View source for List of NAIA conferences

{{Short description|none}}
The following is a '''list of [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics]] (NAIA) conferences''' as of the 2024–25 school year.  Unless otherwise noted, changes in conference membership occur on July 1 of the given year.

==Current conferences==
===Football===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Conference !! Nickname !! Founded !! Members !! Sports !! Headquarters !! Map
|-
| '''[[Appalachian Athletic Conference]]''' || AAC || 1985 || 16 {{refn|group=FB|name=AAC|16 members; 7 football members.
* 16 full members and 7 football members in 2025 with the following changes:
** Addition of non-football [[Spartanburg Methodist College|Spartanburg Methodist]].
** Loss of football-sponsoring [[Kentucky Christian University|Kentucky Christian]].
** Addition of [[University of Rio Grande|Rio Grande]] as a football affiliate.}} || 24 || [[Asheville, North Carolina]] || [[Image:AppAC conference map.png|150px]]
|-
| '''[[Frontier Conference]]''' || Frontier || 1952 || 6 {{refn|6 full members with [[University of Providence|Providence]] as a non-football member; 9 football members with [[Arizona Christian University|Arizona Christian]], [[College of Idaho]], [[Eastern Oregon University|Eastern Oregon]], and [[Southern Oregon University|Southern Oregon]] as football affiliates.
*12 full members and 14 football members in 2025 with addition of [[Bellevue University|Bellevue]] and [[Bismarck State College|Bismarck State]] as non-football members, [[Dakota State University|Dakota State]], [[Dickinson State University|Dickinson State]], [[Mayville State University|Mayville State]], and [[Valley City State University|Valley City State]] in all sports, and [[Simpson University|Simpson]] as football-only affiliate.|group=FB|name=Frontier}}  || 16 || [[Billings, Montana]] || [[Image:Frontier Conference-USA-states.PNG|150px]]
|-
| '''[[Great Plains Athletic Conference]]''' || GPAC || 1969 || 12 {{refn|12 members; 11 football members.|group=FB|name=GPAC}} || 19 || [[Sioux City, Iowa]] || [[Image:GPAC-USA-states.PNG|150px]]
|-
| '''[[Heart of America Athletic Conference]]''' || HAAC || 1971 || 13 {{refn|13 members; 14 football members.
*15 members in 2025 with addition of [[Missouri Baptist University|Missouri Baptist]] and [[William Woods University|William Woods]] for all sports.|group=FB|name=HAAC}} || 23 || [[Overland Park, Kansas]] || [[Image:HAAC-USA-states.PNG|150px]]
|-
| '''[[NAIA independent football schools|NAIA Independents]]''' || || || 1 {{refn|1 member in 2024 with addition of Simpson.
*0 members in 2025 with loss of Simpson.|group=FB|name=Ind}} || 1 || || 
|-
| '''[[Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference]]''' || KCAC || 1928 || 14 {{refn|14 members; 12 football members.|group=FB|name=KCAC}} || 21 || [[Wichita, Kansas]] || [[Image:KCAC-USA-states.PNG|150px]]
|-
| '''[[Mid-South Conference]]''' || MSC || 1995 || 7 {{refn|7 members; 7 football members with [[Freed–Hardeman University|Freed–Hardeman]] as a non-football member, and with [[Faulkner University|Faulkner]] as a football-only affiliate.|group=FB|name=MSC}} || 21 || [[Bowling Green, Kentucky]] || [[Image:MSC-USA-states.PNG|150px]]
|-
| '''[[Mid-States Football Association]]''' || MSFA || 1993 || 13 || 1 {{refn|Football-only conference.|group=FB|name=MSFA}} || [[Findlay, Ohio]] || [[Image:MSFA-USA-states.PNG|150px]]
|-
| '''[[Sooner Athletic Conference]]''' || SAC || 1978 || 13 {{refn|13 members; 10 football members with [[Central Christian College of Kansas|Central Christian]], [[John Brown University|John Brown]], [[Mid-America Christian University|Mid-America Christian]], [[University of North Texas at Dallas|North Texas at Dallas]], [[Oklahoma City University|Oklahoma City]], [[College of the Ozarks]], [[University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma|USAO]], and [[Southwestern Christian University|Southwestern Christian]] as non-football members, and with [[Arkansas Baptist College|Arkansas Baptist]], [[Louisiana Christian University|Louisiana Christian]], [[North American University|North American]], [[Ottawa University#Arizona Spirit|Ottawa (AZ)]], and [[Texas College]] as football affiliates.
* 9 football members in 2025 with dropping of football by North American.|group=FB|name=SAC1}} || 15 || [[Oklahoma City|Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]] || [[Image:SAC conference map.png|150px]]
|-
| '''[[Sun Conference]]''' || The Sun || 1990 || 10 {{refn|10 members; 8 football members with [[Thomas University|Thomas]] as a football-only affiliate.|group=FB}} || 17 || [[Daytona Beach, Florida]] || [[Image:FSC-USA-states.PNG|150px]]
|}

;Notes
{{reflist|group=FB}}

===Non-football===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Conference !! Nickname !! Founded !! Members !! Sports !! Headquarters !! Map
|-
| '''[[American Midwest Conference]]''' || AMC || 1998 || 12 {{refn|10 members in 2025 with loss of Missouri Baptist and William Woods.|group=NF}} || 17 || [[St. Louis|St. Louis, Missouri]] || [[Image:AMWC conference map.png|150px]]
|-
| '''[[California Pacific Conference]]''' || CalPac || 1996 || 8 {{refn|6 members in 2025 with loss of [[California State University Maritime Academy|Cal Maritime]], [[La Sierra University|La Sierra]], [[Soka University of America|Soka]], and [[University of California, Merced|UC Merced]]; and addition of [[Northern New Mexico College|Northern New Mexico]] and [[Stanton University|Stanton]].|group=NF}} || 10 || [[Oakland, California]] || [[Image:CalPac conference map.png|150px]]
|-
| '''[[Cascade Collegiate Conference]]''' || CCC || 1988 || 12 {{refn|11 members in 2025 with loss of [[Multnomah University|Multnomah]].|group=NF}} || 13 || [[Clackamas, Oregon]] || [[Image:Cascade conference map.png|150px]]
|-
| '''[[Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference]]''' || CCAC || 1949 || 12 {{refn|13 members in 2025 with addition of [[Mount Mary University|Mount Mary]].|group=NF}} || 16 || [[Milwaukee|Milwaukee, Wisconsin]] || [[Image:CACC conference map.png|150px]]
|-
| '''[[NAIA independent schools|Continental Athletic Conference]]''' <small>(Independents)</small> || CAC || 2008 || 12 {{refn|11 members in 2025 with loss of Spartanburg Methodist.|group=NF}} || 21 || || [[Image:NAIA Independent conference map.png|150px]]
|-
| '''[[Crossroads League]]''' || CL || 1959 || 10 || 15 || [[Hartford City, Indiana]] || [[Image:MCCC conference map.png|150px]]
|-
| '''[[Great Southwest Athletic Conference]]''' || GSAC || 1986 || 8 {{refn|10 members in 2025 with addition of [[La Sierra University|La Sierra]] and [[Soka University of America|Soka]].|group=NF}} || 13 || [[Irvine, California]] || [[Image:GSAC conference map.png|150px]]
|-
| '''[[HBCU Athletic Conference]]''' || HBCUAC || 1981 || 13 || 16 || [[New Orleans]], [[Louisiana]] || [[Image:GCAC conference map.png|150px]]
|-
| '''[[Red River Athletic Conference]]''' || RRAC || 1998 || 14 || 15 || [[Dallas|Dallas, Texas]] || [[Image:RRAC conference map.png|150px]]
|-
| '''[[River States Conference]]''' || RSC || 1916 || 12 {{refn|13 members in 2025 with addition of Kentucky Christian.|group=NF}} || 18 || [[Middletown, Ohio]] || [[File:River States Conference map.svg|150px]]
|-
| '''[[Southern States Athletic Conference]]''' || SSAC || 1999 || 13 {{refn|12 members in 2025 with loss of [[Middle Georgia State University|Middle Georgia State]].|group=NF}} || 15 || [[Atlanta|Atlanta, Georgia]] || [[Image:SSAC-map.png|150px]]
|-
| '''[[Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference]]''' || WHAC || 1992 || 13 {{refn|12 members in 2025 with loss of [[Concordia University Ann Arbor|Concordia Ann Arbor]].|group=NF}}|| 21 || [[Livonia, Michigan]] || [[Image:WHAC conference map.png|150px]]
|}

;Notes
{{reflist|group=NF}}

==Defunct conferences==
===Football===
* [[Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference]] (1928–1995)
* [[Central States Intercollegiate Conference]] (1976–1989)
* [[Dakota Athletic Conference]] (2000–2012)
* [[Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]] (closed in 2003)
* [[Evergreen Conference]] (1948–1984)
* [[Great Plains Athletic Conference (1972–1976)]]
* [[Hoosier–Buckeye Conference]] (1948–1985)
* [[Missouri College Athletic Union]] (1924–1970)
* [[Nebraska College Conference]] (1916–1976)
* [[North Dakota College Athletic Conference]]{{efn|group=defunct1|name=DAC|Both the NDCAC and the SDIC merged to form the [[Dakota Athletic Conference]].}} (closed in 2000)
* [[North Star Athletic Association]] (2013–2025)
* [[Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference]] (1929–1973), formerly the Oklahoma Collegiate Conference
* [[Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference (1974–1997)]]
* [[Pacific Northwest Athletic Conference]] (1984–1998)
* [[South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference]]{{efn|group=defunct1|name=DAC}} (closed in 2000)
* [[South East Atlantic Conference]] (2004–2008), football only, members became NAIA football independents
* [[Southern States Conference]] (1938–1997), formerly the Alabama Intercollegiate Conference and the Alabama Collegiate Conference
* [[Tri-State Conference (1960–1981)]]
* [[Volunteer State Athletic Conference]] (1940s–early 1980s)
* [[West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]] (1924–2013), transferred to the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] in 1995 after a two-year dual membership. Most of the final WVIAC members are now in the NCAA Division II [[Mountain East Conference]].

;Notes:
{{notelist|group=defunct1}}

===Non-football===
* [[American Mideast Conference]] (1949–2012)
* [[Georgia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]] (1971–1999)
* [[Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference]] (1994–2015)
* [[Midwest Collegiate Conference]] (1988–2015)
* [[Northeastern Intercollegiate Athletics Conference]] (2016–2019){{efn|group=defunct2|name=USCAA|Also formerly a [[United States Collegiate Athletic Association]] (USCAA) athletic conference.}}
* [[Sunrise Athletic Conference]] (2002–2011)
* [[TranSouth Athletic Conference]] (1996–2013)

;Notes:
{{notelist|group=defunct2}}

==Former conferences==
All transferred to the NCAA.

===Football===
* [[Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]]{{efn|group=former1|name=D2|Currently an [[NCAA Division II]] athletic conference.}} (1973–1988)
* [[Lone Star Conference]]{{efn|group=former1|name=D2}} (1931–1982)
* [[Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]]{{efn|group=former1|name=D3|Currently an [[NCAA Division III]] athletic conference.}} (1920–1982)
* [[Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference]]{{efn|group=former1|name=D2}} (1932–1995), known as Northern Intercollegiate Conference until 1992
* [[Northwest Conference]]{{efn|group=former1|name=D3}} (1926–1996), Pacific Northwest Conference before 1984 and Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges until 1996
* [[Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference]]{{efn|group=former1|name=D2}} (1909–1992), Colorado Faculty Athletic Conference until 1910 and Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference until 1967
* [[Upper Midwest Athletic Conference]]{{efn|group=former1|name=D3}} (1972–2008), Twin Rivers Conference until 1983

;Notes:
{{notelist|group=former1}}

===Non-football===
* [[Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference]]{{efn|group=former2|name=D2|Currently an [[NCAA Division II]] athletic conference.}} (1961–2002)
* [[Conference Carolinas]]{{efn|group=former1|name=D2}} (1930–1995), known as the North State Intercollegiate Athletic Conference until 1961, later as the Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference until 1995 (which held dual membership with the NCAA for two years starting in 1993), became the Carolinas–Virginia Athletic Conference until 2007
* [[Dixie Conference]]{{efn|group=former1|name=D3|Currently an [[NCAA Division III]] athletic conference.}} (1963–1973), became the [[USA South Athletic Conference]] in 2003

;Notes:
{{notelist|group=former2}}

==See also==
*[[List of college athletic conferences in the United States]]
*[[List of NCAA conferences]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==

*[http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=205322922 NAIA Member Schools]

{{National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics}}
{{NAIA conference navbox}}

[[Category:NAIA conferences|*]]
[[Category:NAIA lists|conferences]]