The Northeast 10 Conference (NE10) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. It is the only Division II collegiate ice hockey conference in the United States.

History

The original 1980 conference was called the "Northeast 7" as the colleges were American International College, Assumption College, Bentley College, Bryant College, the University of Hartford, Springfield College, and Stonehill College. In 1981, Saint Anselm College was the eighth team to join and the resulting "NE-8" stayed this way until 1984 when the University of Hartford left and Merrimack College joined.

The “Northeast 10” name came about in 1987 when Saint Michael's College and Quinnipiac College joined the league. The conference remained stable until 1995 when Springfield College left for Division III. The league stayed at ten members as Le Moyne College joined the league in 1996 from the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) and briefly expanded to eleven when Pace University joined in 1997 from the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC). Quinnipiac moved to the Division I Northeast Conference (NEC) to again return the membership to ten.

The last major expansion took place prior to 2000, when five new schools joined the fold. Franklin Pierce College, Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU; formerly New Hampshire College), the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell), and Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) and the College of Saint Rose (Saint Rose) giving the NE10 15 members.

Since the addition of those five institutions, the league has added football, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field as championship sports. The expansion continued in 2003–04 as the conference added another three championships – men's swimming and diving, women's swimming and diving, and men's ice hockey. However, because the NE10 is the sole Division II men's ice hockey league, its postseason champion cannot compete for the NCAA national hockey championship.

David Brunk, the first full-time commissioner in league history, announced in April he was resigning July 1, 2007 to take over the Peach Belt Conference. Brunk had been commissioner since 1998. Julie Ruppert became the next full-time commissioner in June 2008, becoming the first female Division II commissioner in the country.

In 2008, Bryant University announced it would begin the five-year process that would make them a full Division I member by 2012; at the same time the NE10 announced that it had given a bid to University of New Haven and they had accepted. In December 2007, Adelphi University announced it had joined the league and began playing in 2009–10. To start the 2008–09 academic year, the NE10 still had 15 members and expanded to 16 in 2009–10.

On July 1, 2013, UMass Lowell left the NE10 to join the Division I America East Conference. With the departure of UMass Lowell, the Northeast-10 Conference had 15 remaining members.

Two other changes to the conference membership, both taking effect with the 2019–20 school year, were announced in 2018. First, Merrimack announced that it would begin a transition to Division I and join the Northeast Conference (the same move that Bryant made in 2008). Then, Long Island University announced that it would unify its two athletic programs – the Division I LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds and the Division II LIU Post Pioneers, the latter of which was a NE10 affiliate member in field hockey and football at the time of announcement into a single D-I athletic program under the LIU name. As such, the LIU Post field hockey team was merged with LIU Brooklyn's previously existing team in that sport, and the LIU Post football team became the new LIU football team, competing as a Division I FCS team in the Northeast Conference. Thus, the NE10 was at a total of 14 member schools. In 2022, the number was reduced to 13 with Stonehill College's announcement of its departure for Division I's Northeast Conference (NEC).

The next change in conference membership took place on July 1, 2023 when Le Moyne left for the NEC, dropping the NE10 to 12 members for the 2023–24 season.

In 2023, St. Rose announced it was ceasing operations after the 2023–24 academic year, dropping the NE10 to 11 members, effective for the 2024–25 school year.

On May 6, 2025, New Haven announced it had accepted an invitation to join the Northeast Conference and begin its reclassification from Division II, starting on July 1, 2025; thus leaving the NE10 to 10 members, effective for the 2025–26 school year.

Chronological timeline 1980 – The Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) was founded. Charter members included American International College, Assumption College (now Assumption University), Bentley College (now Bentley University), Bryant College (now Bryant University), the University of Hartford, Springfield College and Stonehill College, beginning the 1980–81 academic year. 1981 – Saint Anselm College joined the NE10 in the 1981–82 academic year. 1984 Hartford left the NE10 to join the Division I ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the ECAC North Atlantic Conference (now the America East Conference) after the 1983–84 academic year. Merrimack College joined the NE10 in the 1984–85 academic year. 1987 – Quinnipiac College (now Quinnipiac University) and Saint Michael's College joined the NE10 in the 1987–88 academic year. 1995 – Springfield (Mass.) left the NE10 to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the Constitution Athletic Conference after the 1994–95 academic year. 1996 – Le Moyne College joined the NE10 in the 1996–97 academic year. 1997 – Pace University joined the NE10 in the 1997–98 academic year. 1998 – Quinnipiac left the NE10 to join the NCAA Division I ranks and the Northeast Conference (NEC) after the 1997–98 academic year. 2000 – Franklin Pierce College (now Franklin Pierce University), the University of Massachusetts at Lowell (UMass Lowell), New Hampshire College (now Southern New Hampshire University), the College of Saint Rose and Southern Connecticut State University joined the NE10 in the 2000–01 academic year. 2001 – Long Island University–Post (LIU Post) joined the NE10 as an associate member for football in the 2001 fall season (2001–02 academic year). 2008 Bryant left the NE10 to join the NCAA Division I ranks and the NEC after the 2007–08 academic year. LIU Post left the NE10 as an associate member for football after the 2007 fall season (2007–08 academic year). The University of New Haven joined the NE10 in the 2008–09 academic year. 2009 – Adelphi University joined the NE10 in the 2009–10 academic year. 2013 UMass Lowell left the NE10 to join the NCAA Division I ranks and the America East Conference after the 2012–13 academic year. LIU Post rejoined the NE10 as an associate member for football (but also included field hockey) in the 2013 fall season (2013–14 academic year). 2019 Merrimack left the NE10 to join the NCAA Division I ranks and the NEC after the 2018–19 academic year. LIU Post left the NE10 as an associate member for football and field hockey after the 2018 fall season (2018–19 academic year), as the school announced that it would merge with Long Island University–Brooklyn (LIU Brooklyn) to unify its athletic programs after the 2018 fall season (2018–19 academic year). Four institutions joined the NE10 as associate members, all effective in the 2019–20 academic year: Mercy College, Molloy College and St. Thomas Aquinas College for field hockey and Post University for men's ice hockey 2022 – Stonehill left the NE10 to join the NCAA Division I ranks and the NEC after the 2021–22 academic year. 2023 Le Moyne left the NE10 to join the NCAA Division I ranks and the NEC after the 2022–23 academic year. The College of Staten Island joined the NE10 as an associate member in both men's and women's swimming and diving in the 2023–24 academic year. 2024 Saint Rose left the NE10 as the school announced that it ceased operations after the 2023–24 academic year. Post added football to its NE10 associate membership in the 2024 season (2024–25 academic year). 2025 The American International men's ice hockey team rejoined the NE10 after moving down from Division I to Division II, beginning the 2025–26 academic year. New Haven left the NE10 to join the NCAA Division I ranks and the NEC, beginning the 2025–26 academic year. The University of Bridgeport and Felician University joined the NE10 as associate members in both men's and women's swimming and diving, beginning the 2025–26 academic year. 2026 – Mercy, Molloy, and St. Thomas Aquinas left the NE10 as associate members for field hockey to move their programs to their full-time conference home of the ECC once it begins play in the 2026 season (2026–27 academic year). 2027 Saint Anselm will leave the NE10 to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) after the 2026–27 academic year. Monroe University will join the NE10 as an associate member for football, beginning the 2027 fall season (2027–28 academic year).

Member schools Current members The NE10 currently has 10 full members; all but one are private schools.

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Colors Adelphi University Garden City, New York 1896 Nonsectarian 7,603 Panthers 2009 American International College Springfield, Massachusetts 1885 Nonsectarian 2,010 Yellow Jackets 1980 Assumption University Worcester, Massachusetts 1904 Catholic 2,044 Greyhounds Bentley University Waltham, Massachusetts 1917 Nonsectarian 4,526 Falcons Franklin Pierce University Rindge, New Hampshire 1962 Nonsectarian 1,172 Ravens 2000 Pace University Pleasantville, New York 1906 Nonsectarian 14,092 Setters 1997 Saint Anselm College Goffstown, New Hampshire 1889 Catholic 2,111 Hawks 1981 Saint Michael's College Colchester, Vermont 1904 Catholic 1,370 Purple Knights 1987 Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, Connecticut 1893 Public 9,377 Owls 2000 Southern New Hampshire University Manchester andHooksett, New Hampshire 1932 Nonsectarian 2,769 Penmen

Notes

Affiliate members The NE10 currently has 5 affiliate members; all are private schools.

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Colors NE10sport(s) Primaryconference Bridgeport, Connecticut 1927 Nonsectarian 3,838 Purple Knights 2025 Men's swimming and diving Central Atlantic (CACC) 2025 Women's swimming and diving Felician University Rutherford, New Jersey 1923 Catholic 2,427 Golden Falcons 2025 Men's swimming and diving Central Atlantic (CACC) 2025 Women's swimming and diving Post University Waterbury, Connecticut 1890 For-profit 21,699 Eagles 2019 Men's ice hockey Central Atlantic (CACC) 2024 Football Thomas Jefferson University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1824 Nonsectarian 8,315 Rams 2025 Women's golf Central Atlantic (CACC) Staten Island, New York 1956 Public 10,973 Dolphins 2023 Men's swimming and diving East Coast (ECC) 2023 Women's swimming and diving

Notes

Future affiliate members Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joining Colors NE10sport(s) Primaryconference Monroe University New Rochelle, New York 1933 For-profit 7,924 Mustangs 2027 Football NJCAA Independent

Former members The NE10 had ten former full members; all but one were private schools.