List of NCAA Division I men's soccer programs
This is a list of men's college soccer programs in the United States, that play in NCAA Division I. As of the most recent 2019 NCAA Division I men's soccer season, 206 schools in the United States sponsored Division I varsity men's soccer; 204 of these schools were full Division I members, and two (California Baptist and Merrimack) had begun a transition from NCAA Division II to Division I. This list reflects each team's conference affiliation as of the upcoming spring 2021 season (moved from its originally planned fall 2020 schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic).[1]
Several schools changed conferences during the 2019–20 offseason; all such changes officially took effect on July 1, 2020. Three schools that sponsor men's soccer—Bellarmine, Dixie State, and UC San Diego—officially began transitions from Division I on that date. Three other schools—Appalachian State,[2] Cincinnati,[3] and Valparaiso[4]—dropped men's soccer after the 2019 season. Appalachian State and Cincinnati both cited financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic in their decisions; Valparaiso dropped the sport immediately after the end of the season, before COVID-19 was an issue.
Chicago State added soccer for the 2020 season. The school had discussed adding the sport as early as 2014 and had budgeted for its addition in 2016. However, due to the State of Illinois' continuing budgetary problems and the school's own critical financial problems, the university's budget committee recommended in April 2016 that Chicago State's athletic department "... study the benefits of being Division 1 or another division."[5] Chicago State eventually chose to add men's soccer at the same time that it dropped baseball due to the pandemic.[6]
Current Division I schools
- Notes
- Nearly all of the SMU campus, including the soccer stadium, lies within University Park, a separate city contained within the city limits of Dallas. However, all locations within University Park have a Dallas mailing address.
- Bellarmine begins a transition from Division II to Division I with the 2020–21 school year, and is scheduled to become a full D-I member with the 2024–25 school year.[7]
- The main Rutgers campus is divided between New Brunswick and Piscataway. The athletic administration and soccer stadium are in Piscataway.
- UC San Diego begins a transition from Division II to Division I with the 2020–21 school year, and is scheduled to become a full D-I member with the 2024–25 school year.[8]
- While Harvard's administrative offices and undergraduate campus are in Cambridge, the athletic administration and almost all athletic facilities, including the soccer stadium, are within the Boston city limits.
- After the 2018–19 school year, Long Island University merged the Division I athletic program of its Brooklyn campus with the Division II athletic program of its Post campus, creating a single Division I program that now competes under the LIU name.[9]
- LIU chose to house its unified men's soccer team at the Post campus in Brookville, New York.[9]
- The LIU program's new nickname of Sharks was announced on May 15, 2019.[10]
- The unified LIU athletic program inherited the Northeast Conference membership of the Brooklyn campus.[9]
- Merrimack began a transition from Division II to Division I with the 2019–20 school year, and is scheduled to become a full D-I member with the 2023–24 school year.
- California Baptist began a transition from Division II to Division I with the 2018–19 school year. CBU becomes a full D-I member with the 2022–23 school year.
- Dixie State begins a transition from Division II to Division I with the 2020–21 school year, and is scheduled to become a full D-I member with the 2024–25 school year.[11]
Scheduled additions
One school may schedule to add men's soccer to its athletic programs and another school that currently sponsors men's soccer in Division III was approved by the NCAA to transition to Division I.
| Institution | Location | State | Type | Nickname | Conference | Primary Conference | Starting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware State University | Dover | Delaware | Public | Hornets | TBA | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | TBD ‡ |
- Note: Delaware State is taking over nearby privately-operated Wesley College, which has a Division III men's soccer team. It has not yet been decided, but DSU may convert the Division III Wolverines to the Division I Hornets.[12]
| School | Location | State | Type | Team | Future Conference | Making Transition | Starting | Full Membership |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of St. Thomas | St. Paul | Minnesota | Private/Catholic | Tommies | Summit League | From D-III to D-I | 2021–22 | July 2025[13] |
See also
References
- "NCAA Sports Sponsorship: Division I Men's Soccer". NCAA.otg. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
- "App State Athletics Announces Program Changes" (Press release). Appalachian State Mountaineers. May 26, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- "UC Discontinues Men's Soccer Program" (Press release). Cincinnati Bearcats. April 14, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- "Valparaiso to drop men's soccer, men's tennis". The Times/Lee Enterprises, Inc. November 20, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- "University Budget Committee minutes" (PDF). Chicago State University. April 26, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
- "Chicago State University Board of Trustees Announces Discontinuation of Baseball" (Press release). Chicago State Cougars. June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- "ASUN Conference Announces Addition of Bellarmine University" (Press release). ASUN Conference. June 18, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
- "Cal State Bakersfield, UC San Diego to join Big West in 2020". The Washington Post. November 27, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
- "One LIU: Frequently Asked Questions". Long Island University. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- "Welcome to the Shark Tank: Long Island University Chooses the Shark as New Mascot" (Press release). Long Island University. May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- "Blazing a New Trail: Dixie State Accepts Invitation to Join Western Athletic Conference" (Press release). Dixie State Trailblazers. January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
- "Wesley's D3 Wolverines Uncertain About Becoming DSU D1 Hornets". The Whetstone. Wesley College. November 10, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- "NCAA Ruling Allows D-III St. Thomas to Make Unprecedented Leap to D-I" (Press release). St. Thomas Tommies. July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.