About the NAIA

The purpose of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is to promote the education and development of students through intercollegiate athletic participation. Member institutions, although varied and diverse, share a common commitment to high standards and to the principle that participation in athletics serves as an integral part of the total educational process.

The NAIA embraces the concept of the student and recognizes the importance of the individuality of each member institution, the value of the conferences and Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) structure, and the benefits of membership in a national association.

The NAIA supports gender equity. Gender equity is an atmosphere and reality where fair distribution of overall athletic opportunity and resources, proportionate to enrollment, are available to women and men, and where no student-athlete, coach or athletics administrator is discriminated against in any way in the athletics program. That is to say, an athletics program is gender-equitable when the men's sports program would be pleased to accept as its own the overall participation opportunities and resources currently allocated to the women's sports program and vice versa.

Advancing sport with innovative change

The NAIA has 50,000 student-athletes participating at nearly 300 member colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. Divided into 25 conferences and the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.), the NAIA offers 23 championships in 13 sports.

Since 1937, the NAIA has continued a long tradition of pushing the envelope and making a positive difference in the lives of students, coaches and parents. The Champions of Character program is the latest cutting-edge addition to the NAIA’s proud history of innovation.

Through Champions of Character, the NAIA seeks to create an environment in which every student-athlete, coach, official and spectator are committed to the true spirit of competition through the five core values: respect, integrity, responsibility, servant leadership and sportsmanship.

NAIA at a Glance

Nearly 300 member colleges and universities 23 national championships 650,000 students First to include black colleges and students in championships First to include women in national championships First to develop system-wide character initiative with substantive programming