferenceUnknown19221950Split 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 ConferenceUniversity Division19081970Previously known as Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, disbanded.
    Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest*18921893Disbanded, precursor to the Big Ten Conference.
    Lake Michigan ConferenceDivision III19742007Merged with the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference to form the Northern Athletics Conference, now known as the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
    Metro ConferenceDivision I19751995Merged with the Great Midwest Conference to form Conference USA.
    Metropolitan Collegiate ConferenceUniversity Division19651969Disbanded
    Metropolitan New York ConferenceUniversity Division19331963Disbanded
    Mid-Continent Athletic AssociationDivision II, later Division I19781981Football-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 WomenDivision III19771994Merged with the men's Midwest Collegiate Athletic Conference, forming the current Midwest Conference.
    Midwest Collegiate Hockey AssociationDivision III19982013Absorbed by the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association.
    Midwest Lacrosse ConferenceDivision III20092024Men's lacrosse-only conference. Disbanded
    Midwest Women's Lacrosse ConferenceDivision III20102024Women's lacrosse-only conference. Disbanded
    Midwestern ConferenceUniversity Division19701972The five member schools were unable to find the 6th member required for NCAA recognition.
    Mountain States Conference (aka Skyline Conference)University Division19381962Disbanded, members split between the newly formed WAC and independent statuses.
    Mountain Rim Gymnastics ConferenceDivision I20132023Women's gymnastics conference; disbanded after the Mountain West Conference began sponsoring women's gymnastics.
    Mountain West Athletic ConferenceDivision I19821988Women's-only conference (not to be confused with the modern Mountain West Conference) absorbed by the Big Sky Conference.
    National Lacrosse ConferenceDivision I20082012Disbanded after the Atlantic Sun Conference and Big South Conference began sponsoring women's lacrosse.
    New England Collegiate ConferenceDivision III20072023Disbanded as an all-sports conference after steady losses of membership, both by schools closing and moves to other conferences. Remains in operation for men's volleyball and the non-NCAA esports.
    New England Conference*19381947Disbanded; the final four members joined two other schools to form the Yankee Conference under a new charter. Effectively the earliest ancestor of CAA Football, a conference operated by the Coastal Athletic Association but a separate legal entity, although CAA Football does not claim the NEC's history.
    New England Hockey ConferenceDivision III20152025Ice hockey-only conference. Disbanded
    New England Women's Lacrosse AllianceDivision III19982012Disbanded
    New South Women's Athletic ConferenceDivision I19851991Women's-only conference initially known as the New South Conference; absorbed by the Trans America Athletic Conference, now known as the Atlantic Sun Conference.
    North Central ConferenceDivision II19222008Disbanded
    North East Collegiate Volleyball AssociationDivision III19952011Men's volleyball conference disbanded in 2011 due to the 2012 establishment of the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship. Most of the all-sports conferences that were home to NECVA members began sponsoring men's volleyball at that time.
    Northeast Women's Hockey LeagueDivision III20172023Women's ice hockey only conference. It was absorbed by SUNYAC.
    North Star ConferenceDivision I19831992Women's-only conference effectively absorbed by the Mid-Continent Conference (now The Summit League).
    Northern California Athletic ConferenceDivision II19251996Football-only conference, dissolved when most members decided to drop football.
    Northern Illinois-Iowa ConferenceDivision III19692007Merged with the Lake Michigan Conference to form the Northern Athletics Conference, now known as the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
    Northern Pacific ConferenceDivision I19821986Women'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 ConferenceDivision I19822015Field 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 ConferenceDivision II19791992Women's-only conference that merged with the men's Northern Intercollegiate Conference, forming the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
    Ohio River Lacrosse ConferenceDivision III20142018Men's and women's lacrosse-only conference. Disbanded after the 2017–18 season.
    Pacific Coast ConferenceUniversity Division19151959Forerunner to the Pac-12, disbanded due to scandal and infighting. The Pac-12 considers its history to have started with the formation of the PCC.
    Pacific Coast Softball ConferenceDivision I20022013Softball-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 LeagueDivision III19862014Absorbed by the NEWMAC.
    Southeast Team Handball ConferenceDivision I (de facto)19972006Women-only team handball conference. Disbanded when the sport was dropped from the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program.
    Southland Bowling LeagueDivision I20152023Bowling-only league founded by, but independent of, the Southland Conference.[21] Merged into Conference USA; one of the final members was already a full CUSA member, another became a full CUSA member in 2023, and the others became CUSA associates.[22]
    Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association*18941941Disbanded with the onset of American involvement in World War II.
    Southwest ConferenceDivision I19141996Disbanded.
    4 members left to join the Big Eight Conference in forming the Big 12.
    3 members left to join the WAC.
    1 member left to join CUSA.
    Texas Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationDivision III19761996Disbanded. All final members joined the American Southwest Conference.
    United Soccer ConferenceDivision I20052009Women's soccer-only, absorbed by the Great West Conference.
    West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceDivision II19242013Disbanded 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 AssociationDivision I19811986Women'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 AssociationDivision II20102015Lacrosse-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 ConferenceDivision I20062015Wrestling-only conference effectively absorbed by the Big 12 Conference, with all but one of its final members immediately becoming single-sport Big 12 associates and the remaining member joining Big 12 wrestling in 2017.
    Yankee ConferenceDivision I19471997Football-only conference from 1975 until its absorption by the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1997. Also an effective ancestor of CAA Football, and officially recognized by CAA Football as its earliest predecessor.
    Close
    • * - Operated before the NCAA split into divisions in 1955.

    In addition to the above, two single-sport conferences that currently participate in NCAA National Collegiate sports (those whose championship events are open to members of more than one NCAA division) and previously operated both men's and women's divisions now operate as women-only leagues.

    More information Conference, Division ...
    ConferenceDivisionFoundedFoldedFate
    Golden Coast Conference (men's)National Collegiate20132023Water polo-only conference founded as a women's-only league; added a men's division in 2016. The men's division disbanded after the 2022 season (2022–23 school year) after all six of its final members joined the new men's water polo leagues of the Big West Conference and West Coast Conference.
    Western Collegiate Hockey Association (men's)Division I19512021Founded 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.
    Close

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