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NCAA Division II independent schools are four-year institutions that compete in college athletics at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, but do not belong to an established college 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

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

Notes

1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
2. ^ Also competing as a full member of the Inter-university Athletic League of Puerto Rico (a.k.a. Liga Atlética Interuniversitaria de Puerto Rico or LAI).
3. ^ Part of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) System.
4. For the 2023–24 and the 2024–25 school years, 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.
5. Salem left the Independent ranks after the 2012–13 school year; before re-joining in the 2016–17 school year.

Former members

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

Notes

1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
2. Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
3. Formerly known as Bluefield State College until 2023.
4. Formerly an NCAA Division III school.
5. Formerly known as Emory & Henry College until 2024.
6. Currently an NAIA athletic conference.

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		Y	Y	Y	Y		Y		5
UPR Mayagüez		Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	6
UPR Río Piedras		Y	Y		Y	Y	Y		5
Salem	Y	Y		Y	Y			MEC	5

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	Y	Y	Y		Y		Y	5
UPR Mayagüez	Y	Y			Y	Y	Y	5
UPR Río Piedras	Y	Y	Y		Y		Y	5
Salem	Y		Y	Y	Y		Y	5

Other sponsored sports by school

• — 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

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

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		Y
Bluefield State University	Bluefield, West Virginia	Big Blue	CIAA		Y
Edward Waters University	Jacksonville, Florida	Lady Tigers	SIAC		Y
Shaw University	Raleigh, North Carolina	Bears	CIAA	Y	Y
Virginia State University	Ettrick, Virginia	Trojans	CIAA	Y	Y

Lacrosse independents

Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport, since they have been listed before.

Current members

Institution	Location	Nickname	Primary conference	(M)	(W)
Virginia State University	Ettrick, Virginia	Trojans	CIAA	Y	Y

Wrestling independents

Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport (UPR Mayagüez), since they have been listed before.

Current members

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		Y
Daemen University	Amherst, New York	Wildcats	ECC	Y
Thomas Jefferson University (Jefferson)	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Rams	CACC		Y
Post University	Waterbury, Connecticut	Eagles	CACC		Y
Roberts Wesleyan University	Chili, New York	Redhawks	ECC	Y
St. Thomas Aquinas College	Sparkill, New York	Spartans	ECC	Y

Rowing

Does not include all-sports independent teams that sponsor the sport, since they have been listed before.

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	Y	Y

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	Y
Colorado State University Pueblo	Pueblo, Colorado	ThunderWolves	RMAC		Y
Johnson C. Smith University	Charlotte, North Carolina	Golden Bulls	CIAA	Y
Shaw University	Raleigh, North Carolina	Bears	CIAA	Y
Virginia State University	Petersburg, Virginia	Trojans	CIAA	Y

Sports not sponsored by D-II

1. ^ The Great Lakes Valley Conference adds men's volleyball in the 2025–26 school year.
2. ^ Roosevelt and Thomas More will become affiliates of the Great Lakes Valley Conference for that conference's first men's volleyball season in the 2025–26 school year.

See also

• NCAA Division I independent schools
• NCAA Division III independent schools
• NAIA independent schools
• NCAA independent schools (lacrosse)

References

1. "MEC Adds Salem as Associate Member in Wrestling, Swimming". Mountain East Conference. November 1, 2024. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
2. "MIAA makes changes to Football lineup" (Press release). Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.

v t e NCAA Division II Independents
All-sports	UPR Bayamón Cowboys UPR Mayagüez Bulldogs UPR Río Piedras Gallitos & Jerezanas Salem Tigers
Football	Northeastern State Post
Lacrosse	Wheeling Women — Wheeling
Soccer	Women — Bluefield State Shaw
Tennis	Bluefield State Johnson C. Smith Shaw Virginia State
Wrestling	American International Ashland Findlay Lake Erie Shorter Tiffin

v t e NCAA Division II
NCAA	Conferences Institutions Baseball (Championship) Basketball (Men, Women) Cross country (Men, Women) Field hockey (Championship) Football (Championship) Golf (Men, Women) Lacrosse (Men, Women) Rowing (Championship) Soccer (Men, Women) Softball (Championship) Swimming & Diving (Men, Women) Tennis (Men, Women) Track & Field (Men's indoor and outdoor, Women's indoor and outdoor) Volleyball (Championship) Wrestling (Championship) Discontinued — Gymnastics (Championship) Ice Hockey (Championship)

v t e NCAA Division II football conferences
Super Region 1	Great Midwest Athletic Conference Mountain East Conference Northeast-10 Conference Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
Super Region 2	Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Conference Carolinas (starting in 2025) Gulf South Conference South Atlantic Conference Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Super Region 3	Great American Conference Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Great Lakes Valley Conference Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association
Super Region 4	Lone Star Conference Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Division II	Independents
NCAA	Conferences Institutions Football (Championship, Bowl Games)

• NCAA Division II independents
• NCAA Division II lists