NCAA Division I independent schools are four-year institutions that compete in college athletics at the NCAA Division I level, but do not belong to an established 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.
Full independents There are no schools competing as a full independent for the 2025-26 season. The most recent full independent, Chicago State, joined the Northeast Conference (NEC) after the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.
Recent independents
Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Left Colors Currentconference Chicago State University Chicago, Illinois 1867 Public Cougars 1984;2006;2022 1993;2009;2024 Northeast (NEC) Denver, Colorado 1864 Nonsectarian 14,130 Pioneers 1962;1998 1979;1999 West Coast (WCC) West Hartford, Connecticut 1877 Nonsectarian 6,792 Hawks 2022 2023 C. New England (CNE) Mount St. Mary's University Emmitsburg, Maryland 1808 Catholic 1,889 Mountaineers 1988 1989 Metro Newark, New Jersey 1881 Public 11,901 Highlanders 2006;2013 2008;2015 America East (AmEast) Oakland University Rochester, Michigan 1957 Public 20,519 Golden Grizzlies 1997 1998 Horizon Saint Francis University Loretto, Pennsylvania 1847 Catholic 2,111 Red Wolves 1955 1981 Presidents' (PAC) Green Bay, Wisconsin 1965 Public 11,188 Phoenix 1981 1982 Horizon Wright State University Fairborn, Ohio 1964 Public 17,074 Raiders 1987 1991 Horizon
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Bowling 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 2026-27 season, eight bowling programs compete as independents.
Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Primaryconference Baldwin Wallace University Berea, Ohio 1845 Private 2,592 Yellow Jackets Ohio (OAC) Edgewood University Madison, Wisconsin 1927 Private 1,570 Eagles Northern (NACC) Louisiana Tech University Ruston, Louisiana 1894 Public 12,039 Lady Techsters Sun Belt Merrimack College North Andover, Massachusetts 1947 Private 3,726 Warriors Metro Mount St. Mary's University Emmitsburg, Maryland 1808 Private 1,889 Mountaineers Metro Rockford University Rockford, Illinois 1847 Private 1,181 Regents Northern (NACC) Western Illinois University Macomb, Illinois 1899 Public 7,643 Leathernecks Ohio Valley (OVC) Whitewater, Wisconsin 1868 Public 11,722 Warhawks Wisconsin (WIAC)
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Football Football Bowl Subdivision
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 the Mid-American Conference in 2025.
Institution Founded Firstseason Location Type Enrollment Nickname Primaryconference 1842 1887 Notre Dame, Indiana Private 12,179 Fighting Irish Atlantic Coast (ACC) (UConn) 1881 1896 Storrs, Connecticut Public 32,257 HuskiesBig East
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Football Championship Subdivision
As of the 2026 season, two schools, Chicago State and Merrimack, are playing as FCS independents. Chicago State is playing its first season of varsity football as an independent in 2026 before joining the rest of its sports in the NEC (historically known as the Northeast Conference) for 2027. Merrimack left the NEC for the non-football Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, now known as the Metro Conference, at the end of the 2023–24 school year. Sacred Heart, which also left the NEC for the Metro in 2024 and played as an independent in 2024 and 2025, joined CAA Football in 2026.
Institution Founded Firstseason Location Type Enrollment Nickname Primaryconference Chicago State University 1867 2026 Chicago, Illinois Public 2,620 Cougars NEC Merrimack College 1947 1996 North Andover, Massachusetts Private 3,726 Warriors Metro
Ice hockey
Men 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 the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (the WCHA remains in operation as a women-only league). The seven Midwestern members of the men's WCHA left to reestablish the Central Collegiate Hockey Association without the WCHA's three geographic outliers-the two Alaska schools, along with Alabama-Huntsville. Of these three schools, Alaska was the only one that did not initially drop hockey.
Alaska-Anchorage's hockey program was suspended in 2020 by the University 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 the COVID-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 of Atlantic Hockey.
In 2021–22, Lindenwood fielded two separate men's club teams, each playing at a different level of the American 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-hockey Ohio Valley Conference.
On April 5, 2022, Stonehill, then a member of the D-II Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10), announced it was joining the Northeast 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.)
Neither Lindenwood nor Stonehill has announced a conference home for its men's hockey program.
Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Joined Primaryconference (Alaska) Fairbanks, Alaska 1917 Public 8,336 Nanooks 2021 Great Northwest (GNAC) (Alaska-Anchorage) Anchorage, Alaska 1954 Public 6,813 Seawolves 2022 Great Northwest (GNAC) Lindenwood University , Missouri 1827 Private 6,491 Lions 2022 Ohio Valley (OVC) Long Island University Brooklyn andBrookville, New York 1926 Private 15,197 Sharks 2020 Northeast (NEC) Stonehill College Easton, Massachusetts 1946 Private 2,500 Skyhawks 2022 Northeast (NEC)
Soccer
Women The most recent departure from the independent ranks was Delaware State, who joined the Northeast Conference as an affiliate in women's soccer in 2023.
Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Joined Primaryconference South Carolina State University Orangeburg, South Carolina 1896 Public 3,000 Lady Bulldogs 2013 Mid-Eastern (MEAC)
Volleyball Men's (indoor) Men's volleyball has a truncated divisional structure in which members of both Division I and Division II compete under identical scholarship limits for a single national championship. Eight men's volleyball programs play as independents; all are D-II members.
Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Primaryconference Barry University Miami Shores, Florida 1940 Private 6,958 Buccaneers Sunshine State (SSC) Catawba College Salisbury, North Carolina 1851 Private 1,172 Indians South Atlantic (SAC) Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, Tennessee 1897 Private 2,579 Railsplitters South Atlantic (SAC) Newberry College Newberry, South Carolina 1856 Private 1,521 Wolves South Atlantic (SAC) Bayamón, Puerto Rico 1971 Public 5,014 Cowboys D-II Independent Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 1911 Public 13,146 Tarzans D-II Independent San Juan, Puerto Rico 1903 Public 18,653 Gallitos D-II Independent Tusculum University Tusculum, Tennessee 1794 Private 2,053 Pioneers South Atlantic (SAC)
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Women's (beach) 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).
Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Primaryconference Berry College Mount Berry, Georgia 1902 Private 1,900 Vikings Southern (SAA) Los Angeles, California 1947 Public 27,685 Golden Eagles California (CCAA) Chaminade University of Honolulu Honolulu, Hawaii 1955 Private 2,836 Silverswords Pacific West (PacWest) Colorado Mesa University Grand Junction, Colorado 1925 Public 11,000 Mavericks Rocky Mountain (RMAC) Concordia University Irvine Irvine, California 1976 Private 2,564 Golden Eagles Pacific West (PacWest) East Texas Baptist University Marshall, Texas 1912 Private 1,771 Tigers American Southwest (AmSW) Hawaii Pacific University Honolulu, Hawaii 1965 Private 4,998 Sharks Pacific West (PacWest) Hendrix College Conway, Arkansas 1876 Private 1,400 Warriors Southern (SAA) Huntingdon College Montgomery, Alabama 1854 Private 900 Hawks C.C. South (CCS) LaGrange College LaGrange, Georgia 1831 Private 1,100 Panthers C.C. South (CCS) Lynchburg, Virginia 1903 Private 2,460 Hornets Old Dominion (ODAC) Belton, Texas 1845 Private 2,700 Crusaders American Southwest (AmSW) McKendree University Lebanon, Illinois 1828 Private 1,960 Bearcats Great Lakes Valley (GLVC) Lincoln, Nebraska 1869 Public 33,273 Cornhuskers Big Ten (B1G) Southwest Baptist University Bolivar, Missouri 1878 Private 2,168 Bearcats Great Lakes Valley (GLVC) Spring Hill College Mobile, Alabama 1830 Private 1,439 Badgers Southern (SIAC) Stevenson University Stevenson, Maryland 1947 Private 3,621 Mustangs MAC Commonwealth Texas A&M University–Kingsville Kingsville, Texas 1925 Public 8,783 Javelinas Lone Star (LSC) Vanguard University Costa Mesa, California 1920 Private 2,752 Lions Pacific West (PacWest) Wayne State College Wayne, Nebraska 1910 Public 4,202 Wildcats Northern Sun (NSIC)
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Wrestling Men As of the most recent 2025-26 season, one school is a Division I independent in men's wrestling. Mercyhurst University began a transition from NCAA Division II to Division I in July 2024, joining the Northeast Conference (now officially called NEC). 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 2023-24 season. Morgan State University added a wrestling team for the 2023-24 season, becoming the only HBCU to field the sport at the Division I level. However, their primary conference, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, does not sponsor the sport, so they competed as an independent in that sport only. In September 2024, however, it was announced that Morgan State would join the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association, a wrestling-only conference based in the Northeastern United States.