NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision independent schools are four-year institutions in the United States whose football programs are not members of a football conference. This means that FCS independents are not required to schedule each other for competition as conference schools do.
As of the upcoming 2026 season, two FCS programs will compete as independents:
- Merrimack has competed as an independent since 2024, when they left the football-sponsoring Northeast Conference (now officially known as NEC) to join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, which does not sponsor football.
- Chicago State, a full NEC member, will play its first season of varsity football in 2026 as an FCS independent, before joining NEC football in 2027.
Current FCS independents
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col"| Institution
! scope="col"| Location
! scope="col"| Founded
! scope="col"|
! scope="col"| Joined
! scope="col"| Type
! scope="col"| Enrollment
! scope="col"| Nickname
! class="unsortable" scope="col"| Colors
! scope="col"| Primary conference
|-bgcolor=ffa0a0
| scope="row"|Chicago State University
| Chicago, Illinois
| 1867
| colspan="2" | 2026
| Public
| 2,620
| Cougars
|
| NEC
|-
| scope="row"|Merrimack College
| North Andover, Massachusetts
| 1947
| 1996
| 2024
| Private<br>(Augustinian)
| 5,505
| Warriors
|
| MAAC
|}
Former FCS independents
The following is a complete list of teams that have been Division I-AA/FCS Independents since the formation of Division I-AA in 1978. The "Current Conference" column indicates affiliations for the 2023 college football season. The years listed in this table are football seasons; since football is a fall sport, this means that the final season of independent status, or membership in a given conference, is the calendar year before a conference change took effect.<!-- For purposes of this table, the 2020–21 season will be classified with its originally planned 2020 date.-->
Teams in italics are current FBS members; this includes second-year transitional schools that are counted as FBS for scheduling purposes but not bowl game eligibility. Because James Madison met FBS scheduling requirements in its first season in the Sun Belt Conference in 2022 (specifically five home games against FBS opposition), it was allowed to skip the first year of the normal two-year process.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: ; font-size:95%"
! width= px style=""| Years
! width= px style=""| Team
! width= px style=""| Previous conference
! width= px style=""| Conference joined
! width= px style=""| Current conference
|-
| 2013 || Abilene Christian || Lone Star (Div. II) || Southland (2014–2020) || UAC (2023–present)
|-
| 1987–1991 || Arkansas State || Southland || Division I-A Independent (1992) || Sun Belt (2001–present)
|-
| 1997–2000 || rowspan=2 | Austin Peay || Ohio Valley || Pioneer Football League (2001–2005) || rowspan=2 | UAC (2023–present)
|-
| 1993–1998 || Buffalo || Division III Independent || colspan=2 | Mid-American Conference (1999–present)
|-
| 1996–2003 || Cal Poly || American West || Great West (2004–2011) || Big Sky (2012–present)
|-
| 2001 || Cal State Northridge || Big Sky || colspan=2 | Dropped football
|-
| 2006 || Central Arkansas || Gulf South (Div. II) || Southland (2007–2020) || UAC (2023–present)
|-
| 2016 || Coastal Carolina || Big South || colspan=2 | Sun Belt (2017–present)
|-
| 1982–1985 || Colgate || Division I-A Independent || colspan=2 | Patriot League (1986–present)
|-
| 1993 || Duquesne || Division III Independent || MAAC (1994–2007) || Northeast (2008–present)
|-
| 2015 || East Tennessee State || No football program || colspan=2 | Southern (2016–present)
|-
| 1984–1986 || Eastern Washington || Division II Independent || colspan=2 | Big Sky (1987–present)
|-
| 1998–2001 || Elon || Division II Independent || Big South (2002) || CAA Football (2014–present)
|-
| 1984–1987 || rowspan=2 | Florida A&M || MEAC|| MEAC (1988–2003, 2005–2020) || SWAC (2021–present)
|-
| 2004 || MEAC || MEAC (2005–2020) || SWAC (2021–present)
|-
| 2002–2004 || FIU || No football program || Sun Belt (2005–2012) || CUSA (2013–present)
|-
| 2001–2004 || Florida Atlantic || No football program || Sun Belt (2005–2012) || The American (2023–present)
|-
| 1998–2000 || Jacksonville || No football program || Pioneer Football League (2001–2019) || Dropped football
|-
| 1980–1992 || James Madison || Division III Independent || Yankee Conference (1993–1996) || Sun Belt (2022–present)
|-
| 2023 || Kennesaw State || ASUN || colspan=2 | CUSA (2024–present)
|-
| 1978–1985 || Lafayette || Division II Independent || colspan=2 | Patriot League (1986–present)
|-
| 2010 || No football program || Southland (2011–2020)
|-
| 1997–1998 || La Salle || No football program (1942–1996) || MAAC (1999–2007) || Dropped football
|-
| 1978–1985 || Lehigh || Division II Independent || colspan=2 | Patriot League (1986–present) || CUSA (2023–present)
|-
| 1987–1988 || Louisiana Tech || Southland || Division I-A Independent (1989–1992) || CUSA (2013–present)
|-
| 1993 || rowspan=2 | Marist || Liberty Football Conference || MAAC (1994–2007) ||
|-
| 2008 || MAAC || colspan=2 | Pioneer Football League (2009–present)
|-
| 1993–1995 || rowspan=2 | Monmouth || No football program || Northeast (1996–2012) || rowspan=2 | CAA Football (2022–present)
|-
| 2013 || Northeast || Big South (2014–2021)
|-
| 1996–2000 || Morehead State || Ohio Valley || colspan=2 | Pioneer Football League (2001–present)
|-
| 2001–2002 || Morris Brown || SIAC (Div. II) || colspan=2 | Dropped football
|-
| 1978 || Nevada || Division II Independent || Big Sky (1979–1991) || Mountain West (2012–present)
|-
| 1980–1983 || rowspan=2 | Nicholls || Division II Independent || Gulf Star (1984–1986) || Southland (1992–present)
|-
| 1987–1990 || Gulf Star || colspan=2 | Southland (1991–present)
|-
| 2018 || North Alabama || Gulf South (Div. II) || Big South (2019–2021) || UAC (2023–present)
|-
| 1997–2000 || South Florida || No football program || Division I-A Independent (2001–2002) || American (2013–present)
|-
| 1980–1983 || rowspan=2 | Southeastern Louisiana || Division II Independent || Gulf Star (1984–1985) || Southland (2005–present)
|-
| 2003–2004 || No football program || colspan=2 | Southland (2005–present)
|-
| 1996–2003 || Southern Utah || American West || Great West (2004–2011)
|-
| 1993–1995 || rowspan=2 | Troy || Division II Independent || Southland (1996–2000) ||
|-
| 2001 || Southland || Division I-A Independent (2002–2003) || Sun Belt (2004–present)
|-
| 1993–1995 || UAB || Division III Independent || Division I-A Independent (1996–1998) || American (2023–present)
|-
| 2020 || Utah Tech || RMAC (Division II) || WAC (2021–2022) || UAC (2023–present)