NAIA independent schools

History

Chronological timeline

• 2008 – The Association of Independent Institutions (AII) was founded by a select group of independent universities and colleges that do not have formal conference affiliations and provide member services to the institutions and allows them to compete in postseason competition. Charter members included the University of Alberta, Allen University, Ave Maria University, Brescia University, the University of British Columbia, Crichton College (later Victory University), California State University San Marcos (Cal State–San Marcos), Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University at Arizona (Embry–Riddle at Arizona), Fisk University, Holy Cross College (Indiana), the University of Houston–Victoria (Houston–Victoria, UHV; now Texas A&M University–Victoria), Indiana University–Northwest (Indiana–Northwest), Johnson & Wales University–Denver, Johnson & Wales University–North Miami, Kentucky Christian University, Lambuth University, Life University, Louisiana State University at Alexandria (Louisiana State–Alexandria or LSU Alexandria), Marygrove College, Morris College, Mountain State University, Our Lady of the Lake University, Park University, Patten University, Philander Smith College (now Philander Smith University), the University of Regina, the College of Santa Fe, Simon Fraser University, Soka University of America, Southeastern University of Florida, Southern Virginia University, Southwestern College of Arizona (now Arizona Christian University), the University of St. Thomas of Texas, the State University of New York at Delhi (SUNY Delhi), Talladega College, Thomas University, the University of Victoria, Voorhees College (now Voorhees University), and Walla Walla University beginning in the 2008–09 academic year. Out of those AII member institutions during that time, only three of them competed as partial or affiliate members, while they compete in other athletic conferences for their other sports as their primary home: Brescia and Mountain State for the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC, now the River States Conference), and Park for the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC).
• 2009 – Nine institutions left the AII, seven to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2008–09 academic year:
  • Ave Maria, Johnson & Wales–Miami and Southeastern (Fla.) to join the Sun Conference (formerly the Florida Sun Conference)
  • Brescia's basketball teams to join the rest of its athletics program in the KIAC
  • Holy Cross (Ind.) to join the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC)
  • Our Lady of the Lake to join the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC)
  • and Park to join the American Midwest Conference
  • the eight and ninth, Santa Fe and Victory, ceased operations
  • the tenth, Mountain State, has its men's basketball team to join the rest of its athletics program in the KIAC, while its women's basketball team remained in the AII
• 2009 – Northern New Mexico College, Ohio Dominican University, and Truett McConnell College (now Truett McConnell University) joined the AII in the 2009–10 academic year.
• 2010 – Four institutions left the AII to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2009–10 academic year:
  • Alberta to realign its athletics program to the Canada West Universities Athletic Association (Canada West) of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS; now the U Sports)
  • Fisk to join the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC, now the HBCU Athletic Conference)
  • Ohio Dominican to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC)
  • and Truett McConnell to join the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC)
• 2010 – Benedictine University at Springfield, Central Baptist College, Lourdes College (now Lourdes University), and Warren Wilson College joined the AII in the 2010–11 academic year.
• 2011 – Nine institutions left the AII, eight to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2010–11 academic year:
  • Philander Smith and Talladega to join the GCAC
  • Regina to realign its athletics program to the CIS
  • Simon Fraser to realign its athletics program to the NCAA Division II ranks and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC)
  • St. Thomas (Tex.) to join the RRAC
  • Benedictine–Springfield to join the American Midwest
  • Central Baptist to join the MCAC, and Lourdes to join the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC)
  • the ninth, Lambuth, ceased operations
• 2011 – Dakota State University, Dickinson State University, the University of Jamestown, La Sierra University, Lawrence Technological University (Lawrence Tech), Marymount College (later Marymount California University), Mayville State University, Rochester College (now Rochester Christian University), the Atlanta campus of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD Atlanta), and Valley City State University joined the AII in the 2011–12 academic year.
• 2012 – 13 institutions left the AII, 11 to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2011–12 academic year:
  • Arizona Christian to join the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC)
  • Dickinson State to join the Frontier Conference
  • Embry–Riddle at Arizona, Marymount (Cal.) and Soka to join the California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac)
  • Life to join the TranSouth Athletic Conference (TSAC or TranSouth)
  • Marygrove and Lawrence Tech to join the WHAC
  • SCAD Atlanta to join the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC)
  • Southern Virginia and Warren Wilson to realign within the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) with Southern Virginia later applying to join the [NCAA Division III ranks, beginning the 2013–14 school year]
  • Thomas (Ga.) to join the Sun Conference
  • the twelfth and thirteenth, Mountain State and Patten, ceased operations
• 2012 – Ashford University, Fisher College, Iowa Wesleyan University, the West Virginia Institute of Technology (WVU Tech), Wilberforce University, Georgia Gwinnett College, Indiana University–Kokomo (Indiana–Kokomo or IU Kokomo), and Lindenwood University–Belleville joined the AII in the 2012–13 academic year.
• 2013 – Eight institutions left the AII to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2012–13 academic year:
  • La Sierra to join the Cal Pac, Voorhees to join the GCAC
  • Dakota State, Jamestown, Mayville State and Valley City State to join the then-newly created North Star Athletic Association (NSAA)
  • Indiana–Kokomo (IU Kokomo) to join the KIAC
  • and Iowa Wesleyan to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC)
• 2013 – Dalton State College and the University of Antelope Valley joined the AII (with Life rejoining after one season in the recently defunct TranSouth) in the 2013–14 academic year.
• 2014 – Four institutions left the AII to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2013–14 academic year:
  • Dalton State to join the SSAC
  • Life to join the Mid-South Conference
  • Lindenwood–Belleville to join the American Midwest
  • and Louisiana State–Alexandria (LSU Alexandria) to join the RRAC
• 2014 – Texas A&M University–Texarkana, Lincoln Christian University, Washington Adventist University, the University of Winnipeg, and Trinity Lutheran College joined the AII in the 2014–15 academic year.
• 2015 – Four institutions left the AII to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2014–15 academic year:
  • Antelope Valley to join the Cal Pac
  • Cal State–San Marcos to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA)
  • Houston–Victoria (UHV) to join the RRAC
  • and Walla Walla to join the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC)
• 2015 – Central Christian College of Kansas, Clarke University, the College of the Ozarks (CofO), Governors State University, Haskell Indian Nations University, Mount Mercy University, York College of Nebraska (now York University of Nebraska), and Providence Christian College (with Voorhees rejoining) joined the AII in the 2015–16 academic year. Out of those AII member institutions during that time, only one competed in other athletic conferences for other sports as their primary home: Providence Christian for the Cal Pac.
• 2016 – Nine institutions left the AII, seven to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2015–16 academic year:
  • Allen to join the AAC
  • Clarke and Mount Mercy to join the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC)
  • Governors State to join the CCAC
  • Texas A&M–Texarkana to join the RRAC
  • Winnipeg to realign its athletics program to the CIS (with its baseball program to join the NSAA as an affiliate member)
  • and York (Neb.) to join the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC)
  • the eighth and ninth, Ashford and Trinity Lutheran, ceased operations.
• 2016 – Crowley's Ridge College, Silver Lake College of the Holy Family (later Holy Family College), Stillman College, and the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) joined the AII in the 2016–17 academic year.
• 2017 – Two institutions left the AII to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2016–17 academic year:
  • Central Christian to join the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC)
  • and Rochester Christian to join the WHAC
• 2017 – Cleary University, Florida College, the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK), Rust College, and the College of St. Joseph joined the AII in the 2017–18 academic year.
• 2018 – Eight institutions left the AII to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2017–18 academic year:
  • British Columbia to realign its athletics program to the U Sports (with its baseball program to join the CCC as an affiliate member)
  • Cleary to join the WHAC
  • Johnson & Wales–Denver to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC)
  • Maine–Fort Kent (UMFK) to realign its athletics program with the USCAA
  • SUNY Delhi to fully realign to the NCAA Division III ranks and join the North Atlantic Conference (NAC)
  • and Stillman and Florida College to join the SSAC, Rust to join the GCAC
• 2018 – Florida Memorial University, Green Mountain College, Cottey College, Lincoln College, Pennsylvania State University Schuylkill, and Villa Maria College joined the AII in the 2018–19 academic year.
• 2019 – Five institutions left the AII, three to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2018–19 academic year:
  • Indiana–Northwest (IU Northwest) to join the CCAC
  • Kentucky Christian to join the AAC
  • and Villa Maria to realign its athletics program with the USCAA
  • the fourth and fifth, Green Mountain and St. Joseph (Vt.), ceased operations.
• 2019 – Bacone College joined the AII in the 2019–20 academic year.
• 2020 – Two institutions left the AII, one to join its respective new home primary conference, both effective after the 2019–20 academic year:
  • Lincoln (Ill.) to join the CCAC
  • the other, Holy Family, ceased operations.
• 2021 – Two institutions left the AII to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2020–21 academic year:
  • Fisk to rejoin the GCAC
  • and the CofO to fully align with the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA); when the school left the association mid-season
• 2021 – The AII was rebranded as the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) in the 2021–22 academic year.
• 2021 – Arkansas Baptist College (with Iowa Wesleyan rejoining) joined the CAC in the 2021–22 academic year.
• 2022 – Three institutions left the CAC, two to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2021–22 academic year:
  • Cottey to join the American Midwest
  • and Wilberforce to join the Mid-South
  • the third, Lincoln Christian, announced that it had discontinued its athletics program.
• 2022 – The University of South Carolina Beaufort (USC Beaufort), Indiana University–Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC [now Indiana University–Columbus or Indiana–Columbus]), and North American University joined the CAC in the 2022–23 academic year.
• 2023 – Five institutions left the CAC, four to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2022–23 academic year:
  • Indiana–Columbus (IU Columbus, then known as IUPUC) to join the River States
  • North American to join the RRAC
  • USC Beaufort to fully realign in the NCAA Division II ranks and the Peach Belt Conference (PBC)
  • and Virgin Islands to join the GCAC
  • the fifth, Iowa Wesleyan, ceased operations; originally they had planned to leave the CAC after the school got an invite to rejoin the American Midwest prior to announcing their closure.
• 2023 – The College of the Ozarks (CofO) returned to the NAIA and rejoined the CAC (after two seasons competing as a full member of the NCCAA), alongside Wilberforce rejoining after competing one season in the Mid-South, both effective in the 2023–24 academic year.
• 2024 – Six institutions left the CAC, five to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2023–24 academic year:
  • CofO to join the SAC
  • Crowley's Ridge to join the American Midwest
  • Voorhees & Wilberforce to join the GCAC (with the former one rejoining)
  • and Penn State–Schuylkill to fully align with the USCAA and the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC)
  • the sixth, Bacone, cease all operations
• 2024 – Spartanburg Methodist College and Carolina University joined the CAC in the 2024–25 academic year.
• 2025 – Two institutions left the CAC to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2024–25 academic year:
  • Northern New Mexico to join the Cal Pac{{cite press release|url=https://www.calpacathletics.com/general/2024-25/releases/20241220lngxl5|title=Cal Pac Membership Pathway Takes Positive Turn - California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac)
  • and Spartanburg Methodist to join the AAC{{cite press release|url=https://www.aacsports.com/general/2024-25/releases/20240717en3k0h|title=Spartanburg Methodist College to Join AAC as Full Member in 2025-26
• 2025 – Alice Lloyd College and Hesston College joined the CAC in the 2025–26 academic year.

Member schools

Note: – Schools that compete as independents in some certain sports that their own primary conferences home don't sponsor compete in the CAC as affiliate members (except football).

Current full members

Departing members are highlighted in pink.

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Current partial members

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Former full members

School names and nicknames listed here reflect those used in the final school year each institution was a member as an NAIA independent.

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Former partial members

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Sports

References

References

1. "NAIA Member Schools". NAIA.
2. (June 26, 2021). "Athletics' Conference, Association of Independent Institutions Re-brands to Continental Athletic Conference". Haskell Indians.
3. Tryon, Matthew. (August 12, 2022). "What's next for IUPUI athletics? Staying in the Horizon League and 'tough decisions'". Indianapolis Star.
4. (October 29, 2019). "What you need to know about the closing of Marygrove College". model D.