NCAA Division II independent schools are four-year institutions that compete in college athletics at the NCAA Division II 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.
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Full independents
Division II was created in 1973, at a time when the NCAA included dozens of independent members, plus members of conferences who played as independents in one or more sports. The trend toward consolidating the NCAA membership into conferences began in the late 1970s, and within a decade the number of independent programs declined dramatically. The lists below include only the small number of programs still functioning on an independent basis in recent years.
Current members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Colors | Future conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón[a] | Bayamón, Puerto Rico | 1971 | Public | 3,022 | Cowboys | ? | ||
| University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez[a] | Mayagüez, Puerto Rico | 1911 | Public | 12,126 | Bulldogs | ? | ||
| University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras[a] | San Juan, Puerto Rico | 1903 | Public | 13,226 | Gallitos & Jerezanas |
? | ||
| Salem University[b] | Salem, West Virginia | 1888 | Private (For-profit) |
991 | Tigers | 2010; 2016[c] |
- Notes
- ^ a b c Full member of the Liga Atlética Interuniversitaria de Puerto Rico.
- ^ For the 2023-24 athletic season, Salem entered into a non-conference scheduling agreement with the Mountain East Conference for baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, and women’s volleyball.[1]
- ^ Salem left the Independent ranks after the 2012–13 school year; before re-joining in the 2016–17 school year.
Former members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Colors | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluefield State University[a] | Bluefield, West Virginia | 1895 | Public (HBCU) |
1,246 | Big Blue | 2013 | 2023 | Central (CIAA) | |
| Emory & Henry College | Emory, Virginia | 1836 | Private | 1,250 | Wasps | 2021 | 2022 | South Atlantic (SAC) | |
| Oakland City University | Oakland City, Indiana | 1885 | Private | 2,350 | Mighty Oaks | 2006 | 2020 | River States (RSC)[b] |
- Notes
Men's sponsored sports by school
Departing members in pink.
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross country |
Soccer | Tennis | Track & field outdoor |
Volleyball | Wrestling | Total IND sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPR Bayamón | 
|
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|
5 | |||
| UPR Mayagüez |
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6 | ||
| UPR Río Piedras |
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5 | |||
| Salem |
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6 |
Women's sponsored sports by school
Departing members in pink.
| School | Basketball | Cross country |
Soccer | Softball | Tennis | Track & field outdoor |
Volleyball | Total IND sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPR Bayamón |
|
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|
5 | ||
| UPR Mayagüez |
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|
5 | ||
| UPR Río Piedras |
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5 | ||
| Salem |
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7 |
Other sponsored sports by school
| School | Men | Women | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swimming & diving |
Water polo ‡ |
Swimming & diving |
Water polo ‡ | ||||
| Salem | CC | WWPA | CC | WWPA | |||
- ‡ — D-I sport
Baseball independents
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport (Salem), since they have been listed before.
Current members
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluefield State University | Bluefield, West Virginia | Big Blue | CIAA |
| Virginia State University | Ettrick, Virginia | Trojans | CIAA |
Football independents
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport, since they have been listed before. Shorter will move its football program to its full-time home of Conference Carolinas once that league begins sponsoring football in 2025.
Current members
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeastern State University[2] | Tahlequah, Oklahoma | RiverHawks | MIAA |
| Shorter University | Rome, Georgia | Hawks | Carolinas |
Soccer independents
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport (UPR Bayamón and Salem men's soccer and UPR Bayamón, UPR Río Piedras and Salem women's soccer), since they have been listed before.
Current members
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Primary conference |
(M) | (W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen University | Columbia, South Carolina | Yellow Jackets | SIAC |
| |
| Bluefield State University | Bluefield, West Virginia | Big Blue | CIAA |
| |
| Edward Waters University | Jacksonville, Florida | Lady Tigers | SIAC |
| |
| Shaw University | Raleigh, North Carolina | Bears | CIAA |
|
|
Lacrosse independents
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport, since they have been listed before. Dominican (CA) will move their men's lacrosse program to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference beginning in the 2025 season.[3]
Current members
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Primary conference |
(M) | (W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominican University of California | San Rafael, California | Penguins | PacWest |
|
|
| Virginia State University | Ettrick, Virginia | Trojans | CIAA |
|
|
Wrestling independents
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport (UPR Mayagüez), since they have been listed before.
Current members
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| American International College | Springfield, Massachusetts | Yellow Jackets | Northeast-10 |
| Grand Valley State University | Allendale, Michigan | Lakers | GLIAC |
Other sports
Golf
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport, since they have been listed before.
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Primary conference |
(M) | (W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluefield State University | Bluefield, West Virginia | Big Blue | CIAA |
| |
| Daemen University | Amherst, New York | Wildcats | ECC |
|
|
| Thomas Jefferson University (Jefferson) |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Rams | CACC |
| |
| Post University | Waterbury, Connecticut | Eagles | CACC |
| |
| Roberts Wesleyan University | Chili, New York | Redhawks | ECC |
|
|
| St. Thomas Aquinas College | Sparkill, New York | Spartans | ECC |
|
Rowing
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport, since they have been listed before.
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Primary conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assumption University | Worcester, Massachusetts | Greyhounds | Northeast-10 |
| University of Charleston | Charleston, West Virginia | Golden Eagles | MEC |
| Franklin Pierce University | Rindge, New Hampshire | Ravens | Northeast-10 |
| Thomas Jefferson University (Jefferson) | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Rams | CACC |
| Mercyhurst University | Erie, Pennsylvania | Lakers | PSAC |
Swimming & diving
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport, since they have been listed before.
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Primary conference |
(M) | (W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roberts Wesleyan University | North Chili, New York | Redhawks | ECC |
|
|
Tennis
Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport (all of them in men's & women's tennis), since they have been listed before.
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Primary conference |
(M) | (W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluefield State University | Bluefield, West Virginia | Big Blue | CIAA |
|
|
| Colorado State University Pueblo | Pueblo, Colorado | ThunderWolves | RMAC |
| |
| Johnson C. Smith University | Charlotte, North Carolina | Golden Bulls | CIAA |
|
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| Shaw University | Raleigh, North Carolina | Bears | CIAA |
|
|
| Virginia State University | Petersburg, Virginia | Trojans | CIAA |
|
Sports not sponsored by D-II
See also
- NCAA Division I independent schools
- NCAA Division III independent schools
- NAIA independent schools
- NCAA independent schools (lacrosse)
References
- ^ "MEC Announces 2023-24 Non-Conference Scheduling Agreement with Salem". mountaineast.org. 2023-08-11. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
- ^ "MIAA makes changes to Football lineup" (Press release). Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ "Dominican University of California to Join RMAC Men's Lacrosse League" (Press release). Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. November 20, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
| All-sports |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Football | ||
| Lacrosse | ||
| Soccer |
| |
| Tennis | ||
| Wrestling | ||
| NCAA |
| |
|---|---|---|
| Super Region 1 | | |
|---|---|---|
| Super Region 2 | ||
| Super Region 3 | ||
| Super Region 4 | ||
| Division II | ||
| NCAA | ||
This page was last edited on 13 April 2024, at 19:43