This is a list of colleges and universities that are members of Division I, the highest level of competition sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Currently, there are 364 institutions classified as Division I (including those in the process of transitioning from other divisions), making it the second largest division by school count in the NCAA.[1] An additional 206 institutions in one of the NCAA's other two divisions compete or will compete in Division I in at least one sport. All colleges and universities on this list are located in the United States; all states (except Alaska) plus the District of Columbia are represented by full members. Information in this list represents the current 2024–25 seasons.
Full members
editThese schools are full members of Division I, meaning they either have finished the process of joining Division I or were members of its predecessor, the University Division.
| Returning | Departing | Joining |
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Since the 2023 season, most football-sponsoring members of the Atlantic Sun Conference and Western Athletic Conference play that sport in the United Athletic Conference (UAC), a football-only merger of the two all-sports conferences. Exceptions:
- Transitional D-I member Bellarmine plays sprint football, a non-NCAA variant with severe limits on player weight.
- Stetson plays in the Pioneer Football League.
- ^ Alcorn State has a Lorman mailing address, but is in an unincorporated area of Claiborne County that is designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as Alcorn State, Mississippi.
- ^ Arizona State has four physical campuses in the Phoenix area. The overall and athletic administration, as well as the vast majority of the on-campus enrollment, are at the Tempe campus.
- ^ While Bellarmine remains non-football by NCAA criteria, it began playing sprint football, a weight-restricted form of American football governed outside the NCAA, in 2022.
- ^ Chestnut Hill, home to the main Boston College campus, exists as a village and postal entity, but is not a municipal entity. The main campus lies in the city of Newton, and athletic facilities are scattered among three campuses, two in Newton and the other within the Boston city limits.
- ^ a b c d The America East Conference does not sponsor football. As of the 2024 season, its four football-sponsoring schools (Albany, Bryant, Maine, and New Hampshire) play in CAA Football, the legally separate football league administered by the all-sports Coastal Athletic Association.
- ^ a b c d The Big East Conference does not sponsor football. Its football-sponsoring schools are aligned as follows:
- Butler plays in the Pioneer Football League.
- Georgetown plays in the Patriot League.
- UConn plays as an FBS independent.
- Villanova plays in CAA Football.
- ^ a b c The Big West Conference does not sponsor football. Its football-playing members are aligned as follows:
- Cal Poly and UC Davis play in the Big Sky Conference.
- Hawaiʻi plays in the Mountain West Conference.
- ^ The university began the process of rebranding its athletic program as "Bakersfield" in the 2023–24 school year.[2] Most national media outlets use "Cal State Bakersfield", and the NCAA uses "CSU Bakersfield".
- ^ Although all other athletic teams use the name "Beach", Long Beach baseball goes by the name "Dirtbags".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i The Coastal Athletic Association's football league, branded as CAA Football, is a legally separate entity from the all-sports CAA, though both share the same administration.
- ^ While "Charleston" is the preferred description for the athletic program, it can also be referred to by the full school name or "Charleston (SC)" due to the existence of the University of Charleston, a Division II institution in West Virginia's state capital. However, the West Virginia school plays only one sport in Division I—men's volleyball, a sport not sponsored by the South Carolina school.
- ^ a b c d e f g The Atlantic 10 Conference does not sponsor football. Its football-playing members are aligned as follows:
- Davidson and Dayton play in the Pioneer Football League.
- Duquesne plays in the Northeast Conference.
- Fordham plays in the Patriot League.
- Rhode Island and Richmond play in CAA Football. Richmond will leave CAA Football in 2025 to become a Patriot League football associate.
- UMass plays as an FBS independent through the 2024 season, after which it will leave the A-10 for the Mid-American Conference.
- ^ a b Both Delaware and Delaware State are legally chartered as "privately governed, state-assisted" institutions. This status is similar to that of New York State's statutory colleges, most of which are housed at Cornell University, or institutions in Pennsylvania's Commonwealth System of Higher Education.
- ^ a b c d e f g h The Missouri Valley Conference does not sponsor football. Its football-playing schools are aligned as follows:
- Drake and Valparaiso play in the Pioneer Football League.
- Illinois State, Indiana State, Missouri State, Murray State, Northern Iowa, and Southern Illinois play in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, a legally separate entity from the MVC. Missouri State will leave the MVC and MVFC in 2025 to join Conference USA.
- ^ National media outlets generally use "Florida Gulf Coast", but the school, NCAA, and ASUN all use "FGCU".
- ^ The FGCU campus has a Fort Myers mailing address, but is in unincorporated Lee County.
- ^ The FIU campus has a Miami mailing address, but is in the unincorporated Miami-Dade County community of Westchester.
- ^ The main George Mason campus has a Fairfax mailing address, but the U.S. Census Bureau treats it as George Mason, Virginia, a census-designated place in unincorporated Fairfax County.
- ^ While "Bulldogs" is the official nickname, the school widely uses "Zags" as an alternate nickname.
- ^ a b Grand Canyon and Seattle will join the West Coast Conference in 2025.
- ^ While Harvard's overall administration and undergraduate campus are in Cambridge, the athletic department offices and most athletic venues are within the Boston city limits and have a Boston mailing address.
- ^ While this is the legal school name, "Iowa State University" is used on many official school documents, such as diplomas.
- ^ The KSU campus has a Kennesaw mailing address, but is in unincorporated Cobb County.
- ^ Long Island University has two main campuses, both of which had separate athletic programs before 2019–20—LIU Brooklyn in the New York City borough of that name, and LIU Post in Brookville. The overall athletic administration is at Post, but multiple teams operate from each campus. All of LIU's current NCAA teams are open to undergraduates at both campuses who meet NCAA eligibility requirements.
- ^ The MAAC does not sponsor football. Of the three full MAAC members that play football in the 2024 season, Marist plays that sport in the Pioneer Football League, and 2024 arrivals Merrimack and Sacred Heart play as FCS independents.
- ^ a b Merrimack and Sacred Heart play the 2024 football season as FCS independents.
- ^ The MVSU campus has an Itta Bena mailing address, but lies in unincorporated Leflore County and is designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi.
- ^ a b Delaware and Missouri State will join Conference USA in 2025.
- ^ Morehead State plays football in the Pioneer Football League instead of the Big South–OVC alliance.
- ^ The Mount St. Mary's campus has an Emmitsburg mailing address, but lies in unincorporated Frederick County.
- ^ The Niagara campus is its own census-designated place and postal entity within the town of Lewiston.
- ^ a b c d The Summit League does not sponsor football. As of the 2024 season, its football-playing members are aligned as follows:
- North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, and South Dakota State play in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
- Transitional D-I member St. Thomas plays in the Pioneer Football League.
- ^ The main Oakland campus has a Rochester mailing address, but lies entirely within the separate cities of Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills.
- ^ a b The last remaining members of the Pac-12, Oregon State and Washington State, are housing most of their non-football sports in the West Coast Conference through the 2025–26 school year.
- ^ The Pepperdine campus has a Malibu mailing address, but is in unincorporated Los Angeles County.
- ^ Presbyterian football plays in the Pioneer Football League.
- ^ a b The Horizon League does not sponsor football. The conference's only football-sponsoring schools, Robert Morris and Youngstown State, respectively play that sport in the Northeast Conference and Missouri Valley Football Conference.
- ^ The Rutgers campus is split between New Brunswick and Piscataway. The university administration is in New Brunswick; the athletic program offices and all athletic facilities are in Piscataway and have a Piscataway mailing address.
- ^ Saint Joseph's campus is split by the boundary between Philadelphia and Lower Merion Township. The entire campus has a Philadelphia mailing address.
- ^ The university, Western Athletic Conference, and NCAA all use "Seattle U". National media typically omit the "U".
- ^ While this is the school's preferred athletic identity, the OVC uses "Southeast Missouri", and the NCAA and national media use "Southeast Missouri State".
- ^ While national sports media generally use "SIU Edwardsville", the school, the Ohio Valley Conference, and the NCAA all use "SIUE".
- ^ The SMU campus has a Dallas mailing address, but almost entirely lies within University Park, a separate city within the Dallas city limits.
- ^ While this is the legal name, "The University of Iowa" has been used for all official purposes since 1964.
- ^ While this is the legal name, "University at Albany" is used in most non-formal contexts.
- ^ Alternately "UAlbany".
- ^ While this is the legal name used on official documents such as diplomas, "Binghamton University" is used for all other purposes. The university actively discourages media use of the full name, or of any formulation in which "Binghamton" is preceded by "SUNY" (whether spelled out or abbreviated).
- ^ The Binghamton campus has a Binghamton mailing address, but mostly lies in the adjacent town of Vestal.
- ^ While this is the legal name, "University at Buffalo" is used in all but the most formal contexts.
- ^ The UB campus has a Buffalo mailing address, but mostly lies in the adjacent town of Amherst.
- ^ While this is the legal name, "Stony Brook University" is used in all but the most formal contexts.
- ^ The statute that added Stephen F. Austin (SFA) to the University of Texas System specified the university's legal name as "Stephen F. Austin State University, a member of The University of Texas System". SFA continues to use its previous name, without the added phrase, for most purposes.
- ^ The school brands its athletic program as simply "Tarleton", but the NCAA and national media outlets generally append "State".
- ^ a b c As members of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education, Penn State, Pitt, and Temple are privately governed, but receive financial support from the Pennsylvania state government.
- ^ The entire Penn State campus is designated by the U.S. Postal Service as "University Park, Pennsylvania". It straddles the boundary between State College, which hosts the core of the academic campus, and College Township, where most athletic facilities are located.
- ^ While UTRGV has multiple campuses within its service area, its overall and athletic administration are at the Edinburg campus.
- ^ UTRGV has committed to adding a football program at the FCS level in 2025. Barring future conference realignment, it will play that sport in the Southland Conference.
- ^ Virtually all of the Air Force Academy, including the cadet area and all athletic venues, is outside the city limits of Colorado Springs. The U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Postal Service respectively designate the Academy as "Air Force Academy" and "USAF Academy".
- ^ The Academy, Patriot League, and NCAA use "Army West Point"; national media use "Army".
- ^ Army football currently plays in the American Athletic Conference.
- ^ Navy football plays in the American Athletic Conference.
- ^ The UCSB campus has a Santa Barbara mailing address, but lies in the nearby census-designated place of Isla Vista.
- ^ The main UCF campus has an Orlando mailing address, but is in unincorporated Orange County.
- ^ The university administration and most of the undergraduate campus are located in Urbana. The athletic department offices and most of the athletic venues are in Champaign and have a Champaign mailing address.
- ^ National media typically use "Louisiana–Monroe", but the school, the Sun Belt Conference, and the NCAA all primarily use "ULM".
- ^ The campus mailing address is Baltimore.
- ^ The UMES campus has a Princess Anne mailing address, but lies in unincorporated Somerset County.
- ^ The university uses "Massachusetts" and "UMass" interchangeably. The NCAA uses "Massachusetts", while national media typically use "UMass".
- ^ UMass will join the Mid-American Conference in 2025.
- ^ While this is the legal name, it is only used in documents internal to the University of Missouri System. For all other formal purposes, "University of Missouri" is used.
- ^ The U.S. Postal Service considers all unincorporated communities in the Las Vegas Valley, including Paradise, to have a Las Vegas address.
- ^ National media outlets generally use "UNC Wilmington", but the school, NCAA, and CAA all use "UNCW".
- ^ Notre Dame football plays as an FBS independent, although it has an extensive cross-scheduling agreement with the ACC in that sport.
- ^ The West Coast Conference does not sponsor football. San Diego, the conference's only football school, plays in the Pioneer Football League.
- ^ This is the school's preferred usage, although national media will generally use "South Carolina Upstate".
- ^ This is the school's preferred athletic usage, and is generally used by national media. The NCAA, however, uses "Southern California" (a use accepted by the athletic program) because "USC" can also refer to the University of South Carolina.
- ^ While national media typically use "Incarnate Word", the school generally uses "UIW", with the NCAA using the latter.
- ^ The entire Virginia campus has a Charlottesville mailing address. The university straddles the boundary between Charlottesville and Albemarle County, which encloses but does not include the city of Charlottesville.
- ^ The campus has a Villanova mailing address; that community is a census-designated place that straddles the boundary between Lower Merion and Radnor Townships.
- ^ Western Illinois joined the Big South–OVC football alliance in 2024.
- ^ The Wright State campus has a Dayton mailing address but lies well to the east of the city limits in Fairborn.
Transitioning members
editThese schools are at some point in the process of joining Division I, but as of 2023, have not yet finished the process and thus aren't yet full members. Unless stated otherwise, all transitions begin and end on July 1 of a given year.
Approved reclassifications
editAll moves between divisions require NCAA approval before commencing. These schools gained this approval and as such have begun their transitions.
- ^ Previously known as Texas A&M University–Commerce when it began its reclassification, and changed its name to East Texas A&M University in November 2024.[3]
- ^ Le Moyne's campus has a Syracuse mailing address, but is almost entirely located in the adjacent town of DeWitt.
- ^ Lindenwood football plays in the Big South–OVC Football Association, a single-sport alliance between the OVC and the Big South Conference.
- ^ While Southern Indiana has an Evansville mailing address, it is actually located outside of the Evansville city limits in Perry Township, a subdivision of Vanderburgh County that includes a small part of Evansville proper.
- ^ West Georgia football will join the single-sport United Athletic Conference.
Partial members
editThese schools are not members of Division I, but rather are members of Division II or Division III that compete in one or more sports at the Division I level. In many cases, these institutions play in Division I because their divisions do not have championships for a particular sport. Four institutions, all Division II members, fielded teams in a Division I sport for the first time in the 2024–25 school year. Rockhurst added men's volleyball; Menlo, Roosevelt, and Vanguard, which played that sport in the NAIA in 2023–24, aligned fully with the NCAA.
Current partial members
edit| Returning | Departing | Joining |
Future partial members
editThese schools that are members of other divisions, or of the NAIA, have announced their intentions to field one team at the Division I level sometime after the 2024–25 school year. NAIA members listed here have either started transitions to the NCAA or have announced plans to do so.
Years of joining reflect calendar years. For schools that will play only spring sports at the D-I level, the calendar year of joining is the year before the first season of competition.
| School | Common name | Teams | Location | State | Type | Division | Joining | Future D-I sport(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California, Merced | UC Merced | Golden Bobcats | Merced | CA | Public | II | 2025 | Men's volleyball, men's and women's water polo |
| University of Jamestown | Jamestown | Jimmies | Jamestown | ND | Private | II | 2025 | Men's volleyball |
| Southwest Baptist University | Southwest Baptist | Bearcats | Bolivar | MO | Private | II | 2025 | Men's volleyball |
Former full members
editThis list includes institutions that sponsored athletic programs that competed at the highest level in the NCAA (Division I 1973-present, University Division 1957-1973). Schools that were deemed major schools in athletics before 1957 are not included in this list.
- ^ In 2017, Armstrong State University was consolidated with Georgia Southern University.
- ^ Discontinued all athletics in 2017.
- ^ Formerly known as Augusta State University until January 2013, when it merged with another Augusta institution (Georgia Health Sciences University) to create Georgia Regents University. At the time of the merger, only GRU (as Augusta State) had an athletic program, and GRU's sports teams continued to compete as Augusta State through the end of the 2012–13 school year. The school changed its name again to the current Augusta University in 2015.
- ^ Currently competes in Division I in men's and women's golf.
- ^ Closed at the end of the 2023–24 school year.
- ^ After the 2019–20 season, Long Island University merged the athletic programs of its two campuses—the Division I LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds and Division II LIU Post Pioneers—into a single athletic program, the LIU Sharks. The Sharks inherited the athletic legacy of the Brooklyn campus, including its Division I membership, and continues to compete in Division I under the unified LIU name.
- ^ Discontinued all athletics in 2003.
- ^ Discontinued all athletics in 1998.
- ^ Discontinued all athletics in 2023.
- ^ In 2001, United States International University (USIU) merged with California School of Professional Psychology to form the current Alliant International University. USIU sponsored Division I Sports.
- ^ United States International University was located in San Diego but after the merger with California School of Professional Psychology the school also has locations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Irvine, Sacramento, and Fresno.
- ^ Discontinued all athletics in 2007.
- ^ Discontinued all athletics in 1983.
- ^ In 2015, UTPA merged with the University of Texas at Brownsville to create the new University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The merged university inherited UTPA's Division I membership, and continues to compete in Division I under the UTRGV Vaqueros name.
See also
editNotes
edit- h Alabama A&M, Georgia, and South Carolina State use the name Lady Bulldogs for their women's teams.
- i Alabama State and Delaware State use the name Lady Hornets for their women's teams.
- j Alcorn State uses the name Lady Braves for its women's teams.
- k Arkansas–Pine Bluff uses the name Golden Lady Lions for its women's teams.
- m Centenary uses the name Ladies for its women's teams.
- n Central Arkansas uses the name Sugar Bears for its women's teams.
- o Central Missouri uses the name Jennies for its women's teams.
- p Central State uses the name Lady Marauders for its women's teams.
- q Hampton use the name Lady Pirates for their women's teams.
- r Fayetteville State uses the name Lady Broncos for its women's teams.
- s Florida A&M uses the name Lady Rattlers for its women's teams.
- u Georgia Southern and Southern Miss use the name Lady Eagles for their women's teams.
- v Grambling, Jackson State, Tennessee State, and Texas Southern use the name Lady Tigers for their women's teams, while LSU uses it for select women's teams.
- w Hawaiʻi uses the name Rainbow Wāhine for its women's teams. The women's beach volleyball team, while officially Rainbow Wāhine, more commonly uses BeachBows.
- x Howard uses the name Lady Bison for its women's teams.
- y Johnson C. Smith uses the name Lady Golden Bulls for its women's teams.
- aa Kentucky State uses the name Thorobrettes for its women's teams.
- ab Lamar uses the name Lady Cardinals for its women's teams.
- ac Liberty uses the name Lady Flames for its women's teams.
- ad Lipscomb uses the name Lady Bisons for its women's teams.
- ae Louisiana Tech uses the name Lady Techsters for its women's teams.
- af Manhattan uses the name Lady Jaspers for its women's teams.
- ah McNeese, Oklahoma State, and Wyoming use the name Cowgirls for their women's teams.
- ai Mississippi Valley State uses the name Devilettes for its women's teams.
- aj Morgan State uses the name Lady Bears for their women's teams, while Missouri State uses it for its women's basketball team. Missouri State uses Beach Bears for its women's beach volleyball team.
- ak Montana uses the name Lady Griz for its women's basketball team.
- al Northwestern State uses the name Lady Demons for its women's teams.
- am Old Dominion uses the name Lady Monarchs for its women's teams but not its volleyball team.
- an Prairie View A&M uses the name Lady Panthers for its women's teams.
- ao Rhode Island College uses the name Anchorwomen for its women's teams.
- ap Southeastern Louisiana uses the name Lady Lions for their women's teams, while Penn State uses it for its women's basketball team.
- aq Southern uses the name Lady Jaguars for its women's teams.
- ar Stephen F. Austin uses the name Ladyjacks for its women's teams.
- as Tennessee uses the name Lady Volunteers for select women's teams.
- at Texas Tech uses the name Lady Raiders for select women's teams.
- au UMass uses the name Minutewomen for its women's teams.
- av Union College uses the name Dutchwomen for its women's teams.
- aw UNLV uses the names Lady Rebels and Runnin' Rebels for its women's basketball team and its men's basketball team, respectively.
- ax USC uses the name Women of Troy in addition to the name Trojans for its women's teams.
- ay Utah uses the names Red Rocks and Runnin' Utes in addition to the name Utes for its women's gymnastics team and its men's basketball team, respectively.
- az Western Kentucky uses the name Lady Toppers for its women's teams.
- ba Cal Lutheran uses the name Regals for its women's teams.
- bb A combined team of Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, and Scripps College.
- bc The combined team of Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, and Scripps College uses the name Athenas for its women's teams.
- bd A combined team of Pomona College and Pitzer College.
- be The school does not sponsor women's basketball.
- bf Oklahoma Christian uses the name Lady Eagles for its women's teams.
References
edit- ^ "NCAA Directory - Directory - Member Listing". web3.ncaa.org. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ "Brand Guidelines" (PDF). Bakersfield Roadrunners. September 11, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ^ "Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Approves Name Change for Texas A&M University-Commerce". Texas A&M University System. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ "Texas A&M University-Commerce Accepts Invitation to Southland Conference". Texas A&M University-Commerce. September 30, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ "LE MOYNE COLLEGE MAKES MOVE TO DIVISION I: ACCEPTS INVITATION TO JOIN NORTHEAST CONFERENCE". Le Moyne College Athletics. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ "Lindenwood University to Join the Ohio Valley Conference in 2022-23". OVC Sports. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ "Welcome To The Lake Show: Mercyhurst University Accepts Northeast Conference Membership Invite" (Press release). Northeast Conference. April 4, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ "Queens University of Charlotte accepts invitation to NCAA Division I conference". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
- ^ "Stonehill College Accepts Invitation to Join Northeast Conference". Northeast Conference. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ "St. Thomas receives NCAA waiver to join The Summit League in 2021-22". The Summit League. June 17, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ "Southern Indiana joining OVC". Indiana News Journal. February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ "UWG Athletics to Transition to NCAA Division I". West Georgia Athletics. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ "Athletics". Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved 4 March 2024.