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 350 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 123.
- On average, only 4% of the student bodies at Division I schools participate in NCAA sports.
- Stanford has won the most Learfield Sports Directors' Cup awards, which are given to the most successful Division I athletics program each year.
- 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 State University
Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Auburn University
Jacksonville State University
Samford University
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 Central Arkansas
University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
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
Long Beach State University
Loyola Marymount University
Pepperdine University
Saint Mary's College of California
San Diego State University
San Jose State University
Santa Clara University
Stanford University
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
University of San Diego
University of San Francisco
University of Southern California
University of the Pacific
Colorado
Colorado State University
U.S. Air Force Academy
University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Denver
University of Northern Colorado
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
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Southern University
Georgia State University
Kennesaw State University
Mercer University
University of Georgia
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
Indiana State University
Indiana University, Bloomington
Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis
Purdue University
Purdue University, Fort Wayne
University of Evansville
University of Notre Dame
University of Southern Indiana
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
College of the Holy Cross
Harvard University
Merrimack College
Northeastern University
Stonehill College
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
University of Massachusetts, Lowell
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
University of St. Thomas
Mississippi
Alcorn State University
Jackson State University
Mississippi State University
Mississippi Valley State University
University of Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi
Missouri
Lindenwood University
Missouri State University
Saint Louis University
University of Missouri, Columbia
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Southeast Missouri State University
Montana
University of Montana
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 University
Lipscomb University
University of Memphis
Middle Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University
Tennessee Technological University
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
University of Tennessee at Martin
Vanderbilt University
Texas
Abilene Christian University
Baylor University
Houston Christian University
Lamar University
Prairie View A&M University
Rice University
Sam Houston State University
Southern Methodist University
Stephen F. Austin State University
Tarleton State University
Texas A&M University, College Station
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Texas Christian University
Texas Southern University
Texas State University
Texas Tech University
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
University of Houston
University of North Texas
University of Texas at Arlington
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at San Antonio
University of the Incarnate Word
Utah
Brigham Young University
Dixie State University
Southern Utah University
University of Utah
Utah State University
Utah Valley University
Weber State University
Vermont
University of Vermont
Virginia
George Mason University
Hampton University
James Madison University
Liberty University
Longwood University
Norfolk State University
Old Dominion University
Radford University
University of Richmond
University of Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
College of William and Mary
Washington
Eastern Washington University
Gonzaga University
Seattle University
University of Washington
Washington State University
West Virginia
Marshall University
West Virginia University
Wisconsin
Marquette University
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
University of Wisconsin, Madison
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Wyoming
University of Wyoming
What's Next?
How do you know if you qualify for NCAA recruitment? Find out what SAT or ACT scores you need to be NCAA-eligible and what the national letter of intent for NCAA is.
Learn more about Division 2 schools and the differences between NCAA divisions.
Also, you can get the complete lists of Division II and III schools by state.
