NCAA Division III independent schools

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.

Former members

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (February 2024)

More information Institution, Location ...

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined[a]	Left[b]	Football?	Current primary conference
Alfred State College	Alfred, New York	1908	Public[c]	3,500	Pioneers	2013	2017	Yes	Allegheny Mountain (AMCC)
Alverno College[d]	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	1887	Catholic (S.S.S.F.)	1,664	Inferno	2000	2004	No	Northern Athletics (NACC)
Asbury University	Wilmore, Kentucky	1890	Christian	1,054	Eagles	2021	2024	No	C.C. of the South (CCS)
Bard College	Annandale-on-Hudson, New York	1860	Episcopal	1,958	Raptors	1990	2004	No	Liberty (LL)
Berea College	Berea, Kentucky	1855	Christian (Unaffiliated)	1,613	Mountaineers	2014	2017	No	Heartland (HCAC)
Binghamton University	Vestal, New York	1844	Public[c]	17,768	Bearcats	1997	1998	No	America East (AEC)[e]
Bluffton University	Bluffton, Ohio	1899	Mennonite	1,094	Beavers	1996	1998	Yes	Heartland (HCAC)
Bob Jones University	Greenville, South Carolina	1927	Nondenominational	2,916	Bruins	2020	2023	No	NCCAA
Cairn University[f]	Langhorne, Pennsylvania	1913	Nondenominational	2,200	Highlanders	2001	2004	No	United East
Castleton University	Castleton, Vermont	1787	Public[g]	2,399	Spartans	1973	2001	Yes	N/A[h]
Centenary University	Hackettstown, New Jersey	1867	United Methodist	1,597	Cyclones	1997	2003	No	Atlantic East (AEC)
Chapman University	Orange, California	1861	DoC & UCC	10,001	Panthers	1994	2011	Yes	Southern California (SCIAC)
Chowan University	Murfreesboro, North Carolina	1848	Baptist	981	Hawks	2004	2007	Yes	Carolinas (CC)[i]
Clarks Summit University[j]	Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania	1932	Baptist	1,142	Defenders	2001	2004	No	Closed in 2024
Colorado College	Colorado Springs, Colorado	1874	Nonsectarian	2,266	Tigers	1973	2006	No	Southern Collegiate (SCAC)
University of Dallas	Irving, Texas	1956	Catholic	2,538	Crusaders	2001; 2010[k]	2008; 2011	No	Southern Collegiate (SCAC)
Defiance College	Defiance, Ohio	1850	United Church of Christ	1,000	Yellow Jackets	1995	1997	Yes	Wolverine–Hoosier (WHAC)[l]
Farmingdale State College	East Farmingdale, New York	1912	Public[c]	8,162	Rams	2001	2003	No	Skyline
Finlandia University	Hancock, Michigan	1896	Lutheran (ELCA)	507	Lions	2002	2017[m]	No	Closed in 2023
Green Mountain College	Poultney, Vermont	1834	United Methodist	N/A	Eagles	2005	2008	No	Closed in 2019
Husson University	Bangor, Maine	1898	Nonsectarian	3,476	Eagles	2001	2003	Yes	North Atlantic (NAC)
Illinois Institute of Technology	Chicago, Illinois	1890	Nonsectarian	2,977	Scarlet Hawks	2013	2018	No	Northern Athletics (NACC)
La Sierra University	Riverside, California	1922	Seventh-day Adventist	2,199	Golden Eagles	2006	2010	No	CalPac (CPC)[l]
Lancaster Bible College	Lancaster, Pennsylvania	1933	Nondenominational	954	Chargers	2006	2011	No	United East
Lincoln University	Oxford, Pennsylvania	1854	Public	2,650	Lions	1973	2008	Yes	Central Intercollegiate (CIAA)[i]
Lyon College	Batesville, Arkansas	1872	Presbyterian (PCUSA)	700	Scots	2022	2023	Yes	St. Louis (SLIAC)
University of Maine at Farmington	Farmington, Maine	1863	Public[n]	1,861	Beavers	1999	2003	No	North Atlantic (NAC)
University of Maine at Presque Isle[o]	Presque Isle, Maine	1903	Public[n]	1,469	Owls	2005	2017	No	North Atlantic (NAC)
Meredith College[d]	Raleigh, North Carolina	1891	Nonsectarian	1,990	Avenging Angels	1986	2007	No	USA South
Mills College[d]	Oakland, California	1852	Nonsectarian	1,345	Cyclones	1994; 2016[p]	2013; 2017	No	N/A[q]
Milwaukee School of Engineering	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	1903	Nonsectarian	2,122	Raiders	2006	2007	No	Northern Athletics (NACC)
Mississippi University for Women[r]	Columbus, Mississippi	1884	Public	2,479	Owls	2019	2023	No	St. Louis (SLIAC)
Mitchell College	New London, Connecticut	1938	Nonsectarian	572	Mariners	2005	2008	No	Great Northeast (GNAC)
Mount Mary University[d]	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	1913	Catholic (SSND)	1,209	Blue Angels	2007; 2016[s]	2015; 2018	No	Coast to Coast (C2C)
Mount St. Joseph University	Delhi Township, Ohio[t]	1920	Catholic (S.C.C.)	1,889	Lions	1996	1998	Yes	Heartland (HCAC)
Nebraska Wesleyan University	Lincoln, Nebraska	1887	United Methodist	1,600	Prairie Wolves	1982[u]	2016[u]	Yes	American Rivers (ARC)
New Jersey City University	Jersey City, New Jersey	1929	Public	7,300	Gothic Knights	2004	2005	No	New Jersey (NJAC)
College of New Rochelle[v]	New Rochelle, New York	1904	Catholic	N/A	Blue Angels	1982	2019	No	N/A[w]
New York University Tandon School of Engineering[x]	Brooklyn, New York	1854	Nonsectarian	4,487	Fighting Blue Jays	1979	2004	No	N/A[x]
Newbury College	Brookline, Massachusetts	1962	Nonsectarian	N/A	Nighthawks	2001	2008	No	Closed in 2019
North Central University	Minneapolis, Minnesota	1930	Assemblies of God	1,200	Rams	2006	2013	No	Upper Midwest (UMAC)
Northern Vermont University–Johnson	Johnson, Vermont	1881	Public[g]	1,803	Badgers	1973	2001	No	N/A[y]
Northern Vermont University–Lyndon	Lyndon, Vermont	1911	Public[g]	1,519	Hornets	2006	2008	No	N/A[y]
Pine Manor College[z]	Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts	1911	Nonsectarian	419	Gators	1983; 2016[aa]	1995; 2017	No	N/A[ab]
Russell Sage College	Albany and Troy, New York	1916	Nonsectarian	2,389	Gators	1993	2007	No	Empire 8 (E8)
Rust College	Holly Springs, Mississippi	1866	United Methodist	900	Bearcats	1988	2017	No	HBCUAC[l]
Saint Elizabeth University[ac][z]	Morristown, New Jersey	1899	Catholic (Sisters of Charity)	1,200	Eagles	1988	2009	No	United East
Saint Joseph's College of Maine	Standish, Maine	1912	Catholic (R.S.M.)	1,987	Monks	1975	2007	No	Great Northeast (GNAC)
Salem College[d]	Winston-Salem, North Carolina	1772	Moravian	565	Spirits	2005	2009	No	USA South
Sarah Lawrence College	Yonkers, New York	1926	Nonsectarian	1,782	Gryphons	2013	2014	No	Skyline
Savannah College of Art and Design	Savannah, Georgia	1978	Non-profit art school	11,897	Bees	1992	2003	No	The Sun (SC)[l]
Spalding University	Louisville, Kentucky	1814	Catholic (S.C.N.)	1,692	Golden Eagles	2007	2009	No	St. Louis (SLIAC)
St. Joseph's University, New York – Brooklyn Campus[ad][ae]	Brooklyn, New York	1916	Catholic (C.S.J.)	1,261	Bears	2007	2015	No	Skyline
Stephens College[d]	Columbia, Missouri	1833	Nonsectarian	754	Stars	1994	2004	No	American Midwest (AMC)[l]
Stevenson University[af]	Stevenson, Maryland	1947	Catholic	3,621	Mustangs	1994	2004	Yes	MAC Commonwealth
Stony Brook University	Stony Brook, New York	1957	Public[c]	26,782	Seawolves	1994	1995	Yes	Coastal (CAA)[e]
State University of New York at Canton	Canton, New York	1906	Public[c]	3,122	Kangaroos	2011	2017	No	North Atlantic (NAC)
State University of New York at Morrisville	Morrisville, New York	1908	Public[c]	2,486	Mustangs	2006	2007	Yes	North Atlantic (NAC)
Thomas College	Waterville, Maine	1894	Nonsectarian	1,949	Terriers	2001	2003	No	North Atlantic (NAC)
Thomas More University	Crestview Hills, Kentucky	1921	Catholic (Diocese of Covington/ Benedictines)	1,963	Saints	1996	2005	Yes	Great Midwest (G-MAC)[i]
University of California, Santa Cruz	Santa Cruz, California	1965	Public[ag]	19,700	Banana Slugs	1980	2019[ah]	No	Coast to Coast (C2C)
University of Valley Forge	Phoenixville, Pennsylvania	1939	Assemblies of God	742	Patriots	2013	2017	No	United East
Warren Wilson College	Swannanoa, North Carolina	1894	Presbyterian (PCUSA)	650	Owls	2020	2022	No	Coast to Coast (C2C)
William Peace University[ai] [z]	Raleigh, North Carolina	1857	Presbyterian (PCUSA)	950	Pacers	2001	2003	No	USA South
Wilmington College	Wilmington, Ohio	1870	Quakers	990	Quakers	1996	1998	Yes	Ohio (OAC)

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Notes

1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
2. Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
3. Part of the State University of New York system.
4. This institution is a women's college, therefore it does not compete in men's sports.
5. Currently an NCAA Division I athletic conference.
6. Cairn was known as Philadelphia Biblical University during its stint as a member. It adopted its current name in 2012.
7. Part of the Vermont State Colleges System.
8. Castleton was merged into Vermont State University in 2023, assuming the former's membership in the Little East Conference.
9. Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.
10. Clarks Summit was known as Baptist Bible College & Seminary during its stint as a member. The school name was changed to Summit University of Pennsylvania in 2015, and to Clarks Summit University in 2016.
11. Dallas initially left the independents after the 2007–08 school year to join the North Eastern Athletic Conference in some sports, including basketball. However, they rejoined after two years.
12. Currently an NAIA athletic conference.
13. Finlandia participated in the Great South Athletic Conference from the 2013–14 to 2015–16 school years, but only in women's sports. Men's sports remained independent during those school years.
14. Part of the University of Maine System.
15. Maine–Presque Isle was also a dual member with the NAIA and the Sunrise Athletic Conference from 2005 to its folding in 2011.
16. Mills initially left the independents after the 2012–13 school year to join the Great South Athletic Conference, however, they rejoined after three years due to the GSAC folding.
17. Mills was acquired by Northeastern University in 2023, becoming part of that university's extended operations in the San Francisco Bay Area. In advance of this, Mills dropped athletics after the 2021–22 school year.
18. MUW initially discontinued its athletics program after the 2002–03 school year, however, they restored it before the 2017–18 school year.
19. Mount Mary initially left the independents after the 2014–15 school year to join the Great South Athletic Conference, however, they rejoined after one year due to the GSAC folding.
20. The campus mailing address is Cincinnati.
21. Nebraska Wesleyan was also a member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1969–70 to 2015–16, therefore it held dual membership with the NAIA and the NCAA.
22. New Rochelle was also a dual member with the USCAA and the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) from 2005 to 2019.
23. New Rochelle merged into Mercy College after the 2018–19 school year.
24. The NYU engineering school was the standalone Polytechnic University while in the NEAC. Polytechnic became affiliated with New York University (NYU) in 2008 as the Polytechnic Institute of New York University (athletically known as NYU Poly), and merged completely into NYU in 2014. And as part of the final merger of NYU Poly with NYU, Poly's athletics program was merged into that of NYU.
25. Northern Vermont was merged into Vermont State University in 2023, assuming the former's membership in the North Atlantic Conference.
26. This institution is a former women's college, which has eventually turned into a co-educational college (William Peace since 2012–13, Pine Manor since 2014–15 and Saint Elizabeth since 2016–17).
27. Pine Manor initially left the independents after the 2014–15 school year to join the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, however, they later rejoined after the 2015–16 school year.
28. Pine Manor was acquired by Boston College in 2021.
29. Saint Elizabeth (N.J.) was known as The College of Saint Elizabeth during its stint as a member.
30. St. Joseph's Brooklyn was known as St. Joseph's College during its stint as a member.
31. St. Joseph's Brooklyn was also a dual member with the USCAA and the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) from 2004 to 2015.
32. Stevenson was known as Villa Julie College during its stint as a member. It adopted its current name in 2007.
33. Part of the University of California system.
34. UC Santa Cruz participated in the Great South Athletic Conference during the 2015–16 school year, but only in women's sports. Men's sports remained independent during that school year.
35. William Peace was known as Peace College during its stint as a member. It adopted its current name in 2011.

Departing members are highlighted in pink.

† - Women's college, therefore not competing in men's sports.

• NCAA Division I independent schools
• NCAA Division II independent schools
• NAIA independent schools