The River States Conference (RSC), formerly known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC), is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Although it was historically a Kentucky-only conference, it has now expanded to include members in Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia, and at various times in the past has also had members in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia.
History
In March 2016, the KIAC announced it would change its name to the River States Conference, effective July 1, 2016, to better reflect its membership, which has expanded beyond Kentucky and now includes members in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia.
Recent changes On July 6, 2022, Carlow University announced that it would leave the RSC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) for the 2023–24 academic year.
On February 28, 2023, Ohio Christian University announced that it would leave the RSC and the NAIA to fully align with the Division I ranks of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) for the 2024–25 academic year.
On January 9, 2024, Point Park announced it would leave the RSC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Mountain East Conference (MEC) as of the 2024–25 academic year.
On June 27, 2025, Shawnee State University announced that it will leave the RSC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the MEC, beginning the 2025–26 academic year.
Chronological timeline 1916 – The River States Conference was founded as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC). Charter members included Berea College, Centre College, Georgetown College, Kentucky Wesleyan College, the University of Louisville, Ogden College, Transylvania University, and Western Kentucky State Teachers College (now Western Kentucky University) beginning with the 1916–17 academic year. 1927 Ogden left the KIAC as the school announced that it would merge with Western Kentucky after the 1926–27 academic year. Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College (now Eastern Kentucky University) joined the KIAC in the 1927–28 academic year. 1931 – Morehead State Teachers College (now Morehead State University) joined the KIAC in the 1931–32 academic year. 1933 – Murray State Teachers College (now Murray State University) and Union College (now Union Commonwealth University) joined the KIAC in the 1933–34 academic year. 1948 – Eastern Kentucky, Louisville, Morehead State, Murray State, and Western Kentucky left the KIAC to join the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) major-college ranks and to form most of the charter members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) after the 1947–48 academic year. 1951 – Bellarmine College (now Bellarmine University) joined the KIAC in the 1951–52 academic year. 1955 Kentucky Wesleyan left the KIAC after the 1954–55 academic year. Thomas More College (now Thomas More University) joined the KIAC in the 1955–56 academic year. 1958 – Pikeville College (now the University of Pikeville) joined the KIAC in the 1958–59 academic year. 1962 – Centre (KY) left the KIAC to join the College Athletic Conference after the 1961–62 academic year. 1964 Bellarmine left the KIAC after the 1963–64 academic year. Campbellsville College (now Campbellsville University) and Rio Grande College (now the University of Rio Grande) joined the KIAC in the 1964–65 academic year. 1968 – Oakland City College (now Oakland City University) joined the KIAC in the 1968–69 academic year. 1971 Rio Grande left the KIAC to join the Mid-Ohio Conference (later known as the American Mideast Conference) after the 1970–71 academic year. Asbury College (now Asbury University) and Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia (now formally the University of Virginia's College at Wise, and athletically branded as UVA Wise) joined the KIAC in the 1971–72 academic year. 1975 – Oakland City left the KIAC after the 1974–75 academic year. 1983 – Alice Lloyd College joined the KIAC in the 1983–84 academic year. 1984 – Brescia College (now Brescia University) and Lindsey Wilson College (now Lindsey Wilson University) joined the KIAC in the 1984–85 academic year. 1991 Thomas More left the KIAC to join the NCAA Division III ranks as an independent after the 1990–91 academic year. Midway College (now Midway University) joined the KIAC in the 1991–92 academic year. 1992 Alice Lloyd left the KIAC to join the Tennessee Valley Athletic Conference (TVAC) after the 1991–92 academic year. Spalding University joined the KIAC in the 1992–93 academic year. 1994 UVA Wise left the KIAC to become an independent within the NAIA (which would later join the Tennessee-Virginia Athletic Conference (TVAC) beginning the 1995–96 academic year) after the 1993–94 academic year. Indiana University Southeast (athletically IU Southeast or IUS) joined the KIAC in the 1994–95 academic year. 1995 – Campbellsville, Georgetown (KY), and Union (KY) left the KIAC to form part as charter members of the Mid-South Conference after the 1994–95 academic year. 1999 – Bethel College of Tennessee (now Bethel University of Tennessee) joined the KIAC in the 1999–2000 academic year. 2000 Lindsey Wilson and Pikeville left the KIAC to join the Mid-South after the 1999–2000 academic year. Mid-Continent University joined the KIAC in the 2000–01 academic year. 2001 – Transylvania left the KIAC to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) after the 2000–01 academic year. 2003 – The St. Louis College of Pharmacy (SLCP) joined the KIAC in the 2003–04 academic year. 2005 – Alice Lloyd re-joined the KIAC in the 2005–06 academic year. 2006 – Bethel (TN) and Mid-Continent left the KIAC after the 2005–06 academic year. 2007 Spalding left the KIAC to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) after the 2006–07 academic year. Indiana University East (athletically IU East) and Mountain State University joined the KIAC in the 2007–08 academic year. 2008 – Cincinnati Christian University joined the KIAC in the 2008–09 academic year. 2012 Mountain State left the KIAC as the school announced that it would close after the 2011–12 academic year. Carlow University and Point Park University joined the KIAC in the 2012–13 academic year. 2013 – Indiana University Kokomo (athletically IU Kokomo) joined the KIAC in the 2013–14 academic year. 2014 Two institutions left the KIAC to join their respective new home primary conferences: Berea left the NAIA to join the NCAA Division III ranks as an independent (which would later join the USA South Athletic Conference (USA South) beginning the 2017–18 academic year), and UHSP St. Louis to join the American Midwest Conference, both effective after the 2013–14 academic year. Rio Grande rejoined the KIAC in the 2014–15 academic year. 2015 – Ohio Christian University and West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech or West Virginia Tech) joined the KIAC in the 2015–16 academic year. 2016 – The KIAC was rebranded as the River States Conference (RSC) in the 2016–17 academic year. 2019 – Cincinnati Christian left the RSC as the school announced that it would close at the end of the fall 2019 semester during the 2019–20 academic year. 2020 – Oakland City rejoined the RSC in the 2020–21 academic year. 2021: Asbury left the RSC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division III ranks as an independent as well as the Division I ranks of the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) after the 2020–21 academic year. Ohio Valley University and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College joined the RSC in the 2021–22 academic year. Ohio Valley left the RSC as the school announced that it would close at the end of the fall 2021 semester, during the 2021–22 academic year. 2023: Carlow left the RSC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) after the 2022–23 academic year. Indiana University–Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC, now Indiana University Columbus) and Shawnee State University joined the RSC in of the 2023–24 academic year. 2024 – Two institutions left the RSC and the NAIA to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2023–24 academic year: Ohio Christian to fully align with the Division I ranks of the NCCAA Point Park to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Campbellsville University, Cumberland University and Georgetown College joined the RSC as affiliate members for men's volleyball in the 2025 spring season (2024–25 academic year). 2025: Alice Lloyd left the RSC to become an NAIA Independent and compete within the Continental Athletic Conference after the 2024–25 academic year. Kentucky Christian University joined the RSC in the 2025–26 academic year. 2026: Oakland City left the RSC, as the school announced the suspension of its undergraduate programs for the 2026–27 academic year. Shawnee State left the RSC and the NAIA to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Mountain East (MEC) after the 2025–26 academic year.
Member schools Current members The River States currently has 10 full members, with five being public schools, four being private schools, and one member that operates public and private institutions within a single entity.
Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Brescia University Owensboro, Kentucky 1925 Catholic 638 Bearcats 1984 Indiana University Columbus(IU Columbus) Columbus, Indiana 1970 Public 1,411 Crimson Pride 2023 Indiana University East(IU East) Richmond, Indiana 1971 Public 2,985 Red Wolves 2007 Indiana University Kokomo(IU Kokomo) Kokomo, Indiana 1945 Public 2,892 Cougars 2013 Indiana University Southeast(IU Southeast) New Albany, Indiana 1941 Public 3,752 Grenadiers 1994 Kentucky Christian University Grayson, Kentucky 1919 Christian 541 Knights 2025 Midway University Midway, Kentucky 1847 Disciples of Christ 1,945 Eagles 1991 Rio Grande, Ohio 1876 Hybrid 2,168 RedStorm 1964;2014 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana 1840 Catholic 1,227 Pomeroys 2021 West Virginia University Institute of Technology(WVU Tech) Beckley, West Virginia 1895 Public 1,448 Golden Bears 2015
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Affiliate members The River States has three affiliate members, all are private schools:
Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined RSCsport(s) Currentconference Campbellsville University Campbellsville, Kentucky 1906 Baptist 12,451 Tigers 2024 men's volleyball Mid-South (MSC) Cumberland University Lebanon, Tennessee 1842 Nonsectarian 3,072 Phoenix 2024 men's volleyball Mid-South (MSC) Georgetown College Georgetown, Kentucky 1829 Baptist 1,463 Tigers 2024 men's volleyball Mid-South (MSC)
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Future members The River States has one future members, a private school:
Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joining Currentconference Salem University Salem, West Virginia 1888 Private(For-profit) 894 Tigers 2027 NCAA D-II Independent
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Former members The River States has thirty-two former full members, all but seven were private schools. School names and nicknames reflect those used in the final school year each institution was a conference member: