NCAA Division III independent schools are four-year institutions that compete in college athletics at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III level, but do not belong to an established intercollegiate 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.
Departing members are highlighted in pink.
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Football? | Future primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maranatha Baptist University | Watertown, Wisconsin | 1968 | Baptist | 1,169 | Sabercats | 2013 | No | None |
Trinity Washington University [lower-alpha 1] | Washington, D.C. | 1897 | Catholic (SNDdeN) | 2,100 | Tigers | 2007; 2015 [lower-alpha 2] | No | None |
Departing members are highlighted in pink.
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference | Future conference in sport |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maine Maritime Academy | Maine Maritime | Castine, Maine | 1941 | Public | 979 | North Atlantic (NAC) | Conference of New England (2025) |
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Meredith College† | Avenging Angels | Raleigh, North Carolina | 1891 | Private | 1,990 | USA South |
Southern Virginia University | Knights | Buena Vista, Virginia | 1867 | Private | 1,106 | USA South |
† - Women's college, therefore not competing in men's sports.
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Christopher Newport University | Captains | Newport News, Virginia | 1961 | Public | 5,186 | Coast to Coast |
University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire | Blugolds | Eau Claire | 1916 | Public | 10,043 | WIAC |
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Christopher Newport University | Captains | Newport News, Virginia | 1961 | Public | 5,186 | Coast to Coast |
Mount Mary University† | Blue Angels | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 1913 | Private | 1,209 | Coast to Coast |
University of Hartford | Hawks | West Hartford, Connecticut | 1877 | Private | 6,792 | CNE |
† - Women's college, therefore not competing in men's sports.
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Years | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hilbert College [lower-alpha 1] | Hawks | Hamburg, New York | 1957 | Private (Catholic) | 2022–present | AMCC |
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whittier College | Poets | Whittier, California | 1887 | Private | 1,540 | SCIAC |
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gordon College | Fighting Scots | Wenham, Massachusetts | 1889 | Private | 2,109 | CNE |
Nazareth University | Golden Flyers | Pittsford, New York | 1924 | Private | 3,140 | Empire 8 |
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coe College [lower-alpha 1] | Kohawks | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | 1851 | Private | 1,355 | American Rivers |
Gordon College [lower-alpha 2] | Fighting Scots | Wenham, Massachusetts | 1889 | Private | 2,109 | CNE |
Johns Hopkins University | Blue Jays | Baltimore, Maryland | 1876 | Private | 20,174 | Centennial |
Loras College [lower-alpha 1] | Duhawks | Dubuque, Iowa | 1839 | Private | 1,550 | American Rivers |
Luther College [lower-alpha 1] | Norse | Decorah, Iowa | 1861 | Lutheran | 2,573 | American Rivers |
Nebraska Wesleyan University [lower-alpha 1] | Prairie Wolves | Lincoln, Nebraska | 1887 | Private | 1,600 | American Rivers |
Simpson College [lower-alpha 1] | Storm | Indianola, Iowa | 1860 | Private | 1,966 | American Rivers |
Southern Virginia University | Knights | Buena Vista, Virginia | 1867 | Private | 1,106 | USA South |
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coe College [lower-alpha 1] | Kohawks | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | 1851 | Private | 1,355 | American Rivers |
Gordon College [lower-alpha 2] | Fighting Scots | Wenham, Massachusetts | 1889 | Private | 2,109 | CNE |
Johns Hopkins University | Blue Jays | Baltimore, Maryland | 1876 | Private | 20,174 | Centennial |
Loras College [lower-alpha 1] | Duhawks | Dubuque, Iowa | 1839 | Private | 1,550 | American Rivers |
Luther College [lower-alpha 1] | Norse | Decorah, Iowa | 1861 | Lutheran | 2,573 | American Rivers |
Nebraska Wesleyan University [lower-alpha 1] | Prairie Wolves | Lincoln, Nebraska | 1887 | Private | 1,600 | American Rivers |
Simpson College [lower-alpha 1] | Storm | Indianola, Iowa | 1860 | Private | 1,966 | American Rivers |
Southern Virginia University | Knights | Buena Vista, Virginia | 1867 | Private | 1,106 | USA South |
† - Women's college, therefore not competing in men's sports.
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
State University of New York at Oswego | Lakers | Oswego, New York | 1861 | Public | 8,909 | SUNYAC |
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alfred State College | Pioneers | Alfred, New York | 1908 | Private | 3,500 | AMCC |
Gwynedd Mercy University | Griffins | Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania | 1948 | Private | 2,017 | Atlantic East |
Immaculata University | Mighty Macs | Immaculata, Pennsylvania | 1940 | Private | 1,043 | Atlantic East |
Marywood University | Pacers | Scranton, Pennsylvania | 1915 | Private | 2,470 | Atlantic East |
McMurry University | War Hawks | Abilene, Texas | 1923 | Private | 1,430 | ASC |
Wentworth Institute of Technology | Leopards | Boston, Massachusetts | 1904 | Private | 3,728 | CNE |
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alfred State College | Pioneers | Alfred, New York | 1908 | Private | 3,500 | AMCC |
Gwynedd Mercy University | Griffins | Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania | 1948 | Private | 2,017 | Atlantic East |
Immaculata University | Mighty Macs | Immaculata, Pennsylvania | 1940 | Private | 1,043 | Atlantic East |
Marywood University | Pacers | Scranton, Pennsylvania | 1915 | Private | 2,470 | Atlantic East |
McMurry University | War Hawks | Abilene, Texas | 1923 | Private | 1,430 | ASC |
Wentworth Institute of Technology | Leopards | Boston, Massachusetts | 1904 | Private | 3,728 | CNE |
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wentworth Institute of Technology [lower-alpha 1] | Leopards | Boston, Massachusetts | 1904 | Private | 3,728 | CNE |
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
California Lutheran University | Kingsmen | Thousand Oaks, California | 1959 | Private | 3,298 | SCIAC |
Neumann University | Knights | Aston, Pennsylvania | 1965 | Private | 3,000 | Atlantic East |
Simpson College | Storm | Indianola, Iowa | 1965 | Private | 1,151 | American Rivers |
Springfield College | Pride | Springfield, Massachusetts | 1885 | Private | 2,228 | NEWMAC |
University of California, Santa Cruz | Banana Slugs | Santa Cruz, California | 1965 | Public | 19,700 | Coast to Coast |
Westminster College | Blue Jays | Fulton, Missouri | 1851 | Private | 610 | SLIAC |
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point | Pointers | Stevens Point, Wisconsin | 1894 | Public | 7,545 | WIAC |
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
East Texas Baptist University | Tigers | Marshall, Texas | 1912 | Private | 1,714 | ASC |
University of Mary Hardin–Baylor | Crusaders | Belton, Texas | 1845 | Private | 2,713 | ASC |
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colby-Sawyer College | Chargers | New London, New Hampshire | 1837 | Private | 1,043 | GNAC |
Marywood University | Pacers | Scranton, Pennsylvania | 1915 | Private | 2,470 | Atlantic East |
Norwich University | Cadets | Northfield, Vermont | 1819 | Military | 2,300 | GNAC |
University of New England | Nor'easters | Biddeford, Maine | 1831 | Private | 8,085 | Commonwealth Coast |
Institution | Team | Location | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Central College | Dutch | Pella, Iowa | 1853 | Private | 1,575 | American Rivers |
Coe College | Kohawks | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | 1851 | Private | 1,355 | American Rivers |
Millikin University | Big Blue | Decatur, Illinois | 1901 | Private | 2,118 | CCIW |
North Central College | Cardinals | Naperville, Illinois | 1861 | Private | 2,490 | CCIW |
The West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) was a collegiate athletic conference which historically operated exclusively in the state of West Virginia, but briefly had one Kentucky member in its early years, and expanded into Pennsylvania in its final years. It participated in the Division II ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), originally affiliated in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) until 1995, but held its final athletic competitions in spring 2013, and officially disbanded on September 1 of that year. Its football-playing members announced in June 2012 that they planned to withdraw to form a new Division II conference at the end of the 2012–13 season; this led to a chain of conference moves that saw all but one of the WVIAC's members find new conference homes.
The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The conference was founded in 1969 as the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC), later becoming the Nebraska–Iowa Athletic Conference (1992) before being renamed the Great Plains Athletic Conference (2000).
The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The KCAC is the oldest conference in the NAIA and the second-oldest in the United States, tracing its history to 1890.
NAIA independent schools are four-year institutional members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) that do not have formal conference affiliations. NAIA schools that are not members of any other athletic conference are members of the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC), formerly the Association of Independent Institutions (AII), which provides member services to the institution and allows members to compete in postseason competition. The CAC has one member institution in Canada's British Columbia. It provides services to the member institutions that are not fitting in any other NAIA conference and allows members to compete in postseason competition. The AII renamed itself the Continental Athletic Conference at the end of June 2021, citing the need to identify as a proper conference.
The Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC) was an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA’s Division III. Member institutions were located nationwide, but was originally based in the southeastern United States.
The California Pacific Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference commissioner is Don Ott. Conference leadership is shared among the member institutions. The secretary is Marv Christopher of California Maritime Academy. The conference was formed in 1996.
The Great Southwest Athletic Conference (GSAC), formerly known as the Golden State Athletic Conference, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference commissioner is Mike Daniels. Conference leadership is shared among the member institutions. Seven of the eight members of the GSAC are Christian colleges located in California and Arizona. Conference teams have won 22 national championships.
The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Members of the conference are located in the Southeastern United States in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
The Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The 13 member universities that compete in 19 sports are located in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Basketball teams compete as a single division in the NAIA.
The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Its 12 members are located in the Midwestern United States. In many sports, the conference champion qualifies directly for national competition.
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC), formerly known as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, is a college athletic conference made up entirely of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that is affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas as well as the U.S. territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The River States Conference (RSC), formerly known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC), is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Although it was historically a Kentucky-only conference, it has now expanded to include members in Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia, and at various times in the past has also had members in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The Washburn Ichabods are the athletic teams that represent Washburn University, located in Topeka, Kansas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since the 1989–90 academic year. The Ichabods previously competed in the Central States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1976–77 to 1988–89; in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) from 1972–73 to 1975–76; in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) from 1968–69 to 1971–72; in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIC) from 1940–41 to 1967–68 ; as an Independent from 1933–34 to 1939–40; and in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) from 1902–03 to 1922–23.
The Fresno Pacific Sunbirds are the athletic teams that represent Fresno Pacific University, located in Fresno, California, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) for most of its sports since the 2012–13 academic year. while its men's and women's water polo teams compete in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). The Sunbirds previously competed in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1986–87 to 2011–12.
The Menlo Oaks are the athletic teams that represent Menlo College, located in Atherton, California, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) for most of its sports since the 2015–16 academic year; while its men's & women's wrestling teams compete in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC). The Oaks previously competed in the California Pacific Conference (CalPac) from 1996–97 to 2014–15.
The Concordia Golden Eagles, formerly known as the Concordia Eagles, are the athletic teams that represent Concordia University Irvine, located in Irvine, California, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Golden Eagles primarily compete in the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) for most of their sports since the 2015–16 academic year; while its men's volleyball team competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF); and its men's water polo team competes in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA). CUI previously competed in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1987–88 to 2014–15; and as an NAIA Independent from 1981–82 to 1986–87. The CUI women's water polo team competed in the Golden Coast Conference (GCC) until the 2022 spring season.
The Bluefield Rams are the athletic teams that represent Bluefield University, located in Bluefield, Virginia, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) for most of their sports since the 2014–15 academic year ; while its football team competes in the Mid-South Conference (MSC) since the 2014 fall season. They were also a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the Mid-East Region of the Division I level until after the 2019–20 school year to fully align with the NAIA. The Rams previously competed in the Mid-South as a full member from 2012–13 to 2013–14. Athletes make up about 60% of the student population at Bluefield. It serves as host for the NCAA Softball National Championship.
The Biola Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Biola University, located in La Mirada, California, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) since the 2017–18 academic year; while its men's and women's swimming & diving teams compete in the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference (PCSC). They were also a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the West Region of the Division I level. The Eagles previously competed in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1994 to 1995 to 2016–17.
The American Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) was an athletic conference with no regular-season competition. The ACAA competed in the NCAA's Division III. The conference was formed in 2017 primarily by Independent schools in the Northeastern United States, but also had members in Michigan, Wisconsin, and California. The members of the ACAA merged with the Capital Athletic Conference in 2020.