This article depicts the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Alignment History—specifically, all schools that have competed in the lower tier of NCAA Division I college football since Division I football was split into two subdivisions in 1978. This includes schools competing in: Division I-AA from 1978 through 2005 Division I FCS since 2006
Teams in bold italics are now in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS); those in plain italics either play football in lower divisions or not at all. Teams followed by an asterisk (*) dropped football.
Dates reflect when a team began play in I-AA/FCS, not when it became eligible for postseason play.
As of the coming 2026 season, two schools are transitioning from FCS to FBS, and one has added football. North Dakota State will start its transition in 2026, playing that season in the Mountain West (MW) without playoff eligibility before becoming a full member in 2027. Sacramento State also starts its own transition, playing that season in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) without playoff eligibility before gaining full membership the next year. Chicago State launched its team for the first time, competing as an FCS independent before joining the NEC also in 2027.
The most recent schools to complete transitions did so in advance of the 2025 season. Delaware and Missouri State both began FBS transitions in 2024, with Delaware and Missouri State joining CUSA the next year, when they were ineligible for bowls.
Idaho downgraded its football team from FBS to FCS, and rejoined its all-sports home of the Big Sky Conference as a football member in July 2018. Also in July 2018, North Alabama started a transition from NCAA Division II, joining the Atlantic Sun Conference (then known as the ASUN Conference) for non-football sports at that time, with the football team playing as an FCS independent in 2018 before joining the Big South Conference in 2019.
Two teams joined the FCS ranks in 2020—Dixie State, now known as Utah Tech, and Tarleton. Both schools started transitions to Division I, with the football teams becoming FCS independents while all other sports joined the non-football Western Athletic Conference. The WAC reinstated football at the FCS level for the fall 2021 season, coinciding with the arrival of four schools from the Southland Conference. UTRGV, currently a full WAC member without football, initially announced it would start an FCS football program no later than 2024, but made that an exhibition season before full varsity play in 2025.
The next school to join FCS was St. Thomas, which joined the non-football Summit League and the Pioneer Football League in 2021 as part of an unprecedented transition directly from Division III to Division I. A year later, three other schools joined FCS as part of transitions from Division II, namely Lindenwood, Stonehill, and East Texas A&M, then known as Texas A&M–Commerce. Augustana University, a South Dakota D-II school not to be confused with the D-III Augustana College in Illinois, announced plans to transition to D-I, but was turned down by the Summit League.
Mercyhurst and West Georgia announced they would start their own transitions from D-II to FCS in 2024, followed by New Haven in 2025, and West Florida in 2026.
Most recently, Saint Francis (PA) announced it would downgrade its football and all athletic programs directly from Division I to Division III in 2026.
School names reflect those in current use, not necessarily those used by a school when it competed in I-AA/FCS. Specifically, these schools were known by different names throughout their entire tenures in Division I-AA/FCS: Louisiana–Monroe — Northeast Louisiana Troy — Troy State UConn — Connecticut In the case of UConn, "Connecticut" was the official athletic name, but "UConn" was in wide use alongside "Connecticut" before becoming the university's sole athletic brand in 2013. UMass — Massachusetts UT Arlington — Texas–Arlington West Texas A&M — West Texas State Winston-Salem State — Winston-Salem
Alignments are current for the 2026 season.
A Abilene Christian 2013–present Alabama A&M 1999–present Akron 1980–1986 Alabama State 1982–present Albany 1999–present Alcorn State 1978–present Appalachian State 1982–2013 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 1998–present Arkansas State 1982–1991 Austin Peay 1978–present
B Ball State 1982 Bethune–Cookman 1980–present Boise State 1978–1995 Boston University* 1978–1997 Bowling Green 1982 Brown 1982–present Bryant 2008–present Bucknell 1978–present Buffalo 1993–1998 Butler 1993–present
C UC Davis 2007–present Cal Poly 1994–present Cal State Northridge* 1993–2001 Campbell 2008–present Canisius* 1993–2002 Central Arkansas 2006–present Central Connecticut 1993–present UCF 1990–1995 Charleston Southern 1993–present Charlotte 2013–2014 Chattanooga 1982–present Chicago State 2026–future The Citadel 1982–present Coastal Carolina 2003–2016 Colgate 1982–present Columbia 1982–present Cornell 1982–present
D Dartmouth 1982–present Davidson 1978-1990, 1993–present Dayton 1993–present Delaware 1980–2024 Delaware State 1978, 1980–present Drake 1981–1985, 1993–present Duquesne 1993–present
E East Tennessee State 1982–2003, 2015–present East Texas A&M 2022–present Eastern Illinois 1981–present Eastern Kentucky 1978–present Eastern Michigan 1982 Eastern Washington 1984–present Elon 1999–present Evansville* 1993–1997
F Fairfield* 1997–2002 FIU 2003–2005 Florida A&M 1979–present Florida Atlantic 2001–2004 Fordham 1989–present Furman 1982–present
G Gardner–Webb 2002–present Georgetown 1993–present Georgia Southern 1984–2013 Georgia State 2010–2012 Grambling 1978–present
H Hampton 1997–present Harvard 1982–present Hofstra* 1993–2009 Holy Cross 1982–present Houston Christian 2013–present Howard 1978, 1980–present
I Idaho 1978–1995, 2018–present Idaho State 1978–present Illinois State 1982–present Incarnate Word 2013–present Indiana State 1982–present Iona* 1993–2008
J Jackson State 1978–present Jacksonville* 1998–2019 Jacksonville State 1997–2022 James Madison 1980–2021
K Kennesaw State 2015–2023 Kent State 1982
L Lamar 1982–1989, 2010–present La Salle* 1997–2007 Lafayette 1978–present Lehigh 1978–present Liberty 1989–2017 Lindenwood 2022–present LIU 2019–present Louisiana–Monroe 1982–1993 Louisiana Tech 1982–1988
M Maine 1978–present Marist 1993–present Marshall 1982–1996 McNeese 1982–present Mercyhurst 2024–present Merrimack 2019–present Middle Tennessee 1978–1998 Mississippi Valley State 1980–present Missouri State 1982–2024 Monmouth 1994–present Montana 1978–present Montana State 1978–present Morris Brown* 2001–2002 Morehead State 1978–present Morgan State 1986–present Murray State 1978–present
N Nevada 1978–1991 New Hampshire 1978–present New Haven 2025–present Nicholls 1980–present Norfolk State 1997–present North Alabama 2018–present North Carolina A&T 1978–present North Carolina Central 2011-present North Dakota 2008–present North Dakota State 2004–2025 North Texas 1982–1994 Northeastern* 1978–2009 Northern Arizona 1978–present Northern Colorado 2007–present Northern Illinois 1982 Northern Iowa 1981–present Northwestern State 1978–present
O Ohio 1982 Old Dominion 2009–2013
P Penn 1982–present Portland State 1978–1980, 1998–present Prairie View A&M 1978–present Presbyterian 2007–present Princeton 1982–present
R Rhode Island 1978–present Richmond 1982–present Robert Morris 1998–present
S Sacramento State 1993–2025 Sacred Heart 1999–present Saint Francis (PA) 1993–2025 St. John's (NY)* 1993–2002 Saint Mary's (CA)* 1993–2003 Saint Peter's* 1993–2006 St. Thomas 2021–present Sam Houston 1986–2022 Samford 1989–present San Diego 1993–present Savannah State 2002–2018 Siena* 1993–2003 South Alabama 2011 South Carolina State 1978, 1980–present South Dakota 2008–present South Dakota State 2004–present South Florida 1997–2000 Southeast Missouri State 1990–present Southeastern Louisiana 1980–1985, 2003–present Southern U. 1978–present Southern Illinois 1982–present Southern Utah 1993–present Stephen F. Austin 1986–present Stetson 2013-present Stonehill 2022–present Stony Brook 1999–present
T Tarleton State 2020–present Tennessee State 1981–present Tennessee Tech 1978–present Texas Southern 1978–present Texas State 1984–2011 Towson 1987–present Troy 1993–2001
U UAB 1993–1995 UConn 1978–2001 UMass 1978–2011 UT Arlington* 1982–1985 UT Martin 1992–present Utah Tech 2020–present UTRGV 2025–present UTSA 2011
V Valparaiso 1993–present Villanova 1987–present VMI 1982–present
W Wagner 1993–present Weber State 1978–present West Florida 2026–future West Georgia 2024–present West Texas A&M 1982–1985 Western Carolina 1982–present Western Illinois 1981–present Western Kentucky 1978–2007 William & Mary 1982–present Winston-Salem 2006–2009 Wofford 1995–present
Y Yale 1982–present Youngstown State 1981–present
See also NCAA Division I men's basketball alignment history NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision alignment history