NAIA independent schools are four-year institutional members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) that do not have formal conference affiliations. NAIA schools that are not members of any other athletic conference are members of the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC), formerly the Association of Independent Institutions (AII), which provides member services to the institution and allows members to compete in postseason competition. The CAC has one member institution in Canada's British Columbia. It provides services to the member institutions that are not fitting in any other NAIA conference and allows members to compete in postseason competition. The AII renamed itself the Continental Athletic Conference at the end of June 2021, citing the need to identify as a proper conference.
History Chronological timeline 2008 – The Association of Independent Institutions (AII) was founded by a select group of independent universities and colleges that do not have formal conference affiliations and provide member services to the institutions and allows them to compete in postseason competition. Charter members included the University of Alberta, Allen University, Ave Maria University, Brescia University, the University of British Columbia, Crichton College (later Victory University), California State University San Marcos (Cal State–San Marcos), Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University at Arizona (Embry–Riddle at Arizona), Fisk University, Holy Cross College (Indiana), the University of Houston–Victoria (Houston–Victoria, UHV; now Texas A&M University–Victoria), Indiana University–Northwest (Indiana–Northwest), Johnson & Wales University–Denver, Johnson & Wales University–North Miami, Kentucky Christian University, Lambuth University, Life University, Louisiana State University at Alexandria (Louisiana State–Alexandria or LSU Alexandria), Marygrove College, Morris College, Mountain State University, Our Lady of the Lake University, Park University, Patten University, Philander Smith College (now Philander Smith University), the University of Regina, the College of Santa Fe, Simon Fraser University, Soka University of America, Southeastern University of Florida, Southern Virginia University, Southwestern College of Arizona (now Arizona Christian University), the University of St. Thomas of Texas, the State University of New York at Delhi (SUNY Delhi), Talladega College, Thomas University, the University of Victoria, Voorhees College (now Voorhees University), and Walla Walla University beginning in the 2008–09 academic year. Out of those AII member institutions during that time, only three of them competed as partial or affiliate members, while they compete in other athletic conferences for their other sports as their primary home: Brescia and Mountain State for the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC, now the River States Conference), and Park for the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC). 2009 – Nine institutions left the AII, seven to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2008–09 academic year: Ave Maria, Johnson & Wales–Miami and Southeastern (Fla.) to join the Sun Conference (formerly the Florida Sun Conference) Brescia's basketball teams to join the rest of its athletics program in the KIAC Holy Cross (Ind.) to join the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Our Lady of the Lake to join the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) and Park to join the American Midwest Conference the eight and ninth, Santa Fe and Victory, ceased operations the tenth, Mountain State, has its men's basketball team to join the rest of its athletics program in the KIAC, while its women's basketball team remained in the AII 2009 – Northern New Mexico College, Ohio Dominican University, and Truett McConnell College (now Truett McConnell University) joined the AII in the 2009–10 academic year. 2010 – Four institutions left the AII to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2009–10 academic year: Alberta to realign its athletics program to the Canada West Universities Athletic Association (Canada West) of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS; now the U Sports) Fisk to join the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC, now the HBCU Athletic Conference) Ohio Dominican to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and Truett McConnell to join the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) 2010 – Benedictine University at Springfield, Central Baptist College, Lourdes College (now Lourdes University), and Warren Wilson College joined the AII in the 2010–11 academic year. 2011 – Nine institutions left the AII, eight to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2010–11 academic year: Philander Smith and Talladega to join the GCAC Regina to realign its athletics program to the CIS Simon Fraser to realign its athletics program to the NCAA Division II ranks and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) St. Thomas (Tex.) to join the RRAC Benedictine–Springfield to join the American Midwest Central Baptist to join the MCAC, and Lourdes to join the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) the ninth, Lambuth, ceased operations 2011 – Dakota State University, Dickinson State University, the University of Jamestown, La Sierra University, Lawrence Technological University (Lawrence Tech), Marymount College (later Marymount California University), Mayville State University, Rochester College (now Rochester Christian University), the Atlanta campus of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD Atlanta), and Valley City State University joined the AII in the 2011–12 academic year. 2012 – 13 institutions left the AII, 11 to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2011–12 academic year: Arizona Christian to join the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Dickinson State to join the Frontier Conference Embry–Riddle at Arizona, Marymount (Cal.) and Soka to join the California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac) Life to join the TranSouth Athletic Conference (TSAC or TranSouth) Marygrove and Lawrence Tech to join the WHAC SCAD Atlanta to join the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Southern Virginia and Warren Wilson to realign within the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) [with Southern Virginia later applying to join the NCAA Division III ranks, beginning the 2013–14 school year] Thomas (Ga.) to join the Sun Conference the twelfth and thirteenth, Mountain State and Patten, ceased operations 2012 – Ashford University, Fisher College, Iowa Wesleyan University, the West Virginia Institute of Technology (WVU Tech), Wilberforce University, Georgia Gwinnett College, Indiana University–Kokomo (Indiana–Kokomo or IU Kokomo), and Lindenwood University–Belleville joined the AII in the 2012–13 academic year. 2013 – Eight institutions left the AII to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2012–13 academic year: La Sierra to join the Cal Pac, Voorhees to join the GCAC Dakota State, Jamestown, Mayville State and Valley City State to join the then-newly created North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) Indiana–Kokomo (IU Kokomo) to join the KIAC and Iowa Wesleyan to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) 2013 – Dalton State College and the University of Antelope Valley joined the AII (with Life rejoining after one season in the recently defunct TranSouth) in the 2013–14 academic year. 2014 – Four institutions left the AII to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2013–14 academic year: Dalton State to join the SSAC Life to join the Mid-South Conference Lindenwood–Belleville to join the American Midwest and Louisiana State–Alexandria (LSU Alexandria) to join the RRAC 2014 – Texas A&M University–Texarkana, Lincoln Christian University, Washington Adventist University, the University of Winnipeg, and Trinity Lutheran College joined the AII in the 2014–15 academic year. 2015 – Four institutions left the AII to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2014–15 academic year: Antelope Valley to join the Cal Pac Cal State–San Marcos to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Houston–Victoria (UHV) to join the RRAC and Walla Walla to join the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) 2015 – Central Christian College of Kansas, Clarke University, the College of the Ozarks (CofO), Governors State University, Haskell Indian Nations University, Mount Mercy University, York College of Nebraska (now York University of Nebraska), and Providence Christian College (with Voorhees rejoining) joined the AII in the 2015–16 academic year. Out of those AII member institutions during that time, only one competed in other athletic conferences for other sports as their primary home: Providence Christian for the Cal Pac. 2016 – Nine institutions left the AII, seven to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2015–16 academic year: Allen to join the AAC Clarke and Mount Mercy to join the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) Governors State to join the CCAC Texas A&M–Texarkana to join the RRAC Winnipeg to realign its athletics program to the CIS (with its baseball program to join the NSAA as an affiliate member) and York (Neb.) to join the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) the eighth and ninth, Ashford and Trinity Lutheran, ceased operations. 2016 – Crowley's Ridge College, Silver Lake College of the Holy Family (later Holy Family College), Stillman College, and the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) joined the AII in the 2016–17 academic year. 2017 – Two institutions left the AII to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 2016–17 academic year: Central Christian to join the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) and Rochester Christian to join the WHAC 2017 – Cleary University, Florida College, the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK), Rust College, and the College of St. Joseph joined the AII in the 2017–18 academic year. 2018 – Eight institutions left the AII to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2017–18 academic year: British Columbia to realign its athletics program to the U Sports (with its baseball program to join the CCC as an affiliate member) Cleary to join the WHAC Johnson & Wales–Denver to join the NCAA Division III ranks and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Maine–Fort Kent (UMFK) to realign its athletics program with the USCAA SUNY Delhi to fully realign to the NCAA Division III ranks and join the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) and Stillman and Florida College to join the SSAC, Rust to join the GCAC 2018 – Florida Memorial University, Green Mountain College, Cottey College, Lincoln College, Pennsylvania State University Schuylkill, and Villa Maria College joined the AII in the 2018–19 academic year. 2019 – Five institutions left the AII, three to join their respective new home primary conferences, all effective after the 2018–19 academic year: Indiana–Northwest (IU Northwest) to join the CCAC Kentucky Christian to join the AAC and Villa Maria to realign its athletics program with the USCAA the fourth and fifth, Green Mountain and St. Joseph (Vt.), ceased operations. 2019 – Bacone College joined the AII in the 2019–20 academic year. 2020 – Two institutions left the AII, one to join its respective new home primary conference, both effective after the 2019–20 academic year: Lincoln (Ill.) to join the CCAC the other, Holy Family, ceased operations.