List of NCAA conferences

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

Division I

Football Bowl Subdivision

Conference Nickname Founded Members Sports Headquarters Map
American Athletic Conference The American 1979
[FBS 1]
11
[FBS 2]
22 Providence,
Rhode Island
Atlantic Coast Conference ACC 1953 15
[FBS 3]
26 Greensboro,
North Carolina
Big Ten Conference Big Ten
B1G
1896 14 28 Rosemont,
Illinois
Big 12 Conference Big 12 1996 10 23 Irving,
Texas
Conference USA C-USA 1995 14
[FBS 4]
19 Irving,
Texas
Division I
FBS Independents
Ind. 4
[FBS 5]
1 None
Mid-American Conference MAC 1946 12
[FBS 6]
23 Cleveland,
Ohio
Mountain West Conference MW
MWC
1999 11
[FBS 7]
18 Colorado Springs,
Colorado
Pacific-12 Conference Pac-12 1959
[FBS 8]
12 22 Walnut Creek,
California
Southeastern Conference SEC 1932 14 21 Birmingham,
Alabama
Sun Belt Conference Sun Belt 1976 11
[FBS 9]
18 New Orleans,
Louisiana
Notes
  1. Known as Big East Conference prior to 2013.
  2. 11 members (12 football) in 2015 with addition of Navy for football only
  3. 15 members (14 football)
  4. 14 members (13 football)
    • 13 football members in 2015 when UAB drops football and Charlotte's football program joins
  5. 3 members in 2015 with Navy joining The American as a football-only affiliate
  6. 12 members (13 football) with Massachusetts as a football-only affiliate
    • 12 members (12 football) in 2016 with loss of Massachusetts football
  7. 11 members (12 football) with Hawaii as a football-only affiliate
  8. Pacific Coast Conference chartered in 1915; current charter formed 1959 by five former PCC members, with three others joining by 1964
  9. 11 full members; 11 football-playing schools with Idaho and New Mexico State as football-only affiliates

Football Championship Subdivision

Conference Nickname Founded Full Members Sports Headquarters Map
Big Sky Conference Big Sky
BSC
1963 12
[FCS 1]
16 Ogden, Utah
Big South Conference Big South 1983 11
[FCS 2]
19 Charlotte, North Carolina
Colonial Athletic Association CAA 1983 10
[FCS 3]
21 Richmond, Virginia
Division I FCS Independents 1
[FCS 4]
1
Ivy League Ivy League 1954
[FCS 5]
8 33 Princeton, New Jersey
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference MEAC 1970 13 15 Norfolk, Virginia
Missouri Valley Football Conference MVFC 1985
[FCS 6]
10 1 St. Louis, Missouri
Northeast Conference NEC 1981 10
[FCS 7]
23 Somerset, New Jersey
Ohio Valley Conference OVC 1948 12
[FCS 8]
17 Brentwood, Tennessee
Patriot League Patriot 1986 10
[FCS 9]
24 Center Valley, Pennsylvania
Pioneer Football League PFL 1991 11 1 St. Louis, Missouri
Southern Conference SoCon 1921 10
[FCS 10]
20 Spartanburg, South Carolina
Southland Conference Southland 1963 13
[FCS 11]
17 Frisco, Texas
Southwestern Athletic Conference SWAC 1920 10 18 Birmingham, Alabama
Notes
  1. 12 full members, with Idaho as a non-football member; 13 football members with Cal Poly and UC Davis as football-only affiliates
  2. 11 full members, 6 football members with Monmouth as a football-only affiliate (one full member, Campbell, plays football outside the Big South in the Pioneer Football League)
    • 11 full members and 7 football members in 2015 with Kennesaw State starting a new football program as a football-only member
  3. 10 full members and 12 football members
  4. 1 FCS independent in 2015 after the following changes:
    • Charlotte football joins Conference USA in FBS
    • East Tennessee State revives football as an independent before joining Southern Conference football in 2016
  5. While the Ivy League considers its athletic conference to have been established in 1954, the history of the athletic league can be traced back decades earlier:
    • In 1901, the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League (EIBL) was formed by five schools that would later become part of the current Ivy League; the EIBL membership eventually became identical to that of the future all-sports league. The EIBL was directly absorbed into the all-sports Ivy League, which considers the EIBL to be part of its history.
    • In 1945, the Ivy Group Agreement, which governed competition and policies among the Ivy schools in football, was signed by all eight schools that eventually formed the all-sports league.
    • The official formation of the athletic Ivy League came in 1954, when the Ivy Group Agreement was extended to cover all sports.
    For more details, see the section on the history of the athletic Ivy League.
  6. 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.
  7. 10 full members, 7 football members
  8. 12 full members, 9 football members (one full member, Morehead State, plays football outside the OVC in the Pioneer Football League)
  9. 10 full members and 7 football members
  10. 10 full members, 8 football members
    • 10 full members, 9 football members in 2016 with East Tennessee State moving its football program into the conference
  11. 13 full members, 11 football members

Non-football, multi-sport conferences

Conference Nickname Founded Members Sports Headquarters Map
America East Conference America East 1979 9 18 Boston, Massachusetts
Atlantic Sun Conference A-Sun 1978 8 19 Macon, Georgia
Atlantic 10 Conference A-10 1975 14 21 Newport News, Virginia
Big East Conference Big East 2013
[NF 1]
10 22 New York, New York
Big West Conference Big West
BWC
1969 9 16 Irvine, California
Horizon League Horizon 1979 9 19 Indianapolis, Indiana
Division I Independents 1
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference MAAC 1980 11 23 Edison, New Jersey
Missouri Valley Conference MVC
Valley
1907 10 18 St. Louis, Missouri
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation MPSF 1992 37 12 Woodland, California
The Summit League The Summit 1982 9 19 Elmhurst, Illinois
West Coast Conference WCC 1952 10 14 San Bruno, California
Western Athletic Conference WAC 1962 8
[NF 2]
19[1] Englewood, Colorado
Notes
  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 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.
  2. While the number of members will not change, the identity of one current member will change in 2015. Texas–Pan American will merge with Texas–Brownsville to create the new University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). The University of Texas System has announced that UTRGV will inherit the Texas–Pan American athletic program.

Ice hockey conferences

Conference Nickname Founded Members (Men/Women) Headquarters Map
Atlantic Hockey Atlantic Hockey 1997 11 (11/none) Haverhill, Massachusetts
College Hockey America CHA 1999 [IH 1] 6 (none/6) Haverhill, Massachusetts
ECAC Hockey ECAC 1962 12 (12/12) Albany, New York
Hockey East Hockey East 1984 12 (12/8) [IH 2] Wakefield, Massachusetts
Independents 1 (none/1) [IH 3]
National Collegiate Hockey Conference NCHC 2011 [IH 4] 8 (8/none) Colorado Springs, Colorado
Western Collegiate Hockey Association WCHA 1951 16 (10/8) Denver, Colorado
Notes
  1. 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.
  2. 12 total members, 9 women's members in 2015 with addition of Merrimack women (Merrimack men are already members)
  3. 2 total independents, 1 of each sex in 2015 with Arizona State elevating its men's team from club to full varsity status
  4. Although founded in 2011, the NCHC did not begin play until 2013.

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.

Conference Nickname Founded Members Sports Headquarters Map
Central Collegiate Ski Association CCSA 2009 9 1 (skiing) ?
Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association CCSA 2008 13 [SS 1][SS 2] 1 (swimming) Charlotte, North Carolina
Collegiate Water Polo Association CWPA 1970s 28 [SS 3] 1 (water polo) Bridgeport, Pennsylvania
East Atlantic Gymnastics League EAGL 1995 7 1 (gymnastics) ?
Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges EARC ? 18 1 (rowing) Centerville, Massachusetts
Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges EAWRC ? 18 1 (rowing) Centerville, Massachusetts
Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League EIGL ? 5 1 (gymnastics) Centerville, Massachusetts
Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association EISA ? 15 1 (skiing) ?
Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association EIVA 1977 7 1 (men's volleyball) Bronxville, New York
Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association EIWA 1905 16 1 (wrestling) ?
Eastern Women's Fencing Conference EWFC 2000 7 1 (fencing) ?
Eastern Wrestling League EWL 1976 7 1 (wrestling) ?
Golden Coast Conference GCC 2013 7 1 (Women's water polo) ?
Great America Rifle Conference GARC 1998 7 1 (rifle) ?
Intercollegiate Fencing Conference of Southern California IFCSC 1996? 2 [SS 4] 1 (fencing) ?
Metropolitan Swimming Conference METS ? 18 (men)
19 (women)
1 (swimming) ?
Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association MACFA 1952 8 [SS 5] 1 (fencing) Hackettstown, New Jersey
Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference MAC 1978 7 [SS 6] 1 (rifle) ?
Midwest Fencing Conference MFC 1968 6 [SS 7] 1 (fencing) University of Notre Dame (?)
Midwest Independent Conference MIC ? 6 1 (women's gymnastics) UIC (?)
Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association MIVA 1961 9 1 (men's volleyball) Columbus, Ohio
Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference MRGC 2013 [SS 8] 5 1 (women's gymnastics)
National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association NIWFA 1929 10 [SS 9] 1 (fencing) ?
New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference NEIFC ? 8 [SS 10] 1 (fencing) ?
Northeast Fencing Conference NFC 1992 8 [SS 11] 1 (fencing) ?
Patriot Rifle Conference PRC 2013 6 1 (rifle) Colorado Springs, Colorado
Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association RMISA 1950 8 1 (skiing) ?
Southland Bowling League SBL 2015[SS 12] 8 1 (bowling) Frisco, Texas
Western Water Polo Association WWPA 1981 7 (men)
5 (women)
1 (water polo) ?
Western Wrestling Conference WWC 2006 6 1 (wrestling) Orem, Utah
Notes
  1. Four schools house both men's and women's teams in the CCSA, two house only a men's team, and seven house only a women's team.
  2. 12 total members in 2016 with loss of women's-only member North Carolina A&T
  3. 10 schools have both men's & women's varsity teams, 8 have men's varsity teams, 11 have women's varsity teams; additionally, there are 135 men's and 85 women's club teams.
  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. Founded in 2013 with competition beginning in 2013–14. The conference gained full NCAA recognition for 2014–15.
  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. The SBL was established during the 2014–15 school year with competition starting immediately. Initially, there is no regular-season league competition, but only a postseason tournament. While the Southland Conference provides administrative support, the SBL operates separately.[2]

Division II

Current conferences

Conference Nickname Founded Members D-II
Sports
Headquarters Map
California Collegiate Athletic Association CCAA 1938 12 [D2 1] 12 Walnut Creek, California
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference CACC 1961 14 15 New Haven, Connecticut
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association CIAA 1912 12 15 Hampton, Virginia
Conference Carolinas CC 1930 12 19 Thomasville, North Carolina
East Coast Conference ECC 1989 11 17 Central Islip, New York
Great American Conference GAC 2011 11 [D2 2] 13 Russellville, Arkansas
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference GLIAC 1972 16 22 Bay City, Michigan
Great Lakes Valley Conference GLVC 1978 16 20 Indianapolis, Indiana
Great Midwest Athletic Conference G-MAC 2011 9 [D2 3] 17 Greenwood, Indiana
Great Northwest Athletic Conference GNAC 2001 10 [D2 4] 16 Portland, Oregon
Gulf South Conference GSC 1970 12 14 Birmingham, Alabama
Heartland Conference Heartland 1999 11 [D2 5] 13 Waco, Texas
Division II Independents 2 (non-football)
6 (football)
4/4 (lacrosse)
Lone Star Conference LSC 1931 9 [D2 6] 16 Richardson, Texas
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association MIAA 1912 14 19 Kansas City, Missouri
Mountain East Conference MEC 2012 12 17 Bridgeport, West Virginia
Northeast-10 Conference NE-10 1980 15 22 South Easton, Massachusetts
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference NSIC 1932 16 18 St. Paul, Minnesota
Pacific West Conference PacWest 1992 13 [D2 7] 15 Newport Beach, California
Peach Belt Conference PBC 1990 14 15 Augusta, Georgia
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference PSAC 1951 18 23 Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference RMAC 1909 15 [D2 8] 22 Colorado Springs, Colorado
South Atlantic Conference SAC 1975 12 18 Rock Hill, South Carolina
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference SIAC 1913 14 [D2 9] 13 Tucker, Georgia
Sunshine State Conference SSC 1975 11 18 Melbourne, Florida
Notes
  1. 13 members in 2015 with addition of Cal State San Marcos.
  2. 12 members in 2015 with addition of Oklahoma Baptist.
  3. 8 members in 2015 with loss of Central State.
  4. 11 members in 2015 with addition of Concordia (OR).
  5. 10 members in 2016 with loss of Texas–Permian Basin.
  6. 10 members in 2016 with addition of Texas–Permian Basin.
  7. 14 members in 2015 with addition of Concordia (CA).
  8. 16 members in 2015 with addition of Westminster (UT).
  9. 15 members in 2015 with addition of Central State.

Single-sport conferences

Conference Nickname Founded Members Sport Headquarters Map
Appalachian Swimming Conference ASC ? 6 (men)
6 (women)
swimming ?
Bluegrass Mountain Conference BMC 2000 10 (men)
11 (women)
swimming Spartanburg, South Carolina
ECAC Division II Field Hockey League ECAC 2014 4 field hockey Centerville, Massachusetts
ECAC Division II Lacrosse League ECAC 2013 8 [SD2 1] men's lacrosse Centerville, Massachusetts
New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference NSISC 1995 4 (men)
8 (women)
swimming ?
Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference PCSC 2003 5 (men)
8 (women)
swimming ?
Western Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association WILA 2010 4 men's lacrosse Alamosa, Colorado
Notes
  1. 9 members in 2015 with addition of Indianapolis.

Other sports

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

Conference Nickname Founded Members Sport Headquarters Map
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association CIAA 1912 11 bowling Hampton, Virginia
Conference Carolinas CC 1930 10 men's volleyball Thomasville, North Carolina
Northeast-10 Conference NE-10 1980 6 men's ice hockey South Easton, Massachusetts

Division II external links

Division III

Current conferences

Conference Nickname Founded Members Sports Headquarters Map
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference AMCC 1997 10 16 Gibsonia, Pennsylvania
American Southwest Conference ASC 1996 12 16 Richardson, Texas
Capital Athletic Conference CAC 1989 10 21 Hollywood, Maryland
Centennial Conference Centennial 1981 11 24 Lancaster, Pennsylvania
City University of New York Athletic Conference CUNYAC 1987 9 16 Flushing, Queens, New York
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin CCIW 1946 8 21 Naperville, Illinois
Colonial States Athletic Conference CSAC 1992 12 15 Aston, Pennsylvania
Commonwealth Coast Conference TCCC 1984 10 15 Springfield, Massachusetts
Eastern Collegiate Football Conference ECFC 2009 8 1 Wilmington, Vermont
Empire 8 E8 1964 12 22 Rochester, New York
Great Northeast Athletic Conference GNAC 1995 12 17 Boston, Massachusetts
Great South Athletic Conference GSAC 1999 8 6 LaGrange, Georgia
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference HCAC 1987 10 16 Greenwood, Indiana
Division III Independents 3 (football)
14 (basketball)
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference IIAC 1922 8 22 Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Landmark Conference Landmark 2006 9 18 Madison, New Jersey
Liberty League Liberty 1995 11 26 Canton, New York
Little East Conference LEC 1986 8 19 North Dartmouth, Massachusetts
Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference MASCAC 1971 8 16 Westfield, Massachusetts
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association MIAA 1888 9 20 Royal Oak, Michigan
Middle Atlantic Conferences MAC 1912 17 24 Annville, Pennsylvania
Midwest Conference Midwest 1921 11 20 Ripon, Wisconsin
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference MIAC 1920 13 22 St. Paul, Minnesota
New England Collegiate Conference NECC 2008 10 16 Attleboro, Massachusetts
New England Football Conference NEFC 1965 8 1 ??
New England Small College Athletic Conference NESCAC 1971 11 26 Hadley, Massachusetts
New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference NEWMAC 1998 11 19 Wellesley, Massachusetts
New Jersey Athletic Conference NJAC 1985 10 18 Pitman, New Jersey
North Atlantic Conference NAC 1996 10 15 Whitingham, Vermont
North Coast Athletic Conference NCAC 1983 10 23 Westlake, Ohio
North Eastern Athletic Conference NEAC 2004 14 17 Gansevoort, New York
Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference NACC 2006 12 18 Waukesha, Wisconsin
Northwest Conference NWC 1926 9 18 Seattle, Washington
Ohio Athletic Conference OAC 1902 10 23 Austintown, Ohio
Old Dominion Athletic Conference ODAC 1976 14[D3 1] 22 Forest, Virginia
Presidents' Athletic Conference PAC 1955 10 19 Wexford, Pennsylvania
Skyline Conference Skyline 1989 10 17 Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Southern Athletic Association SAA 2012 8 21 Atlanta, Georgia
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference SCIAC 1915 9 21 Los Angeles, California
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference SCAC 1962 8 19 Lawrenceville, Georgia
State University of New York Athletic Conference SUNYAC 1958 11 20 Fredonia, New York
St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference SLIAC 1989 10 14 St. Louis, Missouri
University Athletic Association UAA 1986 8 22 Rochester, New York
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference UMAC 1972 8 [D3 2] 15 St. Paul, Minnesota
USA South Athletic Conference USA South 1965 13 14 Fayetteville, North Carolina
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference WIAC 1913 9 [D3 3] 22 Madison, Wisconsin
Notes
  1. 13 members in 2015 following closure of Sweet Briar
  2. 9 members in 2015 with addition of Wisconsin–Superior
  3. 8 members in 2015 with loss of Wisconsin–Superior

Single-sport conferences

Conference Nickname Founded Members Sport Headquarters Map
Continental Volleyball Conference CVC 2011 7 Men's volleyball Madison, New Jersey
ECAC East ECAC-E 10 (men)
14 (women)
Ice hockey Centerville, Massachusetts
ECAC Northeast ECAC-NE 8 (men only) Ice hockey Centerville, Massachusetts
ECAC West ECAC-W 6 (men)
10 (women)
Ice hockey Centerville, Massachusetts
Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League MCVL 2014 8 [SSD3 1] Men's volleyball Naperville, Illinois
Midwest Lacrosse Conference MLC 2009 7 Men's lacrosse Waukesha, Wisconsin
Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference MWLC 2010 8 Women's Lacrosse Waukesha, Wisconsin
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 9 Men's volleyball Rochester, New York
  1. 14 members in 2015 with addition of Adrian, Greenville, Marian (WI), North Central, Olivet, and Wittenberg

Defunct NCAA conferences

Conference Division Founded Folded Fate
America Sky Conference Division I 2007 2014 Men's golf conference absorbed by the Big Sky Conference.[3]
American Lacrosse Conference Division I 2001 2014 Women's lacrosse conference that folded after the 2014 season due to fallout of the early-2010s conference realignment, specifically the 2013 announcement by the Big Ten that it would add men's and women's lacrosse for the 2014–15 school year (2015 season). Four of the seven final ALC members are full Big Ten members. A fifth school announced it would go independent, and the other two members became Big East affiliates.
American South Conference Division I 1987 1991 Merged with the Sun Belt Conference. The new conference used the Sun Belt name.[4]
Atlantic Central Football Conference Division III 1997 2010 Disbanded
Atlantic Soccer Conference Division I 2000 2012 Disbanded
Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference Division III 1995 2007 Disbanded
Big Central Soccer Conference Division I 1987 1991 Men's soccer-only conference disbanded after the all-sports conferences of all but two of its members began sponsoring the sport.
Big Eight Conference Division I 1907 1996 Initially formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, before six schools split away to form the Big Six in 1928. Disbanded to join with four former Southwest Conference schools to create the Big 12 Conference.
Border Conference University Division 1931 1962 Members split between the newly formed WAC and Independent statuses.
Central Collegiate Hockey Association Division I 1971 2013 The decision of the Big Ten Conference to add men's ice hockey as a sponsored sport in the 2013–14 season, taking three of the most successful members of the then-11-member league, led to a major conference realignment that ultimately consumed the CCHA. Two members joined the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference, one member joined Hockey East, and the remaining five members joined or rejoined the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
Continental Divide Conference Division II ??? 1992 Women's-only conference that merged with the men's-only Great Northwest Conference (not to be confused with the current Great Northwest Athletic Conference) to form the Pacific West Conference.
Deep South Conference Division II 1994 2013 Men's lacrosse conference disbanded when the South Atlantic Conference and Sunshine State Conference, home to all nine of the final conference members, began sponsoring the sport.
Dixie Conference * 1930 1942 Disbanded after most of its members suspended athletics during World War II.
Dixie Conference * 1948 1954 Disbanded
East Coast Conference Division I 1958 1994 Absorbed by Mid-Continent Conference
Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League * 1901 1955 Basketball-only conference absorbed by the Ivy League, which claims the EIBL as part of its own history.
ECAC Lacrosse League Division I 1999 2014 Men's lacrosse conference that disbanded after the 2014 season. The conference lost many members after the 2010 season when the original Big East launched a men's lacrosse league, and lost still more members with the Big Ten announcement. At the end of the final ECAC Lacrosse season, only one member had not announced a new lacrosse affiliation for the 2014–15 school year.
Freedom Football Conference Division III 1992 2003 Disbanded
Great Lakes Football Conference Division II 2006 2012 Football-only conference, effectively absorbed by the Great Lakes Valley Conference
Great Midwest Conference Division I 1991 1995 Merged with Metro Conference to form Conference USA
Great Northwest Conference Division II ??? 1992 The second part of the merger that created the current Pacific West Conference.
Great West Conference Division I 2004 2013 Disbanded after all but one of its members joined more established conferences during the early-2010s conference realignment. The men's golf history and Internet presence of the Great West were maintained by the America Sky Conference (above) before the latter conference's absorption by the Big Sky.
Great Western Lacrosse League Division I 1993 2010 Members joined the ECAC Lacrosse League (see above).
Gulf Coast Conference College Division 1949 1957 Disbanded
Gulf Star Conference Division I 1984 1987 Effectively absorbed by the Southland Conference.
High Country Athletic Conference Division I 1983 1990 Women's-only conference absorbed by the Western Athletic Conference.
Indiana Collegiate Conference Division II 1950 1978 Disbanded
Indiana Intercollegiate Conference Division II 1922 1950 Disbanded
Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference University Division 1908 1970 Previously known as Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, disbanded
Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest * 1892 1893 Disbanded, precursor to the Big Ten Conference
Lake Michigan Conference Division III 1974 2007 Merged with the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference to form the Northern Athletics Conference
Metro Conference Division I 1975 1995 Merged with Great Midwest Conference to form Conference USA
Metropolitan Collegiate Conference University Division 1965 1969 Disbanded
Metropolitan New York Conference University Division 1933 1963 Disbanded
Mid-Continent Athletic Association Division II, later Division I 1978 1981 Football-only conference absorbed by the Association of Mid-Continent Universities in 1982. Effectively one of the precursors to the current Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Division III 1998 2013 Absorbed by the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association
Midwestern Conference University Division 1970 1972 The five member schools were unable to find the 6th member required for NCAA recognition.
Mountain States Conference (aka Skyline Conference) University Division 1938 1962 Disbanded, members split between the newly formed WAC and Independent statuses.
Mountain West Athletic Conference Division I 1982 1988 Women's-only conference (not to be confused with the modern Mountain West Conference) absorbed by the Big Sky Conference.
National Lacrosse Conference Division I 2008 2012 Disbanded after the Atlantic Sun Conference and Big South Conference began sponsoring women's lacrosse.
New England Conference * 1938 1947 Disbanded; the final four members joined two other schools to form the Yankee Conference under a new charter. Effectively the earliest ancestor of today's Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) football conference.
New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance Division III 1998 2012 Disbanded
New South Women's Athletic Conference Division I 1985 1991 Women's-only conference initially known as the New South Conference; absorbed by the Trans America Athletic Conference, now known as the Atlantic Sun Conference.
North Central Conference Division II 1922 2008 Disbanded
North East Collegiate Volleyball Association Division III 1995 2011 Men's volleyball conference disbanded in 2011 due to the 2012 establishment of the NCAA Men's Division III Volleyball Championship. Most of the all-sports conferences that were home to NECVA members began sponsoring men's volleyball at that time.
North Star Conference Division I 1983 1992 Women's-only conference effectively absorbed by the Mid-Continent Conference (now The Summit League).
Northern California Athletic Conference Division II 1925 1996 Football-only conference, dissolved when most members decided to drop football
Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference Division III 1969 2007 Merged with the Lake Michigan Conference to form the Northern Athletics Conference
Northern Pacific Conference Division I 1982 1986 Women's-only conference. Disbanded when the Pac-10, home to five of the seven final conference members, began sponsoring women's sports.
Northern Sun Conference Division II 1979 1992 Women's-only conference that merged with the men's Northern Intercollegiate Conference, forming the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Pacific Coast Conference Division I 1915 1959 Forerunner to the Pac-12, disbanded due to scandal and infighting
Pacific Coast Softball Conference Division I 2002 2013 Softball-only; disbanded due to fallout from the 2010–13 conference realignment. After the 2012 season, it lost five members when the Big Sky added the sport and a sixth to the WAC. After the 2013 season, the final seven members left when the West Coast Conference began sponsoring the sport (five were already WCC members, and the other two joined the WAC in softball).
Pilgrim Lacrosse League Division III 1986 2013 Absorbed by the NEWMAC
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association * 1894 1941 Disbanded with the onset of American involvement in World War II.
Southwest Conference Division I 1914 1996 Disbanded, members split into the Big 12, WAC, and C-USA
United Soccer Conference Division I 2005 2009 Women's soccer-only, absorbed by Great West Conference
West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Division II 1924 2013 Disbanded after the conference's football schools announced a split from the non-football schools. Ultimately, nine of the final schools became charter members of the Mountain East Conference, three joined the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, two joined the PSAC, and one went independent.
Western Collegiate Athletic Association Division I 1981 1986 Women's-only conference; known in its final season of 1985–86 as the Pacific West Conference (not to be confused with the current NCAA Division II conference). Disbanded when the Pac-10, home to the final five conference members, began sponsoring women's sports.
Yankee Conference Division I 1947 1997 Football-only conference from 1975 until its absorption by the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1997. Also an effective ancestor of today's CAA football conference.

Conferences set to disband

This section is reserved for conferences currently in operation, but likely to disband in the near future due to major membership losses.

Conference Division Founded Folding Background
Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference Division I 1982 2015 Field hockey-only conference set to disband 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), will become America East affiliates in 2015.

References

See also