List of schools reclassifying their athletic programs to NCAA Division I

Last updated

The following is a list of United States colleges and universities that are either in the process of reclassifying their athletic programs to NCAA Division I, or have announced future plans to do the same. [1]

Contents

Current reclassifications

These schools have begun the formal Division I reclassification process. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Institution nameTeamsFormer classificationCurrent conferencesTransition
FullCommonDivisionConferencePrimaryOthersStartEnd
Bellarmine University Bellarmine Knights II Great Lakes Valley Conference ASUN Conference Southern Conference,
Coastal Collegiate Sports Association,
Mid-American Conference [lower-alpha 1] 		2020–212024–25
Tarleton State University Tarleton Texans Lone Star Conference Western Athletic Conference Conference USA,
United Athletic Conference
University of California, San Diego UC San Diego Tritons California Collegiate Athletic Association Big West Conference Coastal Athletic Association,
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation,
Western Water Polo Association
Utah Tech University Utah Tech Trailblazers Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Western Athletic Conference United Athletic Conference
University of St. Thomas St. Thomas Tommies III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Summit League Central Collegiate Hockey Association,
Pioneer Football League,
Western Collegiate Hockey Association 		2021–222026–27
Lindenwood University Lindenwood Lions II Great Lakes Valley Conference Ohio Valley Conference ASUN Conference,
Big South–OVC Football Association,
College Hockey America,
Midwest Independent Conference,
Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association,
Summit League [lower-alpha 2] 		2022–23
Queens University of Charlotte Queens [lower-alpha 3] Royals South Atlantic Conference ASUN Conference Coastal Collegiate Sports Association,
Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association [lower-alpha 4]
University of Southern Indiana Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles Great Lakes Valley Conference Ohio Valley Conference Summit League,
Horizon League
Stonehill College Stonehill Skyhawks Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Conference New England Women's Hockey Alliance [lower-alpha 5]
Texas A&M University–Commerce Texas A&M–Commerce Lions Lone Star Conference Southland Conference
Le Moyne College Le Moyne Dolphins Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Conference 2023–242027–28
  1. ↑ In addition to its NCAA sports, Bellarmine fields a team in sprint football, a weight-restricted form of American football governed outside the NCAA, as a member of the Midwest Sprint Football League.
  2. ↑ In addition to the sports that have confirmed conference homes for 2023–24, Lindenwood sponsors three other NCAA championship sports, plus one sport included in the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, that are not sponsored by the Ohio Valley Conference and have no currently announced conference home.
  3. ↑ Can also be referred to as "Queens (NC)" due to the existence of NCAA Division II member Queens College in New York City.
  4. ↑ In addition to its ASUN sports, plus swimming & diving and men's volleyball, Queens sponsors one NCAA championship sports, plus two sports included in the Emerging Sports for Women program. These sports currently compete as independents
  5. ↑ Stonehill sponsors two sports that are not sponsored by its new home of the Northeast Conference and do not have a confirmed conference home. Men's ice hockey played under Division II regulations in the Northeast-10 Conference before the school's move to Division I. Women's equestrian, part of the Emerging Sports for Women program, competed as an independent before Stonehill's D-I move.

Future reclassifications

These schools have officially announced plans to reclassify to Division I, but have not yet begun their transitions.

Institution nameTeamsCurrent classificationFuture conferencePending transition
FullCommonDivisionConferencePrimaryOthersStartEnd
University of West Georgia West Georgia Wolves II Gulf South Conference ASUN Conference United Athletic Conference 2024–25 [15] 2028–29
Mercyhurst University Mercyhurst Lakers II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Northeast Conference Atlantic Hockey Association 2024–25 [16] 2028–29


    Reclassifying to Division II

    This is limited to Division I schools that have announced plans to classify to Division II.

    InstitutionAthleticsCurrent Division I conferenceFuture Division II conferenceStart yearActive
    (Full member)    		Notes
    FullCommon

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    References

    1. ↑ "Multidivision and Reclassifying for 2014–15" (PDF). NCAA . August 7, 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
    2. ↑ "ASUN Conference Announces Addition of Bellarmine University" (Press release). ASUN Conference. June 18, 2019. Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
    3. ↑ "Bellarmine University athletics announces move to NCAA Division I". WLKY. June 18, 2019. Archived from the original on June 18, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
    4. ↑ "Dixie State to move up to Division 1, join Western Athletic Conference in 2020-21". Deseret News. January 11, 2019. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
    5. ↑ "Oct 4 2019 Announcement". University of St. Thomas. Minnesota: University of St. Thomas. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
    6. ↑ "University of St. Thomas invited to join Division I Summit League". FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul. October 4, 2019. Archived from the original on October 4, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
    7. ↑ "St. Thomas announces intentions to go Division I after getting removed from MIAC". Star Tribune. October 5, 2019. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
    8. ↑ "A New Era: UC San Diego to Join Big West Conference" (Press release). University of California, San Diego. November 27, 2017. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
    9. ↑ "Lindenwood Announces NCAA Division I Reclassification Bid". Lindenwood University. February 23, 2022. Archived from the original on February 24, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
    10. ↑ "Stonehill to move up to the FCS, join Northeast Conference in 2022" (Press release). FBSchedules. April 5, 2022. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
    11. ↑ "Stonehill Announces Transition to NCAA Division I for 2022-23 Academic Year". Stonehill College Skyhawks. April 5, 2022. Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
    12. ↑ "Southland Conference Officially Welcomes Texas A&M-Commerce" (Press release). Southland Conference. July 1, 2022. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
    13. ↑ "ASUN Conference Welcomes Queens University of Charlotte as Its Newest Member" (Press release). ASUN Conference. May 10, 2022. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
    14. ↑ "Le Moyne College Accepts Invitation to Join Northeast Conference" (Press release). Northeast Conference. May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
    15. ↑ "UWG Athletics to Transition to NCAA Division I". West Georgia Athletics. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
    16. ↑ "Welcome To The Lake Show: Mercyhurst University Accepts Northeast Conference Membership Invite". Northeast Conference. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
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