The Complete List of NCAA Division 1 Colleges (Most Recent)

The NCAA, the major governing body for intercollegiate sports, separates its member institutions by divisions. Division I colleges are generally the biggest. They have the largest athletic department budgets and their sports teams generate the most revenue. All of the schools that participate in bowl games and March Madness are Division I schools. However, there are some regional colleges and smaller private schools you may not be familiar with that are also classified as Division I. In this article, I’ll give you a basic understanding of Division I and a complete list of current Division I schools by state.

UPDATE: NCAA Changes Due to COVID-19

As a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, NCAA has made changes to player eligibility. First, prospective Division I and Division II players are no longer required to submit ACT or SAT scores (although submitting them is still highly recommended). Their academic eligibility will only be based on GPA and core course requirements. Additionally, the NCAA granted spring and fall 2020 athletes an additional year of eligibility and season of competition. You can find more COVID-19 NCAA updates here.

Why Are There NCAA Divisions?

NCAA Divisions exist to create parity and level the playing field. With divisions, schools should be competing against other schools of a similar size and with similar resources. However, in the climate of today’s NCAA sports, there can be huge disparities between schools in the same division, especially in Division I.

For example, from 2006-2011, the athletics revenue for the University of Alabama was $124,498,616. During that same period, the athletics revenue for Alabama State University was $10,614,081. Both are Division I schools.

What Makes Division I Unique?

Compared to NCAA Division II and III schools, NCAA Division I schools have the biggest student bodies, the largest athletic budgets, and the most athletic scholarships.

All of the major sports conferences, including the Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12, and ACC, are composed of Division I colleges.

While Ivy League colleges are Division I, they don’t offer athletic scholarships.

Division I Fun Facts

There are currently 358 colleges classified as Division I for NCAA competition.
Alaska is the only state without a Division 1 school.
Stanford University has the most Division I NCAA championships with 126.
On average, only 4% of the student bodies at Division I schools participate in NCAA sports.
Stanford has won the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup awarded to the most successful Division I athletics program every year since 1994-1995.
The University of Oregon won the very first NCAA men’s basketball championship in 1939.
Louisiana Tech won the very first NCAA women’s basketball championship in 1982.

The 1982 Louisiana Tech women’s basketball team

How Should You Use This List?

If there’s a college you’re considering, you can determine if it’s a Division I institution. If you’re interested in a particular sport, check to see which colleges are Division I in that sport. Some schools are Division I in one or two sports and Division II or III in the rest. For example, Colorado College is Division I in men’s ice hockey and women’s soccer, but the rest of their varsity sports are Division III.

If you’re interested in football, you should also check to see if a particular school is FBS, FCS, or if it even has a football program.

Division I Colleges By State

Alabama

University of Alabama

Alabama A&M University

Alabama State University

Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Auburn University

Jacksonville State University

Samford University

University of North Alabama

University of South Alabama

Troy University

Arizona

University of Arizona

Arizona State University

Northern Arizona University

Grand Canyon University

Arkansas

Arkansas State University

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff

University of Central Arkansas

University of Arkansas

California

California Baptist University

California Polytechnic State University

California State University, Bakersfield

California State University, Fresno

California State University, Fullerton

California State University, Long Beach

California State University, Northridge

California State University, Sacramento

University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Davis

University of California, Irvine

University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, Riverside

University of California, Santa Barbara

University of California, San Diego

Long Beach State University

Loyola Marymount University

University of the Pacific

Pepperdine University

Saint Mary’s College of California

University of San Diego

San Diego State University

University of San Francisco

San Jose State University

Santa Clara University

University of Southern California

Stanford University

Colorado

University of Colorado, Boulder

Colorado State University

University of Denver

University of Northern Colorado

U.S. Air Force Academy

Connecticut

Central Connecticut State University

University of Connecticut

University of Hartford

Fairfield University

Quinnipiac University

Sacred Heart University

Yale University

Delaware

University of Delaware

Delaware State University

District of Columbia

American University

George Washington University

Georgetown University

Howard University

Florida

Bethune-Cookman University

University of Central Florida

University of Florida

Florida A&M University

Florida Atlantic University

Florida Gulf Coast University

Florida International University

Florida State University

Jacksonville University

University of Miami (Florida)

University of North Florida

University of South Florida

Stetson University

Georgia

University of Georgia

Georgia Institute of Technology

Georgia Southern University

Georgia State University

Kennesaw State University

Mercer University

Savannah State University

Hawaii

University of Hawaii, Manoa

Idaho

Boise State University

University of Idaho

Idaho State University

Illinois

Bradley University

Chicago State University

DePaul University

Eastern Illinois University

Illinois State University

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University of Illinois at Chicago

Loyola University Chicago

Northern Illinois University

Northwestern University

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Western Illinois University

Indiana

Ball State University

Butler University

University of Evansville

Indiana State University

Indiana University, Bloomington

Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne

Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis

University of Notre Dame

Purdue University

Valparaiso University

Iowa

Drake University

University of Iowa

Iowa State University

University of Northern Iowa

Kansas

University of Kansas

Kansas State University

Wichita State University

Kentucky

Bellarmine University

Eastern Kentucky University

University of Kentucky

University of Louisville

Morehead State University

Murray State University

Northern Kentucky University

Western Kentucky University

Louisiana

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

University of Louisiana at Monroe

Louisiana State University

Louisiana Tech University

Grambling State University

McNeese State University

University of New Orleans

Nicholls State University

Northwestern State University

Southeastern Louisiana University

Southern University, Baton Rouge

Tulane University

Maine

University of Maine

Maryland

Coppin State University

Loyola University Maryland

University of Maryland Eastern Shore

University of Maryland, Baltimore County

University of Maryland, College Park

Morgan State University

Mount St. Mary’s University

Towson University

U.S. Naval Academy

Massachusetts

Boston College

Boston University

Harvard University

College of the Holy Cross

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

University of Massachusetts, Lowell

Merrimack College

Northeastern University

Michigan

Central Michigan University

University of Detroit Mercy

Eastern Michigan University

University of Michigan

Michigan State University

Oakland University

Western Michigan University

Minnesota

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Mississippi

Alcorn State University

Jackson State University

University of Mississippi

Mississippi State University

Mississippi Valley State University

The University of Southern Mississippi

Missouri

Missouri State University

University of Missouri, Columbia

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Southeast Missouri State University

Saint Louis University

Montana

University of Montana-Missoula

Montana State University-Bozeman

Nebraska

Creighton University

University of Nebraska Omaha

University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Nevada

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

University of Nevada, Reno

New Hampshire

Dartmouth College

University of New Hampshire

New Jersey

Fairleigh Dickinson University, Metropolitan Campus

Monmouth University

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Princeton University

Rider University

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick

Seton Hall University

Saint Peter’s University

New Mexico

University of New Mexico

New Mexico State University

New York

University at Albany

Binghamton University

University at Buffalo, the State University of New York

Canisius College

Colgate University

Columbia University-Barnard College

Cornell University

Fordham University

Hofstra University

Iona College

Long Island University-Brooklyn Campus

Manhattan College

Marist College

Niagara University

Siena College

St. Bonaventure University

St. Francis College Brooklyn

St. John’s University (New York)

Stony Brook University

Syracuse University

U.S. Military Academy (West Point)

Wagner College

North Carolina

Appalachian State University

Campbell University

Davidson College

Duke University

East Carolina University

Elon University

Gardner-Webb University

High Point University

University of North Carolina-Asheville

North Carolina A&T State University

North Carolina Central University

North Carolina State University

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

University of North Carolina Wilmington

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Wake Forest University

Western Carolina University

North Dakota

University of North Dakota

North Dakota State University

Ohio

University of Akron

Bowling Green State University

University of Cincinnati

Cleveland State University

University of Dayton

Kent State University

Miami University (Ohio)

The Ohio State University

Ohio University

University of Toledo

Wright State University

Xavier University

Youngstown State University

Oklahoma

University of Oklahoma

Oklahoma State University

Oral Roberts University

The University of Tulsa

Oregon

University of Oregon

Oregon State University

University of Portland

Portland State University

Pennsylvania

Bucknell University

Drexel University

Duquesne University

La Salle University

Lafayette College

Lehigh University

University of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania State University

University of Pittsburgh

Robert Morris University

Saint Francis University (Pennsylvania)

Saint Joseph’s University

Temple University

Villanova University

Rhode Island

Brown University

Bryant University

Providence College

University of Rhode Island

South Carolina

College of Charleston (South Carolina)

Charleston Southern University

The Citadel

Clemson University

Coastal Carolina University

Furman University

Presbyterian College

University of South Carolina, Columbia

South Carolina State University

University of South Carolina Upstate

Winthrop University

Wofford College

South Dakota

University of South Dakota

South Dakota State University

Tennessee

Austin Peay State University

Belmont University

East Tennessee State…