NCAA Division II independent schools are four-year institutions that compete incollege athletics at theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at theDivision II level, but do not belong to an establishedcollege athletic conference for a particular sport. These schools may however still compete as members of an athletic conference in other sports. A school may also be fully independent, and not belong to any athletic conference for any sport at all. The reason for independent status varies among institutions, but it is frequently because the school's primary athletic conference does not sponsor a particular sport.
Division II was created in 1973, at a time when the NCAA included dozens of independent members, plus members of conferences who played as independents in one or more sports. The trend toward consolidating the NCAA membership into conferences began in the late 1970s, and within a decade the number of independent programs declined dramatically. The lists below include only the small number of programs still functioning on an independent basis in recent years.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined[a] | Colors | Future conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón[b] | Bayamón, Puerto Rico | 1971 | Public[c] | 2,967 | Cowboys | ? | ||
| University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez[b] | Mayagüez, Puerto Rico | 1911 | Public[c] | 10,716 | Bulldogs | ? | ||
| University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras[b] | San Juan, Puerto Rico | 1903 | Public[c] | 11,493 | Gallitos & Jerezanas | ? | ||
| Saint Augustine's University | Raleigh, North Carolina | 1867 | Episcopal | 960 | Falcons | 2025[d] | ||
| Salem University[e] | Salem, West Virginia | 1888 | Private (For-profit) | 894 | Tigers | 2010; 2016[f] |
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| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined[a] | Left[b] | Colors | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluefield State University[c] | Bluefield, West Virginia | 1895 | Public (HBCU) | 1,246 | Big Blue | 2013 | 2023 | Central (CIAA) | |
| University of Denver | Denver, Colorado | 1864 | Nonsectarian | 14,130 | Pioneers | 1990 | 1998 | Summit[d] (West Coast (WCC)[d] in 2026) | |
| Emory & Henry University[e][f] | Emory, Virginia | 1836 | Private | 1,250 | Wasps | 2021 | 2022 | South Atlantic (SAC) | |
| Oakland City University | Oakland City, Indiana | 1885 | Private | 2,350 | Mighty Oaks | 2006 | 2020 | River States (RSC)[g] | |
| University of Wisconsin–Green Bay | Green Bay, Wisconsin | 1965 | Public | 11,188 | Phoenix | 1973 | 1981 | Horizon[d] | |
| University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 1956 | Public | 22,481 | Panthers | 1964; 1987 | 1973; 1990 | Horizon[d] | |
| Wright State University | Fairborn, Ohio[h] | 1964 | Public | 17,074 | Raiders | 1970 | 1987 | Horizon[d] | |
| Youngstown State University | Youngstown, Ohio | 1908 | Public | 15,058 | Penguins | 1960 | 1981 | Horizon[d] |
Departing members in pink.
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross country | Golf | Soccer | Tennis | Track & field indoor | Track & field outdoor | Volleyball | Wrestling | Total IND sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPR Bayamón |  Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 5 | |||||
| UPR Mayagüez | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 5 | |||||
| UPR Río Piedras | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 5 | |||||
| Saint Augustine's | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 5 | |||||
| Salem | Y | Y | Y | Y | MEC | 5 |
Departing members in pink.
| School | Basketball | Cross country | Soccer | Softball | Tennis | Track & field indoor | Track & field outdoor | Volleyball | Total IND sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPR Bayamón | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 5 | |||
| UPR Mayagüez | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 5 | |||
| UPR Río Piedras | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 5 | |||
| Saint Augustine's | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 6 | ||
| Salem | Y | Y | Y | Y | PBC | 5 |
| School | Men | Women | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swimming & diving | Water polo‡ | Swimming & diving | Water polo‡ | ||||
| Salem | MEC | WWPA | MEC | WWPA | |||
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport (Salem), since they have been listed before.
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluefield State University | Bluefield, West Virginia | Big Blue | CIAA |
| Virginia State University | Ettrick, Virginia | Trojans | CIAA |
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport, since they have been listed before.
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeastern State University[2] | Tahlequah, Oklahoma | RiverHawks | MIAA |
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport (UPR Bayamón and Salem men's soccer and UPR Bayamón, UPR Río Piedras and Salem women's soccer), since they have been listed before.
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport (UPR Mayagüez), since they have been listed before.
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport, since they have been listed before.
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport, since they have been listed before.
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport, since they have been listed before.
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Primary conference | (M) | (W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roberts Wesleyan University | North Chili, New York | Redhawks | ECC | Y | Y |
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport (all of them in men's & women's tennis), since they have been listed before.
| All-sports |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Football | ||
| Lacrosse | ||
| Soccer |
| |
| Tennis | ||
| Wrestling | ||
| NCAA |
| |
|---|---|---|
| Super Region 1 | | |
|---|---|---|
| Super Region 2 | ||
| Super Region 3 | ||
| Super Region 4 | ||
| Division II | ||
| NCAA | ||