DeKALB – Less than two months after the groundbreaking announcement that it would play football in the Mountain West Conference in 2026, NIU has reportedly found a new sports home: the Horizon League.
Action Network’s Brett McMurphy first reported Monday that NIU’s non-football sports, except for gymnastics and wrestling, will join the Horizon League in 2026, pending approval from the NIU Board of Trustees during its special meeting at 11 a.m. Thursday.
According to the BOT meeting report posted Monday afternoon, NIU intends to join the Horizon League effective July 1, 2026. The move is contingent upon the board’s approval of $1.4 million to pay the conference’s required entrance fee – payable in six annual installments of $233,333.33.
If approved, NIU will become the 12th full member of the Horizon League, joining Cleveland State University, University of Detroit Mercy, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Indiana University Indianapolis, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Northern Kentucky University, Oakland University, Purdue University Fort Wayne, Robert Morris University, Wright State University and Youngstown State University.
“The values of the Horizon and its member institutions align with NIU’s,” the agenda reads. “Horizon members and NIU have a firm commitment to the success of student-athletes in the classroom, community and in competition. There is a strong commitment to collaboration across member institutions to share innovative ideas and promote leadership development. Like NIU, Horizon universities view higher education as a vehicle for social and economic mobility and understand that intercollegiate athletics can strengthen community and donor engagement.”
The Horizon League, headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, is a Division I non-football conference primarily known for its strong basketball brand. The league was founded in 1979 as the Midwestern City Conference before changing its name to the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1985 and later the Horizon League in 2001.
This will be NIU’s second stint in the Horizon, having previously been a full member from 1994 to 1997 during the school’s first split from the Mid-American Conference.
The BOT meeting report also noted that NIU has applied for its gymnastics and wrestling programs to remain as affiliate members in the MAC – as the Horizon does not sponsor either sport.
NIU will play its final season in the Midwestern league in 14 sports in the 2025-26 academic year.
