City University of New York Athletic Conference

The City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNY Athletic Conference or CUNYAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Its member institutions are all located in New York City and are campuses of the City University of New York. The CUNYAC also has a community college division, affiliated with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

City University of New York Athletic Conference

Association	NCAA & NJCAA
Founded	1978 (informal), 1987 (charter)
Commissioner	Kurt Patberg
Sports fielded	16 men's: 8 women's: 8
Division	Division III
No. of teams	8 (NCAA-DIII) 6 (NJCAA)
Headquarters	Flushing, New York
Region	New York City
Official website	cunyathletics.com
Locations

History

Baruch

Brooklyn

CCNY

Hunter

John Jay

Lehman

Medgar Evers

York

NJCU

Bronx

BMCC

Hostos

Kingsborough

LaGuardia

Queensborough

Current members
– college division members
– community college division
– future college division member

Recent additions

On April 16, 2025, New Jersey City University will return back to the CUNYAC, first as a men's volleyball affiliate beginning in the 2026 spring season (2025–26 academic year), followed by multi-sport affiliation beginning in the 2026–27 academic year, and finally full membership beginning in the 2027–28 academic year, becoming the first full member outside of the City University of New York system. In CUNYAC's official announcement, the conference stated that NJCU was "the first of several" new members. NJCU's official announcement stated that it expected to "become a founding member of a new reconstituted, relaunched, and rebranded league for an anticipated start on July 1, 2027."^[1][2]

Chronological timeline

NCAA Division III (Senior college division)

• 1978 – The CUNYAC was founded as the CUNY Athletic Directions Association (CUNYADA). Charter members included Baruch College, Brooklyn College, the City College of New York (CCNY), Hunter College, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Lehman College, Medgar Evers College, Queens College, the College of Staten Island and York College, beginning the 1978–79 academic year.
• 1980 – Two institutions left the CUNYAC to join their respective new home primary conferences, both effective after the 1979–80 academic year:
  • Brooklyn to join the Division I ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as an NCAA D-I Independent
  • and Queens to join the NCAA Division II ranks as an NCAA D-II Independent
• 1987 – The CUNYADA has rebranded as the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) in the 1987–88 academic year.
• 1996 – Brooklyn rejoined the CUNYAC in the 1996–97 academic year.
• 1999 – New York City College of Technology (New York City Tech) joined the senior college ranks of the CUNYAC in the 1999–2000 academic year.
• 2003 – New Jersey City University (NJCU) joined the CUNYAC as an affiliate member for baseball in the 2004 spring season (2003–04 academic year).
• 2004 – New Jersey City (NJCU) left the CUNYAC as an affiliate member for baseball after the 2004 spring season (2003–04 academic year).
• 2011 – New York City Tech left the CUNYAC to put its athletic program on hiatus after the 2010–11 academic year.
• 2015 – The University of Maine at Presque Isle (Maine–Presque Isle or UMPI) joined the CUNYAC as an affiliate member for baseball during the 2016 spring season (2015–16 academic year).
• 2017 – Finlandia University joined the CUNYAC as an affiliate member for baseball in the 2018 spring season (2017–18 academic year).
• 2018 – Finlandia and Maine–Presque Isle (UMPI) left the CUNYAC as affiliate members for baseball after the 2018 spring season (2017–18 academic year).
• 2019 – Staten Island left the CUNYAC to join the NCAA Division II ranks and the East Coast Conference (ECC) after the 2018–19 academic year.
• 2025 – New Jersey City (NJCU) will join the CUNYAC as an affiliate member for men's volleyball, beginning in the 2026 spring season (2025–26 academic year).
• 2026 – New Jersey City (NJCU) will rejoin for baseball into its CUNYAC affiliate membership, beginning the 2027 spring season (2026–27 academic year).
• 2027 – New Jersey City (NJCU) will upgrade as a full member of the CUNYAC for all sports, beginning the 2027–28 academic year; thus becoming the first full member outside of the City University of New York System.

NJCAA (Community college division)

• 1987 – The community college division of the CUNYAC was founded. Charter members included Bronx Community College, the Borough of Manhattan Community College, Kingsborough Community College, the New York City College of Technology (New York City Tech) and Queensborough Community College, beginning the 1987–88 academic year.
• 1999 – New York City Tech left the community college division of the CUNYAC to join the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the senior college division of the CUNYAC after the 1998–99 academic year.
• 2002 – Hostos Community College joined the community college division of the CUNYAC in the 2002–03 academic year.
• 2013 – LaGuardia Community College joined the community college division of the CUNYAC in the 2002–03 academic year.
• 2017 – LaGuardia left the community college division of the CUNYAC to put its athletic program on hiatus after the 2016–17 academic year.
• 2022 – LaGuardia rejoined the community college division of the CUNYAC in the 2022–23 academic year.

Member schools

NCAA Division III (Senior college division)

Current members

The senior college division of the CUNYAC currently has eight full members, all public schools.

Institution	Location[a]	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined[b]
Baruch College	Manhattan	1919	Public[c]	15,500	Bearcats	1978
Brooklyn College	Brooklyn	1930		15,385	Bulldogs	1978; 1996[d]
City College of New York	Manhattan	1847		13,244	Beavers	1978
Hunter College	Manhattan	1870		21,309	Hawks	1978
John Jay College of Criminal Justice	Manhattan	1964		14,000	Bloodhounds	1978
Lehman College	The Bronx	1968		10,615	Lightning	1978
Medgar Evers College	Brooklyn	1970		7,081	Cougars	1978
York College	Queens	1966		6,000	Cardinals	1978

Notes

1. All locations are within New York City.
2. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
3. Part of the City University of New York System.
4. Brooklyn left the CUNYAC after the 1979–80 school year, before rejoining in the 1996–97 school year.

Future members

The senior college division of the CUNYAC will have one new full member, also a public school (and also the conference's first member outside the CUNY system).

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joining[a]	Current conference
New Jersey City University	Jersey City, New Jersey	1929	Public	6,800	Gothic Knights	2027[b]	New Jersey (NJAC)

Notes

1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
2. New Jersey City (NJCU) will join the CUNYAC in 2025 as a men's volleyball affiliate, and in 2026 as a multi-sport affiliate member, before gaining full membership the following year.

Former members

The senior college division of the CUNYAC had three former full members, all were public schools:

Institution	Location[a]	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined[b]	Left[c]	Current conference
New York City College of Technology	Brooklyn	1946	Public[d]	15,368	Yellow Jackets	1999	2011	None[e]
Queens College	Queens	1937		18,494	Knights	1978	1980	East Coast (ECC)[f]
College of Staten Island	Staten Island	1976		11,263	Dolphins	1978	2019	East Coast (ECC)[f]

Notes

1. All locations are within New York City.
2. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
3. Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
4. Part of the City University of New York System.
5. New York City Tech's athletics program is on hiatus.
6. Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.

Former associate members

The senior college division of the CUNYAC has two former associate members, both public schools, One of these, New Jersey City, will become a CUNYAC affiliate in men's volleyball in 2025 and in most other sports in 2026 before becoming a full member of the new conference to be formed by CUNYAC members in 2027.

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined[a]	Left[b]	CUNYAC sport	Current primary conference	Current conference in former CUNYAC sport
Finlandia University	Hancock, Michigan	1896	Lutheran (ELCA)	507	Lions	2017	2018	baseball	Closed in 2023
University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI)	Presque Isle, Maine	1903	Public	1,600	Owls	2015[c]	2018		North Atlantic (NAC)[d]
New Jersey City University (NJCU)	Jersey City, New Jersey	1929	Public	6,800	Gothic Knights	2003	2004		New Jersey (NJAC) (CUNYAC in 2026 for baseball, 2027 as full member)

Notes

1. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
2. Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
3. Maine–Presque Isle (UMPI) joined the CUNYAC in baseball prior to the 2016 conference tournament (2015–16 school year). It played its first full regular-season conference schedule during the 2017 spring season (2016–17 school year).
4. During their tenure as an affiliate member of the CUNYAC, UMPI's primary home conference was being an NCAA D-III Independent for 2015–16 and 2016–17, and in the American Collegiate Athletic Association during the 2017–18 school year.

Membership timeline

 Full member (all sports)   Full member (non-football)   Associate member (football)   Associate member (sport) 

NJCAA (Community college division)

Current members

The community college division of the CUNYAC currently has six full members, all are public schools:

Institution[3]	Location[a]	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined[b]
Bronx Community College	The Bronx	1957	Public[c]	9,003	Broncos	1987
Borough of Manhattan Community College	Manhattan	1963		21,986	Panthers	1987
Hostos Community College	The Bronx	1968		6,499	Caimans	2002
Kingsborough Community College	Brooklyn	1963		18,634	Wave	1987
LaGuardia Community College	Queens	1968		17,569	Red Hawks	2022[d]
Queensborough Community College	Queens	1959		15,000	Tigers	1987

Notes

1. All locations are within New York City.
2. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
3. Part of the City University of New York System.
4. LaGuardia was part of the conference between 2013–14 and 2016–17 and then it put their athletic program on hiatus but they returned in the 2022–23 school year.^[4]

Former members

The community college division of the CUNYAC had two former full members, both were public schools:

Institution	Location[a]	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined[b]	Left[c]	Current conference
New York City College of Technology	Brooklyn	1946	Public[d]	15,368	Yellow Jackets	1987	1999	None[e]

Notes

1. All locations are within New York City.
2. Represents the calendar year when fall sports competition begins.
3. Represents the calendar year when spring sports competition ends.
4. Part of the City University of New York System.
5. New York City Tech's athletic program is currently on hiatus.

Membership timeline

 Full member (all sports)   Full member (non-football)   Associate member (football)   Associate member (sport) 

Sports

NCAA Division III

See also: CUNYAC men's basketball tournament

The CUNYAC sponsors Division III intercollegiate athletic competition in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, women's softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and men's and women's volleyball.

Men's sports

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross country	Soccer	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball	Total
Baruch	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	7
Brooklyn	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	6
CCNY	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
Hunter	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	7
John Jay	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	N	N	Y	6
Lehman	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Medgar Evers	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	Y	Y	6
York (NY)	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the CUNYAC that are played by CUNYAC schools

School	Fencing	Rifle	Wrestling
Hunter	MACFA	N	IND
John Jay	N	MARC	N

Women's sports

School	Basketball	Cross country	Soccer	Softball	Swimming & Diving	Tennis	Track & Field (Indoor)	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball	Total
Baruch	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	6
Brooklyn	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	7
CCNY	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	6
Hunter	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	8
John Jay	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	Y	7
Lehman	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9
Medgar Evers	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	6
York (NY)	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	9

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the CUNYAC that are played by CUNYAC schools

School	Fencing	Rifle
CCNY	EWFC	N
Hunter	NIWFA	N
John Jay	N	MARC

Community college

The CUNYAC sponsors community college (NJCAA) intercollegiate athletic competition in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's soccer, and women's volleyball.