College Sports Realignment for 2024 and Beyond

Editor’s note: This post has been updated as of Friday, April 26, 2024. Note that this list only reflects changes in effect beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. For a list of changes happening in the current 2023-24 academic year, click here. A list of changes for the 2022-23 academic year can be found here while changes prior to 2022-23 can be found here while the changes for the. This article will be updated throughout the current academic year as more changes become known.

The calendar has shifted to July and with it is a new academic year. That means we can begin looking to the future for the changes happening for the next academic year in 2024-25. We will list the known changes for Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, and the NAIA below. This list will not include previous years’ changes from 2021-22, 2020-21, or earlier realignment moves. If you are looking for a list of changes effective with the current 2023-24 academic year, please click here.

New with this release is our companion article, which looks at each conference in the NCAA and NAIA individually. In that article, you can get a timeline view of any changes that will occur starting with the 2023-24 academic year and going forward. Please note the article may take a little longer to load than normal due to the larger number of tables. We also publish Realignment Reports twice a month for individual sports changes along with any other potential realignment happenings.

If you are looking for a specific division and additional information, click here for Division 1, here for Division 2, here for Division 3, and here for NAIA. Clicking the new conference for the school in question (3rd column in the table) will take you directly to the day of the update, which will provide additional information. An external link to the news is provided in the 4th column called First Season in New Conference. Here’s a tip for mobile users: you can scroll to the right to find additional columns shown in the table.

NCAA Division 1 Realignment Changes

4/4/24 Update: Mercyhurst University (Erie, Pennsylvania) will transition from Division 2 to Division 1 beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Mercyhurst will leave the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and join the Northeast Conference (NEC). The D2 to D1 move will be a 4-year reclassification process with the Lakers becoming a full D1 member beginning with the 2028-29 academic year.

3/21/24 Update: The University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is leaving the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) to join the Southland Conference beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The move will drop the WAC to 10 members and put the Southland at 11 members.

3/7/24 Update: Merrimack will play the 2024 FCS season as an independent team. Both Merrimack and Sacred Heart are moving to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) beginning with the 2024-25 academic year but the MAAC doesn’t sponsor football. It is not known which conference, if any, the football programs will join beginning in 2025.

2/26/24 Update: Massachusetts will join the Mid-American Conference as a full member beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. UMass is currently a member of the Atlantic 10 in most sports and plays football as an FBS independent. The addition of UMass puts the MAC at 13 members and adding another team (Western Kentucky) is on the table.

1/25/24 Update: Sacred Heart will play the 2024 FCS season as an independent team according to Craig Haley of STATS Perform. The Pioneers are joining the MAAC as full members in 2024-25 but the MAAC doesn’t sponsor football leaving SHU needing to find a new home. In addition, their former conference – the NEC – hasn’t been keen on the idea of retaining members as football-only affiliates.

12/20/23 Update: Oregon State and Washington State will become members of the West Coast Conference in all sports except football and baseball for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years. OSU and WSU have a football agreement in place with the Mountain West for 2024 and the WCC doesn’t sponsor the sport. Both schools will be eligible for any WCC title they compete in, which includes the automatic bid to the NCAA championships (i.e. basketball’s March Madness).

12/5/23 Update: Chicago State has finally found a new home in Division 1. The Cougars will join the Northeast Conference beginning with the 2024-25 academic year after spending the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons as an independent. Chicago State will become the conference’s eighth full member and the possibility of this move was discussed in a standalone November article.

11/28/23 Update: Another FCS move to report with Robert Morris returning to the Northeast Conference as a football-only member beginning in 2024-25. Robert Morris will leave the Big South-OVC and return to the NEC, which they were part of from 1996 through 2019. The Colonials are a full member of the Horizon League.

11/27/23 Update: Delaware is set to leave the FCS Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and join the FBS Conference USA beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. C-USA will have 11 members in 2025 when Delaware joins if there are no further changes. The CAA will have 15 football members but only 13 full members in 2025.

10/25/23 Update: Army is on the move. The school announced it will join the American Athletic Conference in a football-only move beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The addition of Army will put the AAC back at 14 football members (and 13 full members) with SMU leaving for the ACC following the 2023-24 academic year. The annual Army-Navy game will remain a non-conference matchup in its current calendar slot on the second weekend of December. The two teams could potentially meet in back-to-back weeks if they both reach the AAC Championship Game.

10/23/23 Update: Merrimack and Sacred Heart are leaving the Northeast Conference and will join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The MAAC will be up to 13 members in 2024-25 with Merrimack and Sacred Heart joining current members Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan, Marist, Mount St. Mary’s, Niagara, Quinnipiac, Rider, Saint Peter’s, and Siena. The NEC will fall to 7 members with two (Le Moyne and Stonehill) still in the 4-year transition phase to Division 1. It is not yet known which conference Merrimack and Sacred Heart will join for football.

9/6/23 Update: West Georgia (Carrollton, Georgia) is joining the ASUN (and United Athletic Conference in football) beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Matt Brown of Extra Points was the first to break the news. West Georgia is currently a Division 2 member of the Gulf South Conference and would need to undertake a 4-year transition process to reclassify to Division 1. West Georgia is effectively taking the place of Kennesaw State, which is leaving for C-USA in 2024-25 and will put the ASUN membership at 12 teams. Meanwhile, the UAC would have 10 football members with an 11th on the way in 2025 when UTRGV’s football program begins.

9/1/23 Update: The ACC voted to expand from 14 full members (plus Notre Dame in all sports other than football) to 17 full members. California, SMU, and Stanford will become members effective with the 2024-25 academic year. SMU will forego 9 years of media revenue to join the ACC while Cal and Standford will only receive 30% shares of the ACC payouts. As for the Pac-12, only Oregon State and Washington State remain but that may not last long if the Mountain West or AAC make formal invitations.

8/10/23 Update: Bryant University will leave the Big South-OVC football arrangement to join the CAA as a football-only member. Bryant joined the Big South for football-only in 2022 and will become the 16th football member of the CAA in 2024. What becomes of the Big South’s football schools remains to be seen but there will only be three remaining: Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, and Robert Morris. All three will play in the Big South-OVC Football Association until that agreement is up in 2026 (or sooner based on recent developments).

8/4/23 Update: The Pac-12 has suffered a huge blow as three schools are on the move. Arizona is headed to the Big 12 while the duo of Oregon and Washington are going to the Big Ten. All three moves are effective beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Later on the evening of August 4, the Big 12 voted to accept the membership applications of Arizona State and Utah. The Pac-12 is now down to 4 teams as of this update: California, Oregon State, Stanford, and Washington State… for now.

7/27/23 Update: Another major realignment domino has fallen. Colorado is leaving the Pac-12 to return to the Big 12. The Buffaloes to the Big 12 beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Colorado was a founding member of the Big 12 Conference when it was formed in 1996 and remained until the 2010-11 academic year. After more than a decade in the Pac-12, Colorado will return to become the 13th member, and the Big 12 is likely to make additional moves to reach 14 or 16 full members.

7/1/23 Update: The updates will begin with the backlog of previously known moves. The biggest is that Oklahoma and Texas will leave the Big 12 and join the SEC while UCLA and USC will leave the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten. All four teams will move beginning with the 2024-25 academic year.

Kennesaw State will leave the FCS ranks and the ASUN conference to join Conference USA beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The Owls have performed well at the FCS level and will join former recent FCS programs in Jacksonville State, Liberty, and Sam Houston State.

IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis) will be splitting into 2 separate universities by the start of the 2024-25 academic year. Indiana University will keep the Indianapolis campus location and change the name to Indiana University Indianapolis. Indiana University Indianapolis will retain the IUPUI athletics program and nickname of the Jaguars.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley made it official that football will begin in 2025. The Vaqueros were scheduled to join the WAC in 2025 but the merger of the ASUN and WAC football programs into the United Athletic Conference means UTRGV will join the UAC. In addition, the school announced it added women’s swimming and diving to its sports offerings with the first season in the fall of 2024.

In a football-only move, Western Illinois will leave the Missouri Valley Football Conference and join the Ohio Valley Conference in 2024-25. WIU moved its other sports programs to the OVC effective with the 2023-24 academic year.

NCAA Division 2 Realignment Changes

4/5/24 Update: Ferrum College (Ferrum, Virginia) is moving up from Division 3 to Division 2 beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. The Panthers will apply for D2 membership in February 2025, leave the Old Dominion Athletic Confernece (ODAC), and join Conference Carolinas in the fall of 2025 as part of the 3-year reclassification process. Ferrum will become Conference Carolinas’ 16th member while the ODAC will remain healthy with 14 members.

3/20/24 Update: Division 2’s University of Findlay (Findlay, Ohio) and Division 3’s Bluffton University (Bluffton, Ohio) intend to merge beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. Per the FAQ, the schools intend to keep separate athletic programs with the Findlay campus competing in the D2Great Midwest Athletic Conference and the Bluffton location competing in the D3 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. There are no planned changes to the nicknames and mascots at this time.

2/29/24 Update: Notre Dame College (South Euclid, Ohio) will close after the 2023-24 academic year, ending 102 years of service. NDC is a full member of the Mountain East Conference and is the only MEC school based in Ohio. The MEC is adding Point Park next year from the NAIA and will remain at 11 members despite the closure of Notre Dame College.

1/10/24 Update: For the second time in as many days, a school will leave the NAIA to join NCAA Division 2. Middle Georgia State University (Macon, Georgia) has officially been invited to join the Peach Belt Conference beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. After a three-year reclassification process, the Knights will be full members of the NCAA Division 2 starting with the 2028-29 academic year. MGA’s plans were originally reported in February 2023 by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Knights will depart the Southern States Athletic Conference leaving them with 11 full members and joining the Peach Belt will give the latter 11 full members as well.

1/9/24 Update: The Mountain East Conference has invited Point Park University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Point Park is currently a member of the River State Conference at the NAIA level and would begin a three-year reclassification process with full membership granted in 2027-28. PPU will become the 12th member of the MEC and will add four sports over the following two years as part of the invitation.

11/30/23 Update: The College of Saint Rose (Albany, New York) will close after the 2023-24 academic year. The school recently requested funds from the state of New York and Albany to help stay open but the assistance would take too long to remedy the school’s immediate needs. Saint Rose is a full member of the Northeast-10 Conference.

11/21/23 Update: The University of Jamestown (Jamestown, North Dakota) and the NSIC make it official. The Jimmies will join the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and Division 2 beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. Jamestown will move from the NAIA’s Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) to fellow NAIA North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) for 2024-25 following the GPAC’s motion to remove the school as a member. The NSIC will have 16 members when Jamestown joins, assuming no additional realignment changes occur.

11/20/23 Update: Northeastern State (Tahlequah, Oklahoma) is leaving the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) temporarily for the 2024 season in football only. The MIAA approved the university’s request to compete as a Division 2 independent team for 2024 and its current conference schedule will be treated as a non-conference game. MIAA schools are also allowed to find a different opponent the week they are scheduled to play against NSU.

11/13/23 Update: The University of California, Merced is on the way to NCAA Division 2, according to Matt Brown of Extra Points. UC Merced is currently a member of the NAIA’s California Pacific Conference and will join the California Collegiate Athletic Association beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. UC Merced would be the 13th member of the CCAA and is the 5th member of the NAIA’s Cal Pac slated to leave in 2024-25 leaving that conference with only 8 members.

9/14/23 Update: Trevecca Nazarene (Nashville, Tennessee) will leave the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) and join the Gulf South Conference beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. TNU will help offset the loss of West Georgia, which announced it will leave the GSC and move up to Division 1 earlier in September although TNU does not have a football team. The GSC will have 11 members beginning in 2024-25 as of this update.

7/20/23 Update: The University of Texas at Dallas is on the move after it accepted an invite from the Division 2 Lone Star Conference. The Comets will apply for NCAA Division 2 provisional membership to begin with the 2024-25 academic year. The school would then join the Lone Star starting with the 2025-26 academic year. UTD is currently a member of the Division 3 American Southwest Conference, which has been hemorrhaging members. The ASC only has 5 committed members as of this update with East Texas Baptist, Hardin-Simmons, Howard Payne, LeTourneau, and Mary Hardin-Baylor.

7/14/23 Update: Talladega College‘s (Talladega, Alabama) application to the NCAA was not accepted by the Division 2 Membership Committee. The school announced in early 2023 they intended to leave the NAIA and join the NCAA but that will not happen. The earliest the transition could begin is 2024-25, however, that requires acceptance by the NCAA membership committee. It is unclear why Talladega’s application was not accepted.

7/1/23 Update: Anderson University (Anderson, South Carolina) will be adding football with the intent to join the South Atlantic Conference starting with the 2024-25 season.

Arkansas-Fort Smith (Fort Smith, Arkansas) will leave the Lone Star Conference to join the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. UAFS will become the 14th member of the MIAA when they join and will offset the loss of Lincoln (Missouri) the same year. The MIAA will be comprised of members from Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Lincoln University (Jefferson City, Missouri) will be moving to the Great Lakes Valley Conference beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Lincoln University also announced it will add baseball, men’s soccer, and women’s soccer as part of the move to the GLVC.

Conference Carolinas’ decision to bring back football starting in 2025-26 will result in numerous changes at the D2 level. Barton, Chowan, Erskine, North Greenville, Shorter, and UNC Pembroke are the six teams that will compete in the first season back. Barton will move over from the South Atlantic Conference. Chowan, Erskine, and North Greenville will leave the Gulf South Conference to join the CC. Shorter University will spend the 2023 season in the Gulf South but then become a D2 independent for the 2024 season and move to the CC in 2025. UNC Pembroke will leave the Mountain East Conference.

The PacWest Conference will add three members beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Jessup University (Rocklin, California), Menlo College (Atherton, California), and Vanguard University (Costa Mesa, California) will leave the NAIA’s Golden State Athletic Conference to transition into the NCAA.

Post University (Waterbury, Connecticut) will be joining the Northeast-10 Conference as a football-only member beginning in 2024-25. The Eagles recently moved football from a sprint team to a varsity team and spent the 2022 season as a Division 2 independent. Post will be an independent once again in 2023 before joining the NE-10 in 2024.

Roosevelt University (Chicago, Illinois) has completed and submitted its application to become a member at the NCAA Division 2 level. The school has already been accepted as a provisional member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and would spend the 2023-24 season in its current NAIA conference – the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The school would be eligible for GLIAC championships beginning in 2024-25 and NCAA championships in 2026-27.

Sul Ross State will join the Lone Start Conference for the 2024-25 academic year. Sul Ross State currently plays in the Division 3 American Southwest Conference, which they have been a member of since the conference’s inception in 1996.

Talladega College (Talladega, Alabama) is also looking to move up to the NCAA Division 2 level. They were previously a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and that is where they hope to return. The transition process will begin in 2023-24 and they would become a SIAC member in 2024-25 if they were invited.

Talladega is not the only SSAC school with NCAA Division 2 aspirations. Middle Georgia State (Macon, Georgia) announced they plan to apply to Division 2 (paywall warning) and are targeting a 2025-26 start date as a provisional NCAA member. Middle Georgia State plans to join the Peach Belt Conference to help reduce travel but they will need to apply to the PBC first (and then get accepted).

NCAA Division 3 Realignment Changes

4/23/24 Update: Hiram College (Hiram, Ohio) will leave the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) and join the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. Hiram was previously a member of the PAC from 1971 through 1989. The PAC will be at 12 members when Hiram joins while the NCAC will remain at 9 with Hiram leaving and John Carroll joining in 2025.

4/16/24 Update: LeTourneau University (Longview, Texas) is leaving the American Southwest Conference (ASC) to join the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), according to Cory Hogue of Texas Football. The move is effective with the 2025-26 academic year and is another blow to the ASC, which will be at just four full members in 2025. Currently, East Texas Baptist, Hardin-Simmons, Howard Payne, and Mary Hardin-Baylor are committed to the ASC but may not last much longer in the conference.

4/3/24 Update: The State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz) is leaving the State University of New York Athletic Confernece (SUNYAC) following the 2025-26 academic year. It is not known which conference SUNY New Paltz will join beginning with the 2026-27 academic year.

3/26/24 Update: Birmingham-Southern College (Birmingham, Alabama) will close after the 2023-24 academic year. BSC had been in a precarious state for many months in an attempt to secure additional funding to remain open. However, legislative avenues have failed and the school will not re-open for the 2024-25 academic year. BSC is a full member of the Southern Athletic Association (SAA).

3/20/24 Update: Division 2’s University of Findlay (Findlay, Ohio) and Division 3’s Bluffton University (Bluffton, Ohio) intend to merge beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. Per the FAQ, the schools intend to keep separate athletic programs with the Findlay campus competing in the D2Great Midwest Athletic Conference and the Bluffton location competing in the D3 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. There are no planned changes to the nicknames and mascots at this time.

In additional D3 news, Johnson & Wales (Providence, Rhode Island) changed its timeline for a conference membership change. JWU will leave the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) a year later than originally planned and join the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) in 2025-26.

3/15/24 Update: Three schools will spend the 2024-25 academic year as exploratory members of Division 3: Johnson & Wales University (Charlotte, North Carolina), Mayville State University (Mayville, North Dakota), and Regent University (Virginia Beach, Virginia). JWU is attempting to reclassify from the USCAA, Mayville State from the NAIA, and Regent from the NCCAA. Should the three schools complete the exploratory year, they will begin the three-year provisional membership phase in 2025-26.

3/11/24 Update: Fontbonne University (Clayton, Missouri) will close after the 2024-25 academic year and will not reopen beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. The campus will be purchased by neighboring Washington University and allow the school to remain open through the 2025 summer term. The school intends to compete in athletics for the 2024-25 academic year but will not enroll any new students for the fall 2024 semester making it likely some teams will not have enough athletes to compete. Fontbonne is a full member of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC).

1/5/24 Update: John Carroll (University Heights, Ohio) is leaving the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) to join the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. JCU has been a member of the OAC since 1989 and it will be the first change to OAC’s membership in a quarter century when Hiram left in 1999. The NCAC will have 10 members when John Carroll joins while the OAC will be at 9.

Penn State Brandywine (Middletown, Pennsylvania) will join the United East beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The Nittany Lions are spending the 2023-24 academic year as an exploratory member of Division 3 and will become a provisional member in 2024-25. Brandywine will become the 18th member of the United East and will likely be placed in the Volt division with fellow Penn State campuses Abington, Berks, and Harrisburg.

11/29/23 Update: The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) has kicked out four football members beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. Massachusetts-Dartmouth, Plymouth State, Vermont State-Castleton, and Western Connecticut State will be forced to find a new football home by 2025. No reason was provided by the MASCAC and the four schools have a few options despite the suddenness of the news.

11/22/23 Update: Texas Lutheran (Seguin, Texas) will move its football team from the American Southwest Conference to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. TLU was already a member of the SCAC in most other sports and was slated to move its football team to the SCAC by 2025 but that timeline has been moved up a year as the ASC has seen its membership numbers fall quickly with only 4 remaining in football.

11/21/23 Update: The State University of New York Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly; Marcy, New York) is moving from the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) to the Empire 8 beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. SUNY Poly is the third SUNY school that will move to the Empire 8 in 2024-25 alongside SUNY Brockport and SUNY Geneseo and will push the Empire 8 to 12 members. Meanwhile, the NAC will have 11 members in 2024-25.

11/15/23 Update: New England College (Henniker, New Hampshire) is making a future football-only move. The school announced it was bringing back football for the 2024-25 academic year and will play a condensed first season. Beginning in 2025-26, the school will join the Commonwealth Coast Conference for football due to its primary conference – the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) – not sponsoring the sport.

10/10/23 Update: There were two additional football-only moves announced beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. The duo of Alfred State (Alfred, New York) and Dean College (Franklin, Massachusetts) are leaving the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) to join the Empire 8 and Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), respectively. The ECFC has only one member remaining in Gallaudet but they too are exploring a possible move.

10/6/23 Update: Asbury University (Wilmore, Kentucky) has found a new home. Asbury will no longer be an independent team and will join the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Asbury began the transition from NAIA to D3 starting with the 2021-22 academic year and will be a full D3 member beginning in 2024-25. The Eagles will help offset the loss of Berea College, which will keep the CCS at 9 full members next year.

10/5/23 Update: Three moves were announced on October 5 at the D3 level. Anna Maria College (Paxton, Massachusetts) will leave the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) to join the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. The football team will leave the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) to join the MASCAC. The AMCATS will become the first private school to become a full member of the MASCAC.

The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) announced the addition of two new members with SUNY Canton and SUNY Morrisville becoming full members in 2024-25. The SUNYAC will be back at 10 members with Canton and Morrisville replacing the departing SUNY Brockport and SUNY Geneseo.

9/19/23 Update: Regent University (Virginia Beach, Virginia) is looking to join the NCAA Division 3 beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Regent is currently a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). Should Regent’s application be accepted, the 2024-25 academic year would be an exploratory year followed by three additional years as a provisional member. Regent is planning to add additional sports to be in compliance with the NCAA such as baseball, men’s volleyball, and softball. It is not yet known which conference Regent will join.

In March 2024, Regent was accepted by the NCAA to complete an exploratory year for the 2024-25 academic year. Regent will compete in the NCCAA for the 2024-25 academic year.

8/21/23 Update: The Empire 8 Conference will add two new members beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. State University of New York at Brockport (SUNY Brockport) and State University of New York at Geneseo (SUNY Geneseo) will both leave the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC). The Empire 8 will grow to 11 members while the SUNYAC will fall to 8 full members in 2024-25. Brockport is familiar with the Empire 8 as the football team is already an affiliate member of the conference.

7/1/23 Update: There are some big changes coming to the American Southwest and Southern Collegiate Athletic Conferences in the future. Six schools will leave the ASC to join other D3 conferences. Leaving the ASC to join the SCAC beginning in 2024-25 are Austin College (football-only move), Concordia (TX), McMurry, Texas Lutheran (joining no later than 2026-27 but possibly earlier), and the University of the Ozarks.

The moves don’t stop there for the SCAC. Centenary College (LA) will revive its football program, which will begin competition in 2024-25 in the SCAC while Schreiner University will start its own football program to join the SCAC in 2025 or 2026. Lyon College will also join the SCAC as a football-only member beginning in 2024-25.

Southwestern (TX) previously left the ASC as a football-only affiliate for the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) but that will change to full membership beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. Southwestern joined the SAA as a football-only affiliate in 2023-24. Southwestern will be joined by Trinity (TX) in the SAA in 2025-26 as well. Trinity is already a football-only member of the SAA and will move all sports from the SCAC to the SAA.

Berea College (Berea, Kentucky) is leaving the Collegiate Conference of the South to join the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Berea will be the 11th member of the HCAC assuming there are no defections between now and the 2024-25 season.

Cabrini University (Radnor, Pennsylvania) will be sold to Villanova University in nearby Philadelphia. Cabrini will be open for the 2023-24 academic year but will no longer exist beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Students that remain with the school will matriculate to Villanova beginning in 2024-25. Cabrini is a full member of the Division 3 Atlantic East Conference and will remain at 7 schools with the addition of Pratt and the loss of Cabrini.

Speaking of Pratt, the Pratt Institute (Brooklyn, New York) will leave the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) and join the Atlantic East Conference beginning in the 2024-25 academic year. The C2C is made up of schools all across the US to help with athletic scheduling while the AEC will be comprised of schools from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia when Pratt joins.

Calvin University (Grand Rapids, Michigan) – currently a member of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association – is adding a football program. The school will play its inaugural season in 2024-25.

Hilbert College (Hamburg, New York) will leave its current football-independent status to join the Empire 8 starting in the 2024-25 academic year. Hilbert started its football program in 2022 but did not announce a conference affiliation for the program at the time. The school’s main conference – the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference – does not sponsor football but the school will continue to house most of its sports in the AMCC.

Johnson & Wales University (Providence, Rhode Island) will leave the Great Northeast Athletic Conference and join the Commonwealth Coast Conference starting in 2024-25. The Wildcats will become the 11th member of the conference when they join. Maine Maritime is attempting to restart its football team after shutting it down during the pandemic. The school announced in October 2022 that it raised $56,000 in an effort to bring the football team back. The school is targeting the 2025 season for its first season back on the gridiron in the Commonwealth Coast Conference.

New England College (Henniker, New Hampshire) announced it is bringing back football. The first football season for the Pilgrims will be 2024-25. NEC is leaving the New England Collegiate Conference after the 2022-23 academic year to join the Great Northeast Athletic Conference beginning with the 2023-24 academic year. The GNAC does not sponsor football and the future conference for the NEC football team will be confirmed at a later date.

Penn State Brandywine has been approved for an exploratory year at the NCAA Division 3 level starting in 2023-24. PSU Brandywine intends to join Division 3 and the exploratory year will help ensure they will meet the requirements necessary to complete the transition. Should the school finish the exploratory year and wish to continue the transition process, it would have another three full academic years as a provisional member meaning it would become a full NCAA Division 3 member in 2027-28. Currently and for the 2023-24 academic year, PSU Brandywine is a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, which is comprised of two-year colleges. Brandywine is also a member of the Penn State University Athletic Conference.

Roanoke College (Salem, Virginia) is moving forward with a return to the gridiron after it eclipsed its fundraising goal of $1.2 million. The school is planning to have a club football team in 2024 before it launches a varsity return in 2025. The Maroons are a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and will become the ODAC’s 9th football member in 2025.

Vermont State-Castleton (Castleton, Vermont) will leave the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference to join the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Castleton is a full member of the Little East Conference but the LEC doesn’t sponsor football.

NAIA Realignment Changes

4/26/24 Update: The University of Saint Katherine (San Marcos, California) has shut down with immediate effect. The school no longer has the financial resources to remain open and will file for bankruptcy protection. USK was a member of the California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac).

4/23/24 Update: The University of Rio Grande (Rio Grande, Ohio) is bringing back football and plans to join the Appalachian Athletic Conference beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. The school last played football in 1950. Rio Grande is a full member of the River States Conference but the RSC doesn’t sponsor football.

4/8/24 Update: Two schools were accepted into the NAIA and will move in the next two years. Carolina University (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) will leave the National Christian Collegiate Athletics Association (NCCAA) and join the NAIA beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Meanwhile, Bismarck State (Bismarck, North Dakota) will leave the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) to join the NAIA beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. Conference affiliations will be confirmed at a later date.

4/5/24 Update: Missouri Baptist University (Creve Coeur, Missouri) and William Woods University (Fulton, Missouri) will leave the American Midwest Conference (AMC) to join the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. MBU was already expected to join in 2025-26 while William Woods’ new football program was set to join in 2024-25. Now, WWU will join in all sports the following year to give the HAAC 15 members and put the AMC at 10 (Crowley’s Ridge and Mission are both joining in 2024-25 giving the AMC 12 members for one year).

3/8/24 Update: Union College (Barbourville, Kentucky) is changing its name to Union Commonwealth University. Additional details regarding any possible changes to the current nickname (Bulldogs) or school colors (orange and black) were not provided in the press release. Union is a full member of the Appalachian Athletic Conference

3/5/24 Update: The University of Antelope Valley (Lancaster, California) has been closed after a ruling by California’s Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE). The school was already facing financial issues after its parent company – the Genius Group – missed a lease payment in February. UAV was a full member of the California Pacific Conference.

1/9/24 Update: Missouri Baptist University (Creve Coeur, Missouri) announced it intends to join the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. The Spartans are a full member of the American Midwest Conference and were one of the founding members of the AMC in 1986. The departure would put the AMC at 11 teams as Mission University (formerly Baptist Bible College) and Crowley’s Ridge are set to join in 2024-25.

1/5/24 Update: The North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) will disband following the 2024-25 academic year. The NSAA has 7 full members but three previously found future conferences with Dickinson State joining the Frontier Conference in 2025-26, Viterbo joining the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2024-25, and Waldorf joining the Great Plains Athletic Conference in 2024-25. Jamestown (ND) is joining for 2024-25 but already announced in November 2023 that it would pursue NCAA Division 2 membership starting in 2025-26. Bellevue, Dakota State, Mayville State, and Valley City State are the four schools that will need to find a new home for 2025-26.

12/12/23 Update: Dickinson State (Dickinson, North Dakota) will leave the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) to join the Frontier Conference beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. Beginning in 2025-26, the NSAA will have only four full members left: Bellevue, Dakota State, Mayville State, and Valley City State while the Frontier Conference will be up to 7 full members with Carroll College, Montana State-Northern, Montana Tech, Montana Western, Providence (MT), and Rocky Mountain College in addition to Dickinson State.

11/14/23 Update: The University of Jamestown (Jamestown, North Dakota) will spend the 2024-25 academic year as a member of the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA). Jamestown was voted out of the Great Plains Athletic Conference in October amidst rumors they were seeking to join the NCAA Division 2 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Jamestown is still hoping to start the reclassification process to the NCAA D2 level in 2025-26.

11/8/23 Update: There were multiple NAIA updates including the big news that Multnomah University (Portland, Oregon) will merge with Jessup University (Rocklin, California). The new merger will create the Multnomah Campus of Jessup University. Multnomah will continue to compete in the NAIA as a member of the Cascade Collegiate Conference. Jessup is leaving the NAIA to join NCAA Division 2 Pacific West Conference beginning in 2024-25.

The other news is that the American Midwest Conference is adding two new members beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Mission University (formerly Baptist Bible College; Springfield, Missouri) was already known to be joining the AMC but the conference officially confirmed it. The second school to join the AMC is Crowley’s Ridge (Paragould, Arkansas), which currently participates in the Continental Athletic Conference made up of independent NAIA schools.

10/31/23 Update: Viterbo University (La Crosse, Wisconsin) is leaving the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) to join the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. It’s another blow to the NSAA with Viterbo being the third school to leave the conference after Presentation College (closed down) and Waldorf University (going to the GPAC). The CCAC will be back to 12 members with Viterbo joining and Roosevelt University on its way to the NCAA Division 2 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2024-25

10/12/23 Update: Another day, another GCAC addition. Stillman College (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) will leave the Southern State Atheltic Conference to join the GCAC beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The GCAC is now up to 13 members beginning in 2024-25 with Vorhees and Wilberforce also coming on board at the same time.

10/11/23 Update: The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) has preemptively voted the University of Jamestown (Jamestown, North Dakota) out of the conference effective with the 2024-25 academic year. Jamestown was previously reported to be in discussion with the NCAA Division 2 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) to join. Whether the NSIC invites Jamestown is expected to be determined by the end of 2023.

In other NAIA realignment news, Vorhees University (Denmark, South Carolina) is also joining the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Vorhees is currently an NAIA independent in the Continental Athletic Conference but was a member of the GCAC from 2013 through 2015. With Vorhees in the mix, GCAC will be up to 12 full members beginning in 2024-25.

10/9/23 Update: Wilberforce University (Wilberforce, Ohio) will join the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. The school left the Mid-South Conference following the 2022-23 academic year to become an NAIA independent in the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC). Wilberforce is making the change to realign with the only HBCU conference at the NAIA level and will give the GCAC 11 members when it joins in 2024-25.

10/2/23 Update: It was moving day as five schools will be formally admitted to the NAIA beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (Tifton, Georgia) and Spartanburg Methodist College (Spartanburg, South Carolina) will leave the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) to join the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) and Continental Athletic Conference (CAC), respectively. The possible move of ABAC to the NAIA was reported back in May 2023.

Baptist Bible College (Springfield, Missouri) will leave the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) with the hopes of joining the American Midwest Conference. This move was reported back in February 2023.

The New College of Florida (Sarasota, Florida) will join the NAIA after it was reported in May 2023 that it was planning to join the Sun Conference. NCoF is starting a new athletics program after receiving funding from the state of Florida and will have a recurring $10 million in support annually.

The final team that was announced as a new NAIA member in 2024-25 was Defiance College (Defiance, Ohio). Defiance will leave the NCAA Division 3 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC). Defiance will join the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) with football moving to the Mid-State Football Association.

9/18/23 Update: Waldorf University (Forest City, Iowa) will leave the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) to join the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) effective with the 2024-25 academic year. The change will further put the NSAA in a precarious position with only 6 full members. Meanwhile, the GPAC will be up to 13 full members although that may not last long if Jamestown (ND) moves up to the NCAA Division 2 Northern Sun Conference as recently reported.

7/25/23 Update: The Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) announced two football additions beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. St. Ambrose (Davenport, Iowa) will spend the 2023-24 academic year in the Mid-States Football Association before moving to the HAAC in 2024-25. The other addition is Williams Woods (Fulton, Missouri), which announced a new football program earlier in 2023 and its inaugural season will be in 2024-25 in the HAAC.

The HAAC will feature 14 football members in 2024 split into two divisions: the North and South. In the North division will be Clarke University, Culver-Stockton, Graceland University, Grand View, Peru State, St. Ambrose, and William Penn. Competing in the South division will be Baker University, Benedictine (KS), Central Methodist, MidAmerica Nazarene, Missouri Baptist, Missouri Valley College, and William Woods.

7/1/23 Update: Baptist Bible College (Springfield, Missouri) is planning to apply for membership to the NAIA in the summer of 2023 with the hopes of starting its NAIA tenure in 2024. The Patriots are currently a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association as an independent in the Central Region of NCCAA’s Division 1 level. If accepted, Baptist Bible College will try to join the NAIA’s American Midwest Conference.

Bismarck State (Bismarck, North Dakota) is planning to join the NAIA in the future although it has yet to set a definite timetable for the move. Bismarck State is currently a two-year college but will transition to a 4-year college along with the move to NAIA. The logical destination for Bismarck is the North Star Athletic Association. There have been no recent updates to this plan.

The Golden State Athletic Conference will add 4 new members in 2024-25 to offset recently announced membership departures. The GSAC will raid the NAIA’s California Pacific Conference for Benedictine-Mesa (Mesa, Arizona), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Prescott, Arizona), Park-Gilbert (Gilbert, Arizona), and Saint Katherine (San Marcos, California). Those four schools will replace the trio of Jessup University, Menlo College, and Westmont College leaving for the NCAA Division 2 PacWest Conference.

College of the Ozarks (Point Lookout, Missouri) is returning to the NAIA after a two-year stint in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). Ozarks will remain a member of the NCCAA in certain sports but will be back in the NAIA starting with the 2023-24 academic year. There is no word on which conference the school will join but it was a member of the Continental Athletic Conference, which is a conference made up of independent programs.

The New College of Florida (Sarasota, Florida) is starting an athletic program and seeking to join the NAIA. The school will apply to the NAIA in the summer of 2023 with the aim of eventually joining the Sun Conference. They are starting with six sports: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, and softball.

One team will leave the NAIA entirely as Ohio Christian University (Circleville, Ohio) will compete entirely in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). The school will remain a member of the River States Conference for the 2023-24 academic year before shifting all sports to the NCCAA beginning in 2024-25.

Simpson University (Redding, California) has decided to add a football program to its athletics offerings. The school plans to scrimmage for the 2023 season followed by a full season in 2024. It is not yet known which conference they will join at the NAIA level.

Stanton University (Garden Grove, California) announced it will start an athletics program beginning with the 2024-25 academic year and be dual members of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association and the NAIA. The school will be known as the Stanton Fighting Elks and have both varsity and club sport. Stanton hopes to have varsity sports in golf, basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, and volleyball in time for the 2024-25 seasons.

William Woods (Fulton, Missouri) is also joining the gridiron as the school announced it would start a football team. The program will kick off its first season in 2024 and will also add women’s flag football in 2025. William Woods is a member of the American Midwest Conference, which doesn’t sponsor football. WWU did not identify which conference it will join for football.

Photo courtesy of AP Photo / Jeffrey McWhorter