NCAA Division I independent schools are four-year institutions that compete incollege athletics at theNCAA Division I level, but do not belong to an establishedathletic 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.
There are no schools competing as a full independent for the 2025–26 season. The most recent full independent, Chicago State, joined theNortheast Conference (NEC) after the conclusion of the 2023–24 season.[1]
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| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined[a] | Left[b] | Colors | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago State University | Chicago, Illinois | 1867 | Public (TMCF) | 2,620[2] | Cougars | 1984; 2006; 2022 | 1993; 2009; 2024 | Northeast (NEC) | |
| University of Denver | Denver, Colorado | 1864 | Nonsectarian | 14,130 | Pioneers | 1962; 1998 | 1979; 1999 | Summit (West Coast (WCC) in 2026) | |
| University of Hartford | West Hartford, Connecticut | 1877 | Nonsectarian | 6,792 | Hawks | 2022 | 2023 | C. New England (CNE)[c] | |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) | Newark, New Jersey | 1881 | Public | 11,901 | Highlanders | 2006; 2013 | 2008; 2015 | America East (AmEast) | |
| Oakland University | Rochester, Michigan[d] | 1957 | Public | 20,519 | Golden Grizzlies | 1997 | 1998 | Horizon | |
| Wright State University | Fairborn, Ohio[e] | 1964 | Public | 17,074 | Raiders | 1987 | 1991 | Horizon |
One school is competing as an independent in baseball for the 2026 spring season (2025–26 academic year).Oregon State announced that it would be competing as a baseball independent after its home conference, thePac-12,collapsed following the 2023–24 season.[3]
| Institution | Founded | First season | Location | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon State University | 1868 | 1907 | Corvallis, Oregon | Public | 37,121 | Beavers | West Coast (WCC)[a] |
Bowling, like beach volleyball, is currently a women-only sport at the NCAA level that holds a single national championship open to all NCAA members. As of the 2025–26 season, seven bowling programs compete as independents.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin Wallace University | Berea,Ohio | 1845 | Private | 2,592 | Yellow Jackets | Ohio (OAC)[a] |
| Edgewood University | Madison,Wisconsin | 1927 | Private | 1,570 | Eagles | Northern (NACC)[a] |
| Merrimack College | North Andover,Massachusetts | 1947 | Private | 3,726 | Warriors | Metro Atlantic (MAAC)[b] |
| Mount St. Mary's University | Emmitsburg,Maryland[c] | 1808 | Private | 1,889 | Mountaineers | Metro Atlantic (MAAC)[b] |
| Rockford University | Rockford, Illinois | 1847 | Private | 1,181 | Regents | Northern (NACC)[a] |
| Western Illinois University | Macomb,Illinois | 1899 | Public | 7,643 | Leathernecks | Ohio Valley (OVC)[b] |
| University of Wisconsin–Whitewater | Whitewater,Wisconsin | 1868 | Public | 11,722 | Warhawks | Wisconsin (WIAC)[a] |
One school will be a Division I independent in the upcoming 2025 field hockey season.Queens University of Charlotte began a transition fromNCAA Division II to Division I in July of 2022, joining theAtlantic Sun Conference. The ASUN does not sponsor field hockey, and Queens has yet to announce a future field hockey affiliation for its program.[4]
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queens University of Charlotte | Charlotte,North Carolina | 1857 | Private | 1,740 | Royals | Atlantic Sun (ASUN) |
As of the current 2025 college football season, two NCAA Division I FBS schools are football independents. The ranks of FBS independents dropped by one when UMass became a full member of theMid-American Conference in 2025.
| Institution | Founded | First season | Location | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Notre Dame | 1842 | 1887 | Notre Dame, Indiana | Private | 12,179 | Fighting Irish | Atlantic Coast (ACC)[a] |
| University of Connecticut (UConn) | 1881 | 1896 | Storrs, Connecticut[b] | Public | 32,257 | Huskies | Big East |
As of the 2025 season, two schools, Merrimack and Sacred Heart, are playing as FCS independents. Both left the football-sponsoringNortheast Conference for the non-footballMetro Atlantic Athletic Conference at the end of the 2023–24 school year. Sacred Heart will become a member ofCAA Football beginning in 2026.
| Institution | Founded | First season | Location | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrimack College | 1947 | 1996 | North Andover, Massachusetts | Private | 3,726 | Warriors | Metro Atlantic (MAAC) |
| Sacred Heart University | 1963 | 1991 | Fairfield, Connecticut | Private | 5,974 | Pioneers | Metro Atlantic (MAAC) |
There are currently six NCAA Division I independents in men's ice hockey—the University of Alaska Fairbanks (branded athletically as simply "Alaska"), the University of Alaska Anchorage, Lindenwood University, Long Island University (LIU), and Stonehill College.
Alaska became a men's independent after the 2020–21 season due to the demise of its former league, the men's side of theWestern Collegiate Hockey Association (the WCHA remains in operation as a women-only league). The sevenMidwestern members of the men's WCHA left to reestablish theCentral Collegiate Hockey Association without the WCHA's three geographic outliers—the two Alaska schools, along withAlabama–Huntsville. Of these three schools, Alaska was the only one that did not initially drop hockey.[6]
Alaska-Anchorage's hockey program was suspended in 2020 by theUniversity of Alaska System due to a reduction in state funding, along with the skiing and gymnastics programs. The 2020–21 season was set to be its last, but due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, they did not end up playing that season either. The Alaska Board of Regents told the hockey program they would be reinstated if they were able to collect $3 million in donations and fundraising, so the team was on hiatus for both the 2020–21 and 2021–22 season while its future was uncertain. Ultimately, the money was raised, and the Seawolves were reinstated for the 2022–23 season, but due to the WCHAs aforementioned disbanding, they resumed play as an independent alongside the Nanooks.
LIU announced in late April 2020 that it would launch varsity men's hockey for the 2020–21 season. The Sharks have yet to announce a conference home, but played their first season as a scheduling partner ofAtlantic Hockey.[7]
In 2021–22, Lindenwood fielded two separate men's club teams, each playing at a different level of theAmerican Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), which governs the sport at club level. On March 23, 2022, Lindenwood announced that it would launch a Division I men's varsity program starting in the 2022–23 season, while maintaining its ACHA program. This announcement came shortly after the school announced it was starting a transition from Division II to Division I in July 2022, joining the non-hockeyOhio Valley Conference.[8]
On April 5, 2022, Stonehill, then a member of the D-IINortheast-10 Conference (NE-10), announced it was joining theNortheast Conference (which also does not sponsor ice hockey) that July, starting its own transition to D-I. Before this announcement, Stonehill had been one of seven NE-10 members that played men's ice hockey under Division II regulations, despite the NCAA not sponsoring a championship event at that level. (All other D-II schools with varsity men's ice hockey play under D-I regulations.)[9]
Neither Lindenwood nor Stonehill has announced a conference home for its men's hockey program.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alaska Fairbanks (Alaska) | Fairbanks, Alaska | 1917 | Public | 8,336 | Nanooks | 2021 | Great Northwest (GNAC)[a] |
| University of Alaska Anchorage (Alaska–Anchorage) | Anchorage, Alaska | 1954 | Public | 6,813 | Seawolves | 2022 | Great Northwest (GNAC)[a] |
| Lindenwood University | St. Charles,Missouri | 1827 | Private | 6,491 | Lions | 2022 | Ohio Valley (OVC)[b] |
| Long Island University | Brooklyn and Brookville,New York[c] | 1926 | Private | 15,197 | Sharks[10] | 2020 | Northeast (NEC)[b] |
| Stonehill College | Easton,Massachusetts | 1946 | Private | 2,500 | Skyhawks | 2022 | Northeast (NEC)[b] |
One school is expected to be independent in the next 2025 men's soccer season. TheUniversity of Texas Rio Grande Valley was previously an affiliate member of theWestern Athletic Conference for men's soccer; however, their affiliate membership was not renewed for the 2025 season.[11] UTRGV will join theOhio Valley Conference as a men's soccer affiliate beginning with the 2026 season.[12]
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg,Texas | 2015[a] | Public | 32,419 | Vaqueros | 2025 | Southland (SLC) |
The most recent departure from the independent ranks was Delaware State, who joined theNortheast Conference as an affiliate in women's soccer in 2023.[13]
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina State University | Orangeburg,South Carolina | 1896 | Public | 3,000 | Lady Bulldogs | 2013 | Mid-Eastern (MEAC) |
Men's volleyball has a truncated divisional structure in which members of both Division I and Division II compete under identical scholarship limits fora single national championship. Eight men's volleyball programs play as independents; all but one are D-II members.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry University | Miami Shores,Florida | 1940 | Private | 6,958 | Buccaneers | Sunshine State (SSC)[a] |
| Catawba College | Salisbury,North Carolina | 1851 | Private | 1,172 | Indians | South Atlantic (SAC)[a] |
| Lincoln Memorial University | Harrogate,Tennessee | 1897 | Private | 2,579 | Railsplitters | South Atlantic (SAC)[a] |
| Merrimack College | North Andover,Massachusetts | 1947 | Private | 3,726 | Warriors | Metro Atlantic (MAAC) |
| University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón | Bayamón,Puerto Rico | 1971 | Public | 5,014 | Cowboys | D-II Independent[b][a] |
| University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez | Mayagüez,Puerto Rico | 1911 | Public | 13,146 | Tarzans | D-II Independent[b][a] |
| University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus | San Juan,Puerto Rico | 1903 | Public | 18,653 | Gallitos | D-II Independent[b][a] |
| Tusculum University | Tusculum,Tennessee[c] | 1794 | Private | 2,053 | Pioneers | South Atlantic (SAC)[a] |
Beach volleyball, currently a women-only sport at the NCAA level, holds a single national championship open to members of all three NCAA divisions. The following programs will compete as independents in the 2025 spring season (2024–25 school year).
As of the current 2024–25 season, one school is a Division I independent in wrestling.Mercyhurst University began a transition fromNCAA Division II to Division I in July of 2024, joining theNortheast Conference.[14] However, the NEC does not sponsor men's wrestling, and Mercyhurst has yet to announce a future affiliation for its program.
One program previously competed as an independent in the most recent 2023–24 season.Morgan State University added a wrestling team for the 2023–24 season, becoming the onlyHBCU to field the sport at the Division I level.[15] However, their primary conference, theMid-Eastern Athletic Conference, does not sponsor the sport, so they competed as an independent in that sport only. In September of 2024, however, it was announced that Morgan State would join theEastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association, a wrestling-only conference based in theNortheastern United States.[16]
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercyhurst University | Erie, Pennsylvania | 1926 | Private | 2,759 | Lakers | Northeast (NEC) |
No women's ice hockey teams have played as independents at the National Collegiate level, the de facto equivalent to Division I in that sport, since the 2018–19 season. In that season, five schools—Franklin Pierce,Post,Sacred Heart,Saint Anselm, andSaint Michael's—competed as independents, all participating in the nascentNew England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA), which had originally been established in 2017 as a scheduling alliance among all of the then-current National Collegiate independents. The NEWHA initially included six schools, butHoly Cross left after the inaugural 2017–18 NEWHA season to joinHockey East. The NEWHA officially organized as a conference in advance of the 2018–19 season,[17] but was not officially recognized by the NCAA as a Division I league until the 2019–20 season, by which time the newly launchedLIU program had joined to return the conference membership to six.[18]
No schools are competing as independents in the 2025 season. The most recent men's lacrosse independent,Le Moyne, moved its program to theNortheast Conference following the 2024 season.
In the 2025 season (2024–25 school year), no schools compete as independents.
No men's swimming & diving programs are independents in the 2024–25 season.
As in the case of men's swimming & diving, no women's programs in that sport are competing as independents in 2024–25.