The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), originally and through 1950 known as the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, whose member institutions consist entirely of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

The thirteen member institutions reside primarily along the central portion of the East Coast of the United States, in the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Since a majority of the members are in North Carolina, the CIAA moved its headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina from Hampton, Virginia in August 2015.

The CIAA sponsors 14 annual championships and divides into north and south divisions for some sports. The most notable CIAA sponsored championship is the CIAA Basketball Tournament having become one of the largest college basketball events in the nation.

History

The CIAA, founded on the campus of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in 1912, is the oldest African-American athletic conference in the United States. It was originally known as the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association and adopted its current name in December 1950."About the CIAA: The History of the CIAA," Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, theciaa.com The conference composes predominantly of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) spanning the east coast from Pennsylvania to South Carolina.

Founding leaders were Allen Washington and Charles H. Williams of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University); Ernest J. Marshall of Howard University; George Johnson of Lincoln University (PA); W. E. Atkins, Charles Frazier, and H. P. Hargrave of Shaw University; and J. W. Barco and J. W. Pierce of Virginia Union University.Raymond Schmidt, Shaping College Football: The Transformation of an American Sport, 1919–1930 (Syracuse University Press, 2007) p133

Football experiences a major resurgence after going through a period of decline at several member universities. Football was absent from the campus of Saint Augustine's University for nearly three decades, before the administration reinstated it in 2002. Shaw University then brought back its football program in 2003, following a hiatus of 24 years.

Lincoln University, a charter member, added varsity football in 2008 and was readmitted to the CIAA after nearly three decades in Division III. Chowan University joined the CIAA in 2008 for football only. On October 14, 2008, the CIAA Board of Directors admitted Chowan as a full member effective July 1, 2009, the first non-HBCU to play in the conference.

On August 27, 2012, the CIAA announced the appointment of Jacqie Carpenter, the first African-American female commissioner to hold the position.

In 2014, a collection of records, including the original 1912 documents leading to the formation of the CIAA and meeting minutes from 1913 to 1922, were sold at auction after being discovered in a storage locker. The lot sold for $11,500 to an unnamed bidder.

On May 22, 2018, Chowan University announced its athletic department will realign with the Conference Carolinas as a full member while maintaining an associate relationship with the CIAA for both football and women's bowling.

On October 4, 2024, the CIAA suspended St. Augustine's membership within the conference for the 2024–25 academic year, citing failure to meet conference compliance requirements and concerns surrounding its ability to meet NCAA sports sponsorship and scheduling requirements. The suspension was extended indefinitely at the CIAA's 2024 Fall Board meeting on December 10, and the CIAA eventually voted to not extend their membership into the 2025–26 academic year at their 2025 Spring Board Meeting on June 20, effectively removing St. Augustine's from the conference.

Chronological timeline 1912 – The CIAA was founded as the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). Charter member included Hampton Institute (now Hampton University), Howard University, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania; Shaw University and Virginia Union University, beginning the 1912–13 academic year. 1920 – Virginia State College (now Virginia State University) joined the CIAA in the 1920–21 academic year. 1921 – Virginia Theological Seminary and College (now the Virginia University of Lynchburg) joined the CIAA in the 1921–22 academic year. 1923 – Saint Paul's Normal and Industrial School (later Saint Paul's Polytechnic Institute and then Saint Paul's College) joined the CIAA in the 1923–24 academic year. 1924 – The Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina (now North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University) joined the CIAA in the 1924–25 academic year. 1926 – Johnson C. Smith University joined the CIAA in the 1926–27 academic year. 1928 – North Carolina College at Durham (now North Carolina Central University) joined the CIAA in the 1928–29 academic year. 1929 – Morgan College (now Morgan State University) joined the CIAA in the 1929–30 academic year. 1931 – Livingstone College joined the CIAA in the 1931–32 academic year. 1932 – Bluefield State Teachers College (now Bluefield State University) joined the CIAA in the 1932–33 academic year. 1933 – Saint Augustine's College (now Saint Augustine's University) joined the CIAA in the 1933–34 academic year. 1942 – West Virginia State College (now West Virginia State University) joined the CIAA in the 1942–43 academic year. 1945 – Delaware State College (now Delaware State University) and Winston-Salem Teachers College (now Winston-Salem State University) joined the CIAA in the 1945–46 academic year. 1950 – The CIAA has been rebranded as the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) in the 1950–51 academic year. 1954 – VUL left the CIAA after the 1953–54 academic year. 1954 – Fayetteville State Teachers College (now Fayetteville State University) and Maryland State College at Princess Anne (now the University of Maryland–Eastern Shore) joined the CIAA in the 1954–55 academic year. 1955 – Bluefield State and West Virginia State left the CIAA to join the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) after the 1954–55 academic year. 1957 – Elizabeth City State Teachers College (now Elizabeth City State University) joined the CIAA in the 1957–58 academic year. 1960 – Lincoln (Pa.) left the CIAA after the 1959–60 academic year. 1962 – Norfolk Polytechnic College (now Norfolk State University) joined the CIAA in the 1962–63 academic year. 1970 – Delaware State, Howard, Maryland–Eastern Shore (UMES), Morgan State, North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central left the CIAA to form the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) after the 1969–70 academic year. 1979 – Bowie State College (now Bowie State University) joined the CIAA in the 1979–80 academic year. 1980 – North Carolina Central rejoined the CIAA in the 1980–81 academic year. 1995 – Hampton left the CIAA to join the MEAC after the 1994–95 academic year. 1996 – Norfolk State left the CIAA to join the MEAC after the 1995–96 academic year. 2006 – Winston-Salem State left the CIAA to join the MEAC after the 2005–06 academic year. 2007 – North Carolina Central left the CIAA for a second time to rejoin the MEAC after the 2006–07 academic year. 2008 – Lincoln (Pa.) rejoined the CIAA in the 2008–09 academic year. 2008 – Chowan University joined the CIAA as an associate member for football in the 2008 fall season (2008–09 academic year). 2009 – Chowan upgraded to join the CIAA as a full member for all sports in the 2009–10 academic year. 2010 – Winston–Salem State rejoined the CIAA in the 2010–11 academic year. 2011 – Saint Paul's left the CIAA after the school announced that it was discontinuing its athletics program after the 2010–11 academic year. 2018 – Claflin University joined the CIAA in the 2018–19 academic year. 2019 – Chowan left the CIAA to join the Conference Carolinas (CC) after the 2018–19 academic year; while it remained in the conference as an associate member for football and women's bowling, beginning the 2019–20 academic year. 2021 – Chowan left the CIAA as an associate member for women's bowling after the 2021 spring season (2020–21 academic year). 2023 – Chowan left the CIAA as an associate member for football after the 2022 fall season (2022–23 academic year). 2023 – Bluefield State rejoined the CIAA in the 2023–24 academic year. 2025 – Saint Augustine's was removed from the CIAA beginning with the 2025–26 academic year due to compliance and operational concerns.

Member schools Current members The CIAA currently has 12 full members, seven are public schools and five are private schools:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Colors Bluefield State University Bluefield, West Virginia 1895 Public 1,313 Big Blue 1932;2023 Bowie State University Bowie, Maryland 1865 Public 6,353 Bulldogs 1979 Claflin University Orangeburg, South Carolina 1869 United Methodist 1,960 Panthers 2018 Elizabeth City State University Elizabeth City, North Carolina 1891 Public 2,261 Vikings 1957 Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, North Carolina 1867 Public 7,113 Broncos 1954 Johnson C. Smith University Charlotte, North Carolina 1867 Presbyterian 1,302 Golden Bulls 1926 Lincoln University Oxford, Pennsylvania 1854 State related 1,848 Lions 1912;2008 Livingstone College Salisbury, North Carolina 1879 A.M.E. Church 814 Blue Bears 1931 Shaw University Raleigh, North Carolina 1865 Baptist 962 Bears 1912 Virginia State University Ettrick, Virginia 1882 Public 5,605 Trojans 1920 Virginia Union University Richmond, Virginia 1865 Baptist 1,783 Panthers 1912 Winston–Salem State University Winston-Salem, North Carolina 1892 Public 4,192 Rams 1945;2010

Notes

Former members The CIAA had 13 former full members, all but 6 of which were public schools:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Left Currentconference Chowan University Murfreesboro, North Carolina 1848 Baptist 1,316 Hawks 2009 2019 Carolinas (CC) Delaware State University Dover, Delaware 1891 Public 4,768 Hornets 1945 1970 Mid-Eastern (MEAC) Hampton University Hampton, Virginia 1868 Nonsectarian 4,321 Pirates 1912 1995 Coastal (CAA) Howard University Washington, D.C. 1867 Nonsectarian 9,399 Bison 1912 1970 Mid-Eastern (MEAC) Princess Anne, Maryland 1886 Public 2,888 Hawks 1954 1970 Mid-Eastern (MEAC) Morgan State University Baltimore, Maryland 1867 Public 7,763 Bears 1929 1970 Mid-Eastern (MEAC) Norfolk State University Norfolk, Virginia 1935 Public 5,601 Spartans 1962 1996 Mid-Eastern (MEAC) North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro, North Carolina 1891 Public 13,332 Aggies 1924 1970 Coastal (CAA) North Carolina Central University Durham, North Carolina 1910 Public 8,011 Eagles 1928,1980 1970,2007 Mid-Eastern (MEAC) Raleigh, North Carolina 1867 Episcopal N/A Falcons 1933 2025 N/A Saint Paul's College Lawrenceville, Virginia 1888 Episcopal N/A Tigers 1923 2011 N/A Virginia University of Lynchburg Lynchburg, Virginia 1886 Christian 750 Dragons 1921 1954 NCCAA Independent West Virginia State University Institute, West Virginia 1891 Public 3,100 Yellow Jackets 1942 1955 Mountain East (MEC)

Notes

Former associate members The CIAA had one former associate member, which was also a private school:

Institution Location Founded Affiliation Enrollment Nickname Joined Left CIAAsport(s) Primaryconference Chowan University Murfreesboro, North Carolina 1848 Baptist 1,316 Hawks 2008 2009 football Carolinas (CC) 2019 2023 2019 2021 women's bowling

Notes

Membership timeline

Sports A divisional format is used for basketball (M / W), bowling, softball, tennis (W), and volleyball. Bluefield State Bowie State Elizabeth City State Lincoln Virginia State Virginia Union Claflin Fayetteville State Johnson C. Smith Livingstone Shaw