List of NCAA conferences

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 either football or two other team sports. If a conference officially sponsors an NCAA "emerging sport" for women (as of 2020, acrobatics & tumbling, equestrianism, rugby union, triathlon, or wrestling), that sport will be counted if five members (instead of six) sponsor it.

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, institutions in the Football Bowl Subdivision must be "multisport conferences" and participate 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 toward the above 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.[2][3]

Schools in all divisions that sponsor athletic programs for only one sex/gender need only meet the sports sponsorship requirements for that sex/gender.[4]

Conference	Nickname	Founded	Members	Sports	Headquarters	Map
American Athletic Conference	The American	2013[lower-alpha 1]	11[lower-alpha 2]	22	Irving, Texas
Atlantic Coast Conference	ACC	1953	15[lower-alpha 3]	27[lower-alpha 4]	Greensboro, North Carolina
Big Ten Conference	Big Ten B1G	1896	14	28	Rosemont, Illinois
Big 12 Conference	Big 12	1996	10[lower-alpha 5]	23	Irving, Texas
Conference USA	C-USA	1995	14[lower-alpha 6]	19[lower-alpha 7]	Irving, Texas
Division I FBS Independents[lower-alpha 8]	Ind.	1978	7[lower-alpha 9]	1	Indianapolis, Indiana
Mid-American Conference	MAC	1946	12	24	Cleveland, Ohio
Mountain West Conference	MW MWC	1999	11[lower-alpha 10]	18	Colorado Springs, Colorado
Pac-12 Conference	Pac-12	1959[lower-alpha 11]	12	24[lower-alpha 12]	San Francisco, California
Southeastern Conference	SEC	1932	14[lower-alpha 13]	21	Birmingham, Alabama
Sun Belt Conference	Sun Belt SBC	1976	12[lower-alpha 14]	17[lower-alpha 15]	New Orleans, Louisiana

1. Known as Big East Conference prior to 2013.
2. 11 full members with Wichita State as a non-football member; 11 football members with Navy as a football-only affiliate.
   • 14 full members and 14 football members in 2023 with loss of Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF, plus addition of Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA.
3. 15 members, 14 with football.
4. 26 sports by NCAA count. The ACC sponsors separate championships for men's and women's fencing, which the NCAA considers to be a single sport.
   • 28 sports (27 by NCAA count) in 2023 with addition of women's gymnastics.
5. As many as 14 members in 2023 with addition of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF.
   • 12 members no later than 2025 with loss of Oklahoma and Texas.
6. 11 members in 2022 with loss of Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss.
   • 9 members in 2023 with addition of Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State, and Sam Houston, and loss of Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA.
7. 18 sports in 2023 with likely dropping of men's soccer.
8. 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.
9. 4 independents in 2023 with BYU joining the Big 12 Conference, and Liberty and New Mexico State transferring to Conference USA.
10. 11 members (12 football) with Hawaii as a football-only affiliate.
11. Pacific Coast Conference chartered in 1915; current charter formed 1959 by five former PCC members, with three others joining by 1964.
12. 23 NCAA-sanctioned sports plus men's rowing; the NCAA governs women's rowing but not men's.
13. 16 members no later than 2025 with addition of Oklahoma and Texas.
14. 12 full members with Little Rock and UT Arlington as non-football members.
    • 14 full members in 2022 with addition of James Madison, Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss, plus loss of Little Rock and UT Arlington.
15. 18 sports in 2022 with reinstatement of men's soccer.

Football Championship Subdivision

In addition to competing in football, 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 (see above).[1]

Conference	Nickname	Founded	Full Members	Sports	Headquarters	Map
Big Sky Conference	Big Sky, BSC	1963	11[lower-alpha 1]	16	Ogden, Utah
Big South Conference	Big South	1983	11[lower-alpha 2]	19[lower-alpha 3]	Charlotte, North Carolina
Colonial Athletic Association	CAA	1983	10[lower-alpha 4]	21[lower-alpha 5]	Richmond, Virginia
Division I FCS Independents[lower-alpha 6]			0	1
Ivy League	Ivy League	1954[lower-alpha 7]	8	32[lower-alpha 8]	Princeton, New Jersey
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference	MEAC	1970	8[lower-alpha 9]	15	Norfolk, Virginia
Missouri Valley Football Conference	MVFC	1985[lower-alpha 10]	11[lower-alpha 11]	1	St. Louis, Missouri
Northeast Conference	NEC	1981	10[lower-alpha 12]	24[lower-alpha 13]	Somerset, New Jersey
Ohio Valley Conference	OVC	1948	10[lower-alpha 14]	19[lower-alpha 3]	Brentwood, Tennessee
Patriot League	Patriot	1986	10[lower-alpha 15]	24	Center Valley, Pennsylvania
Pioneer Football League	PFL	1991	11	1	St. Louis, Missouri
Southern Conference	SoCon	1921	10[lower-alpha 16]	21	Spartanburg, South Carolina
Southland Conference	Southland SLC	1963	8[lower-alpha 17]	18	Frisco, Texas
Southwestern Athletic Conference	SWAC	1920	12	18	Birmingham, Alabama
Western Athletic Conference	WAC	1962	13[lower-alpha 18]	20	Englewood, Colorado

1. 11 full members and 13 football members
   • 10 full members and 12 football members in 2022 with loss of Southern Utah.
2. 12 full members and 9 football members
   • 10 full members and 6 football members in 2022 with the following changes:
     • Addition of Bryant as a football-only member.
     • Loss of full member Hampton in all sports including football, full member North Carolina A&T in non-football sports, and football-only Kennesaw State, Monmouth, and North Alabama.
   • The Big South football league will merge with that of the Ohio Valley Conference in 2023.
3. Possibility of 18 sports in 2023, depending on organizational details of the upcoming Big South–OVC football merger.
4. 10 full members and 12 football members
   • 13 full members and 13 football members in 2022 with the following changes:
     • Addition of Hampton and Monmouth as full members, including football.
     • Addition of North Carolina A&T as a full but non-football member.
     • Elevation of football-only member Stony Brook to full membership.
     • Loss of full member James Madison.
   • 14 football members in 2023 with addition of North Carolina A&T football.
5. 21 sports under CAA administration; the CAA football league is legally a separate entity from the all-sports CAA.
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. 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.
8. 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.
9. 8 full members, 6 football members.
10. 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.
11. 12 members in 2023 with addition of Murray State.
12. 10 full members, 8 football members.
    • 9 full members, 8 football members in 2022 with addition of Stonehill and loss of Bryant, both football-sponsoring, and loss of non-football member Mount St. Mary's.
13. 25 sports in 2022 with addition of men's volleyball.
14. 10 full members, 7 football members (one full member, Morehead State, plays football outside the OVC in the Pioneer Football League)
    • 10 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 before joining the MVFC in 2023.
      • Loss of non-football Belmont.
      • Addition of non-football Little Rock and Southern Indiana, and football-sponsoring Lindenwood.
    • The OVC football league will merge with that of the Big South Conference in 2023.
15. 10 full members and 7 football members.
16. 10 full members, 9 football members.
17. 8 full members, 6 football members in 2022 with loss of Incarnate Word and addition of Texas A&M–Commerce.
    • 9 full members, 7 football members in 2023 with return of Lamar.
18. 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.
    • 12 members and 6 football members in 2023 with loss of non-football member New Mexico State and football-sponsoring Lamar and Sam Houston.
    • 7 football members by 2024 with addition of football by current full member UTRGV.

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]

Conference	Nickname	Founded	Members	Sports	Headquarters	Map
America East Conference	America East AmEast	1979	10[lower-alpha 1]	18	Boston, Massachusetts
ASUN Conference	ASUN	1978	12[lower-alpha 2]	20[lower-alpha 3]	Atlanta, Georgia
Atlantic 10 Conference	A-10	1975	14[lower-alpha 4]	21	Newport News, Virginia
Big East Conference	Big East	1979[lower-alpha 5]	11	23[lower-alpha 6]	New York City, New York
Big West Conference	Big West BWC	1969	11	18	Irvine, California
Coastal Collegiate Sports Association	CCSA	2008	17[lower-alpha 7]	3[lower-alpha 8]	Macon, Georgia
Horizon League	Horizon	1979	12[lower-alpha 9]	19	Indianapolis, Indiana
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference	MAAC	1980	11[lower-alpha 10]	25[lower-alpha 11]	Edison, New Jersey
Missouri Valley Conference	MVC The Valley	1907	10[lower-alpha 12]	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[lower-alpha 13]	14	San Bruno, California

1. 10 members in 2022 with addition of Bryant and loss of Stony Brook.
   • 9 members in 2023 with loss of Hartford.
2. 13 full members and 6 football members in 2022 with addition of Austin Peay, joining full ASUN members Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, and North Alabama in the upcoming ASUN football league.
   • 11 full members and 5 football members in 2023 with loss of Jacksonville State and non-football member Liberty.
3. 21 sports in 2022 with addition of FCS football.
4. 15 members in 2022 with addition of Loyola Chicago.
5. Although the charter of the current Big East dates only to the 2013 split of the original Big East, both the current Big East and the American Athletic Conference claim 1979 as their founding dates. The current Big East maintains the pre-split history of the original conference in all sports that it sponsors. In football and rowing, the two sports that are sponsored by The American but not the current Big East, neither conference recognizes the history of the original Big East.
6. 22 NCAA-sanctioned sports, plus the non-NCAA and fully coeducational esports.
7. Total conference membership; no more than 9 schools compete in any one of the CCSA's three sports.
8. Sponsors only men's and women's swimming & diving, plus beach volleyball.
9. 11 members in 2022 with loss of UIC.
10. 11 members in 2022 with loss of Monmouth and addition of Mount St. Mary's.
11. 23 NCAA-sanctioned sports plus two non-NCAA sports—men's rowing, and esports, which are fully coeducational.
12. 12 members in 2022 with addition of Belmont, Murray State, and UIC, plus loss of Loyola Chicago.
13. 9 members in 2023 with loss of BYU.

Ice hockey conferences

See also: List of NCAA Division I ice hockey programs

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

Conference	Nickname	Founded	Members (Men/Women)	Headquarters	Map
Atlantic Hockey	Atlantic Hockey AHA	1997	10 (10/none)[lower-alpha 1]	Haverhill, Massachusetts
Central Collegiate Hockey Association	CCHA	2020[lower-alpha 2]	8 (8/none)	Farmington Hills, Michigan
College Hockey America	CHA	1999[lower-alpha 3]	5 (none/5)[lower-alpha 4]	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)[lower-alpha 5]
New England Women's Hockey Alliance	NEWHA	2018[lower-alpha 6]	6 (none/6)[lower-alpha 7]	Winthrop, Massachusetts
National Collegiate Hockey Conference	NCHC	2011[lower-alpha 8]	8 (8/none)	Colorado Springs, Colorado
Western Collegiate Hockey Association	WCHA	1951[lower-alpha 9]	8 (none/8)	Edina, Minnesota

1. 11 men's teams in 2023 with return of Robert Morris after reinstating hockey.
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. 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.
4. 6 women's teams in 2023 with return of Robert Morris after reinstating hockey.
5. As many as 6 men's independents possible in 2022 with reinstatement of hockey by Alaska Anchorage; addition of men's hockey by Lindenwood; and transition of Stonehill, which had previously played men's hockey under D-II regulations in the Northeast-10 Conference, to Division I.
   • As many as 7 men's independents in 2023 with addition of Augustana (SD).
6. Established as a scheduling alliance in 2017, officially organized as a conference in 2018, and officially recognized by the NCAA in 2019.
7. 7 members in 2022 with addition of Stonehill.
8. Although founded in 2011, the NCHC did not begin play until 2013.
9. 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[lower-alpha 1]	1 (Skiing)	?
Collegiate Water Polo Association	CWPA	1970s	26[lower-alpha 2]	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[lower-alpha 3]	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[lower-alpha 4]	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[lower-alpha 5]	1 (fencing)	?
Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association	MACFA	1952	8[lower-alpha 6]	1 (fencing)	Hackettstown, New Jersey
Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference	MAC	1978	7[lower-alpha 7]	1 (rifle)	?
Midwest Fencing Conference.	MFC	1968	6[lower-alpha 8]	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[lower-alpha 9]	1 (fencing)	?
New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference	NEIFC	?	8[lower-alpha 10]	1 (fencing)	?
Northeast Fencing Conference	NFC	1992	8[lower-alpha 11]	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[lower-alpha 12]	1 (Skiing)	?
Southland Bowling League	SBL	2015[lower-alpha 13]	6	1 (bowling)	Frisco, Texas
Western Water Polo Association	WWPA	1981	8 (men) 8 (women)	1 (water polo)	?

1. There are 7 NCAA varsity members; the conference also has one junior college member.
2. 9 schools have both men's & women's varsity teams, 9 have men's varsity teams only, 8 have women's varsity teams only; additionally, there are 136 men's and 86 women's club teams.
3. 6 members in 2022 with loss of Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, and Saint Francis (PA).
4. Founded in 2013 as a women's-only conference; men's play added in 2016.
5. There are 2 varsity members; the conference also has 7 college club members.
6. There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 7 college club members.
7. There are 7 varsity members; the conference also has 6 college club members.
8. There are 6 varsity members; the conference also has 13 college club members.
9. There are 10 varsity members; the conference also has 10 college club members.
10. There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 13 college club members.
11. There are 8 varsity members; the conference also has 5 college club members.
12. There are 6 varsity members; the conference also has 4 college club members.
13. The SBL was established during the 2014–15 school year with competition starting immediately. While the Southland Conference provides administrative support, the SBL operates separately.[5]

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 with Football programs 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[lower-alpha 1]	16	New Haven, Connecticut
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association	CIAA	1912	12[lower-alpha 2]	15	Hampton, Virginia
Conference Carolinas	CC	1930	13	24	Thomasville, North Carolina
East Coast Conference	ECC	1989	11[lower-alpha 3]	17	Central Islip, New York
Great American Conference	GAC	2011	12	16	Russellville, Arkansas
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	GLIAC	1972	11[lower-alpha 4]	21	Bay City, Michigan
Great Lakes Valley Conference	GLVC	1978	15[lower-alpha 5]	24	Indianapolis, Indiana
Great Midwest Athletic Conference	G-MAC	2011	12[lower-alpha 6]	23[lower-alpha 7]	Greenwood, Indiana
Great Northwest Athletic Conference	GNAC	2001	10[lower-alpha 8]	16[lower-alpha 9]	Portland, Oregon
Gulf South Conference	GSC	1970	13[lower-alpha 10]	17	Birmingham, Alabama
Division II Independents			6[lower-alpha 11]
Lone Star Conference	LSC	1931	18[lower-alpha 12]	18	Richardson, Texas
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association	MIAA	1912	14[lower-alpha 13]	19	Kansas City, Missouri
Mountain East Conference	MEC	2012	12[lower-alpha 14]	23	Bridgeport, West Virginia
Northeast-10 Conference	NE-10	1980	14[lower-alpha 15]	23	Mansfield, Massachusetts
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference	NSIC	1932	16[lower-alpha 16]	18	St. Paul, Minnesota.
Pacific West Conference	PacWest	1992	11	15	Newport Beach, California
Peach Belt Conference	PBC	1990	10[lower-alpha 17]	15	Augusta, Georgia
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference	PSAC	1951	18[lower-alpha 18]	23	Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference	RMAC	1909	15[lower-alpha 19]	23	Colorado Springs, Colorado
South Atlantic Conference	SAC	1975	13[lower-alpha 20]	20	Rock Hill, South Carolina
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	SIAC	1913	14[lower-alpha 21]	14	Tucker, Georgia
Sunshine State Conference	SSC	1975	11	18	Melbourne, Florida

1. 13 members in 2022 with addition of Bridgeport and closure of USciences.
2. 12 full members, 11 football members.
3. 10 members in 2022 with loss of Bridgeport.
4. 11 full members, 8 football members.
   • 10 full members and 7 football members in 2022 with loss of Northwood.
5. 15 full members, 8 football members.
   • 13 full members and 7 football members in 2022 with loss of football-sponsoring Lindenwood and non-football Southern Indiana.
6. 12 members, 9 football members.
   • 13 total members and 10 football members in 2022 with addition of Northwood. Thomas More also joins in 2022, but will not start G-MAC competition until 2023.
   • 14 total members and 11 football members in 2023 once Thomas More starts G-MAC competition.
7. Emerging sport wrestling included.
8. 10 full members, 3 football members. The football members are in a scheduling partnership with the Lone Star Conference through the 2021 season.
9. 15 sports in 2022 with dropping of football; the remaining football members will become single-sport members of the Lone Star Conference.
10. 13 full members, 9 football members with North Greenville as a football-only affiliate.
11. 6 all-sports independents. 2 football independents are full members of non-football conferences.
    • 5 all-sports independents and 2 football independents in 2022 (Bluefield State is independent in all-sports with football included) - Emory & Henry will join the South Atlantic Conference, Barton's and Erskine's football teams also will join that conference, and Post will start its football program as an independent.
12. 18 full members, 8 football members.
    • 17 full members, 10 football members in 2022 with loss of Texas A&M–Commerce and addition of the three remaining Great Northwest Athletic Conference football schools (Central Washington, Simon Fraser, Western Oregon) as football-only members.
13. 12 full members, all with football, plus 2 non-football associates that house all of their sports in the MIAA.
14. 12 full members with Davis & Elkins as a non-football member; 12 football members with UNC Pembroke as a football affiliate.
15. 14 full members, 9 football members.
    • 13 full members, 8 football members in 2022 with loss of Stonehill.
16. 16 full members, 14 football members.
17. 11 members in 2022 with addition of South Carolina Beaufort.
18. 18 full members, 16 football members.
19. 15 full members, 10 football members.
20. 13 full members, 9 football members. Football independent Barton has a scheduling agreement with the SAC for 2020 and 2021.
    • 14 total members and 12 football members in 2022 with addition of Emory & Henry, and Barton and Erskine's football teams.
    • 13 football members no later than 2024 with addition of football by current full member Anderson (SC).
21. 14 full members, 13 football members.

Single-sport conferences

Conference	Nickname	Founded	Members	Sport	Headquarters	Map
New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference.	NSISC	1995	5 (men) 6 (women)	swimming	?
Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference	PCSC	2003	3 (men) 6 (women)	swimming	?

Other sports

These all-sports conferences sponsor sports which do not have D-II championships.

Conference	Nickname	Founded	Members[lower-alpha 1]	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

1. Number reflects membership in the sport that lacks a D-II championship, not the total conference membership.

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.

Conference	Nickname	Founded	Members	Sports	Headquarters	Map
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference	AMCC	1997	9[lower-alpha 1]	16	North Boston, New York
American Rivers Conference	ARC	1922	9	22	Cedar Rapids, Iowa
American Southwest Conference	ASC	1996	11[lower-alpha 2]	16	Richardson, Texas
Atlantic East Conference	AEC	2018	7	20	Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Centennial Conference	Centennial	1981	11[lower-alpha 3]	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[lower-alpha 4]	20	Fredericksburg, Virginia
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin	CCIW	1946	9	25	Naperville, Illinois
Collegiate Conference of the South[9]	CCS	2022	9	9	Georgia
Colonial States Athletic Conference	CSAC	1992	9	17	Aston, Pennsylvania
Commonwealth Coast Conference	CCC	1984	10	17	Springfield, Massachusetts
Commonwealth Coast Football[lower-alpha 5]	CCC Football	1965[lower-alpha 6]	7	1	Springfield, Massachusetts
Eastern Collegiate Football Conference	ECFC	2009	7[lower-alpha 7]	1	Wilmington, Vermont
Empire 8	E8	1964	9[lower-alpha 8]	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[lower-alpha 9]
Landmark Conference	Landmark	2006	8[lower-alpha 10]	22[lower-alpha 11]	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[lower-alpha 12][lower-alpha 13]	27	Annville, Pennsylvania
Midwest Conference	Midwest	1921	9[lower-alpha 14]	20	Ripon, Wisconsin
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	MIAC	1920	13[lower-alpha 15]	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[lower-alpha 16]	20	Wellesley, Massachusetts
New Jersey Athletic Conference	NJAC	1985	10[lower-alpha 17]	21	Pitman, New Jersey
North Atlantic Conference	NAC	1996	12	15	Waterville, Maine
North Coast Athletic Conference	NCAC	1983	10[lower-alpha 18]	23	Westlake, Ohio
Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference	NACC	2006	14[lower-alpha 19]	19	Waukesha, Wisconsin
Northwest Conference	NWC	1926	9[lower-alpha 20]	20	Seattle, Washington
Ohio Athletic Conference	OAC	1902	10	23	Austintown, Ohio
Old Dominion Athletic Conference	ODAC	1976	14[lower-alpha 21]	24	Forest, Virginia
Presidents' Athletic Conference	PAC	1955	10[lower-alpha 22]	23	Wexford, Pennsylvania
Skyline Conference	Skyline	1989	12	17	Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Southern Athletic Association	SAA	2012	8[lower-alpha 23]	21	Atlanta, Georgia
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	SCIAC	1915	9[lower-alpha 24]	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[lower-alpha 25]	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[lower-alpha 26]	14	Fayetteville, North Carolina
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	WIAC	1913	8	22	Madison, Wisconsin

1. 8 members in 2022 with loss of Medaille.
2. 10 members, 8 football members in 2022 with loss of Belhaven and football affiliate Southwestern.
3. 11 full members, 10 football members.
   • 7 football members in 2023 with loss of Juniata, Moravian, and Susquehanna.
4. 7 members in 2023 with loss of Mills.
5. Commonwealth Coast Football is operated by the Commonwealth Coast Conference, but remains a separate entity.
6. Commonwealth Coast Football is a 2017 rebranding of the New England Football Conference, which was founded in 1965.
7. 5 members in 2023 with loss of Keystone and SUNY Maritime.
8. 10 members in 2022 with addition of Medaille.
9. 5 all-sports independents in 2022 with loss of MUW; 1 football independent in 2022 with Eastern adding football.
   • No football independents in 2023 with Eastern joining the Middle Atlantic Conference football league.
10. 10 members and 7 football members in 2023 with addition of Lycoming and Wilkes, and football-only Keystone.
11. 23 sports in 2023 with addition of football.
12. The MAC is actually an umbrella organization of three conferences. Nine schools are members of the MAC Commonwealth and nine 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.
13. 18 full members (9 Commonwealth, 9 Freedom) and 10 football members.
    • 16 full members (9 Commonwealth, 7 Freedom, barring further reorganization) and 10 football members in 2023 with loss of Freedom members Lycoming and Wilkes, plus addition of Commonwealth member Eastern to the MAC football league.
14. 9 full members, 10 football members.
15. 13 full members, 10 football members.
16. 11 full members, 8 football members.
    • 8 football members in 2023 with loss of Catholic and addition of SUNY Maritime, both for football only.
17. 10 full members, 7 football members.
18. 9 members in 2022 with loss of Allegheny.
19. 14 full members, 8 football members.
20. 9 full members, 8 football members.
21. 14 full members, 7 football members.
    • 15 full members, 8 football members in 2022 with addition of Averett.
22. 10 full members, 10 football members, with two full members not sponsoring football and two football affiliates.
    • 11 full members, 11 football members in 2022 with addition of Allegheny.
23. 8 full members, 8 football members with one full member not sponsoring football and one football affiliate.
    • 9 football members in 2023 with addition of Southwestern.
24. 9 full members, 7 football members.
25. 9 members in 2022 with addition of MUW.
26. 19 full members, 9 football members.
    • 10 full members, 9 football members in 2022 with the following changes:
      • Loss of Agnes Scott, Berea, Covenant, Huntingdon, LaGrange, Maryville (TN), Piedmont, and Wesleyan (GA) to the new non-football Collegiate Conference of the South.
      • Belhaven, Covenant, Huntingdon, and LaGrange becoming football affiliates.
      • Loss of Averett to the ODAC.

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)[lower-alpha 1] 13 (women)	Ice hockey	Danbury, Connecticut

1. 12 men's members in 2022 with addition of men's hockey by current women's member Alvernia.

Other sports

These all-sports conferences sponsor sports which do not have D-III championships.

Conference	Nickname	Founded	Members[lower-alpha 1]	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
Metropolitan Swimming Conference	METS	?	14 (men) 17 (women)	1 (swimming)	?
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	WIAC	1913	8	Women's gymnastics	Madison, Wisconsin

1. Number reflects membership in the sport that lacks a D-III championship, not the total conference membership.

• * - 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:

• List of college athletic conferences in the United States
• List of schools reclassifying their athletic programs to NCAA Division I
• List of NAIA conferences