This article is about the current NAIA conference in the American West and Midwest. For the previous conference with the same name that existed between 1940 and 1962, see Frontier Conference (1940–1962).
Frontier Conference
Formerly
Montana Small College Conference (1934–1936) Montana Collegiate Conference (1936–1966)
On September 8, 2022, Arizona Christian University received an invitation to join the conference as an associate member for football, beginning the 2023 fall season of the 2023–24 academic year.[3]
On December 12, 2023, the Frontier Conference had offered an invitation to former member Dickinson State University;[4] while on May 21, 2024, it extended additional invitations to Bellevue University, Dakota State University, Mayville State University and Valley City State University.[5] All five schools would come from the North Star Athletic Association, which announced it would be disbanding that year. This was followed up with an invitation to Bismarck State College, an institution transitioning to the NAIA from the junior college ranks, on October 24, 2024.[6] All of these invitations were effective beginning the 2025–26 academic year.
On May 30, 2024, Simpson University accepted an invitation to join the conference as an associate member for football, beginning the 2025 fall season of the 2025–26 academic year.[7]
1966 – The MCC was rebranded as the Frontier Conference, beginning the 1966–67 academic year.
1974 – The College of Great Falls (later the University of Great Falls, now the University of Providence) joined the Frontier in the 1974–75 academic year.
2012 – Southern Oregon University joined the Frontier as an affiliate member for football in the 2012 fall season (2012–13 academic year).
2014 – Dickinson State left the Frontier to join the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) after the 2013–14 academic year.
2014 – The College of Idaho joined the Frontier as an affiliate member for football in the 2014 fall season (2014–15 academic year).
2015 – Westminster (Utah) left the Frontier to join the NCAA Division II ranks and rejoin the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) after the 2014–15 academic year.
2020 – Lewis–Clark State left the Frontier to join the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) after the 2019–20 academic year.
2023 – Arizona Christian University joined the Frontier as an affiliate member for football in the 2023 fall season (2023–24 academic year)
2025 – Simpson University joined the Frontier as an affiliate member for football, beginning the 2025 fall season (2025–26 academic year)
Member schools
The Frontier Conference has 12 full members with football, 3 full members without football, and 5 football-only affiliate members. Bellevue, Bismarck State, and the University of Providence do not field football teams. Arizona Christian, College of Idaho, Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon are the football-only affiliates.[8]
Current members
The Frontier currently has twelve full members, four are private schools:
↑ Formerly known as the University of Great Falls until 2017.
↑ Providence (then known as Great Falls) did not have an athletics program from 1984–85 to 1998–99.
↑ Rocky Mountain was formed by a merger of Intermountain Union College and Billings Polytechnic Institute since late 1935. But their athletic programs continued until the end of the 1935–36 school year.
↑ Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
↑ Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
↑ Currently known as Montana State University–Billings since 1994. Eastern Montana was the school name that reflected its use during conference membership.
↑ Eastern Montana (now Montana State–Billings) had joined the following subsequent conferences: as an NCAA D-II Independent from 1980–81 to 1981–82; the Pacific West Conference[d] (PacWest) from 1982–83 to 2004–05 (originally known as the Great Northwest Conference from 1982–83 to 1991–92); and the Heartland Conference[d] from 2005–06 to 2006–07.
↑ Currently known as Westminster University since 2023.
Membership timeline
Full member (all sports)Full member (non-football)Associate member (football-only)
National championships
Basketball
Montana Western won the NAIA national title in Division I Women's basketball, in 2019.
Rocky Mountain won the national title in men's basketball, NAIA Division I, in 2009.
Montana State-Northern won the national title in women's basketball, NAIA Division II, in 1993.
Carroll reached the semi-finals in men's basketball in 2005, as did Lewis-Clark State in women's basketball in 2001.
University of Providence reached finals in women's basketball in 2024, Providence defeated Carroll College in the semi finals.This marked the first time two Frontier teams meet in the national tournament.
Football
Carroll has won the NAIA national championship six times: four straight, from 2002 to 2005, also in 2007 and 2010, and has been runner-up twice.
Southern Oregon won the NAIA national championship in the 2014 season.
Montana Tech was the national runner-up in 1996.
Wrestling
Montana State-Northern has won six wrestling titles: 1991, 1992, 1998-2000, 2004, and was runner-up in 1990, 1993, and 2002.
Montana Western was co-champion in 1994.
In 2014, the University of Great Falls was second and Montana State-Northern took third at the NAIA national wrestling championship.
Bowling
College of Great Falls (now University of Providence) was the 1973 Men's NAIA National Bowling Champion.
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