At the conclusion of the 2006–07 season, the NEAC had a shifting of membership losing five institutions and gaining three new members. The departing members were: Bard, Chestnut Hill, Polytechnic (N.Y.), SUNY Purchase, and Stevenson; while the new members were: Penn State-Harrisburg, Wells College, and Wilson College (Pa.). The NEAC consisted of 10 members in the 2007–08 season.
At the conclusion of the 2007–08 season, the NEAC lost an additional three institutions while gaining two new members. The departing members were: Baptist Bible, Cairn, and Keystone (all to the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, later renamed the Colonial States Athletic Conference). The new members were State University of New York at Cobleskill (SUNY Cobleskill) and State University of New York Institute of Technology (SUNYIT); the latter is now known as SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly). The NEAC consisted of nine members in the 2008–09 season.
The NEAC accepted four associate member institutions for the 2008–09 season; they were: Medaille College (later a university; for men's and women's lacrosse), Rutgers University–Camden (for men's golf), State University of New York at Oneonta (for men's tennis), and the University of Dallas (in men's soccer, men's golf, men's & women's cross country, and men's & women's basketball). The University of Dallas also competed in women's volleyball to the NEAC in the 2009–10 season.
At the conclusion of the 2008–09 season, the NEAC lost an additional founding member in D'Youville. In the 2009–10 season, the NEAC welcomed three additional new members in the College of Saint Elizabeth, Penn State-Abington, and State University of New York at Morrisville (SUNY Morrisville). The NEAC had accepted four associate member institutions in that same season. Additionally, the NEAC also began a three year partnership with the North Atlantic Conference in four sports: baseball; women's lacrosse; and men's and women's tennis. Departing the NEAC at the conclusion of the 2009–10 season were associate members the University of Dallas and SUNY Oneonta.
In the 2010–11 season, the NEAC welcomed by Gallaudet University. In the 2011–12 season, the NEAC gained one new full member in Lancaster Bible College while Rutgers–Camden (already an associate member in men's golf) joined the NEAC in men's tennis. The partnership between the NEAC and the NAC ended for baseball and women's lacrosse following the 2011–12 season.
At the conclusion of the 2012–13 season, the NEAC lost one full member in Penn State Harrisburg. In the 2013–14 season, the NEAC added Cedar Crest College as an associate member for women's swimming. Beginning in the 2014–15 season, the NEAC accepted two new full members in Bryn Athyn College and Pennsylvania College of Technology. Also in that same season, Wilson College, a former women's college that became co-educational in the 2013–14 school year, began a men's athletic program, and four other schools became men's volleyball associates.
Changes in the NEAC membership have continued to the present. On August 30, 2017, Bryn Athyn and Wilson announced that they would leave the NEAC for the Colonial States Athletic Conference in the 2018–19 school year.[1] The next change of membership came in 2019–20 with the return of Penn State Harrisburg[2] and the departure of Saint Elizabeth for the Colonial States Athletic Conference.[3] In July 2020, the NEAC lost four members, with Keuka departing for the Empire 8 Conference[4] and Cazenovia, SUNY Cobleskill, and SUNY Poly leaving for the North Atlantic Conference.[5] The NEAC membership returned to 9 in 2021 with the arrival of St. Mary's College of Maryland.[6]
On August 2, 2021, the conference revealed that they were rebranding themselves as the United East Conference.[7] The conference said that the name “United East” was chosen because it describes the conference’s commitment to collaborate on a shared mission in a diverse environment while also still giving a nod to the geographical placement of the member schools.
On March 1, 2022, SUNY Morrisville announced that it would leave the United East to join the North Atlantic Conference starting in the 2023–24 academic year.[8]
On July 6, 2022, the United East Conference announced that Clark Summit joined the conference as an associate member in men's golf and men's tennis starting in the 2022–23 academic year.[9][10]
On December 19, 2022, the United East Conference and the Colonial States Athletic Conference announced their intent to merge beginning with the 2023-24 academic year. The merger was intended to address the evolving landscape of higher education by stabilizing conference membership and solidifying the sport sponsorship currently offered by the existing conferences. This merger also provided member institutions an opportunity to decrease the number of associate memberships necessary to support the current sport offerings on each respective campus. When the merger was finalized sports with a large number of members would compete in north and south divisions.[12][13]
2008 – Clarks Summit, Cairn, and Keystone left the NEAC to join the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC; later renamed the Colonial States Athletic Conference [CSAC]) after the 2007–08 academic year.
2008 – Four institutions joined the NEAC as associate members: Medaille College for men's and women's lacrosse, Rutgers University–Camden for men's golf, the State University of New York at Oneonta for men's tennis, and the University of Dallas for men's soccer, men's golf, men's & women's cross country, and men's & women's basketball (despite the latter's conference affiliation as an all-sports member remains as a D-III Independent school), all in the 2008–09 academic year.
2009 – Dallas added women's volleyball to its NEAC associate membership in the 2009 fall season (2009–10 academic year).
2009 – The NEAC had accepted four associate member institutions in that same season. Additionally, the NEAC also began a three year partnership with the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) in four sports: baseball, women's lacrosse, and men's and women's tennis.
2010 – Two institutions left the NEAC as associate members: Dallas for most sports sponsored during its tenure and SUNY Oneonta for men's tennis, both after the 2009–10 academic year.
2011 – Rutgers–Camden added men's tennis to its NEAC associate membership in the 2012 spring season (2011–12 academic year).
2012 – The partnership between the NEAC and the NAC ended for baseball and women's lacrosse after the 2011–12 academic year.
2012 – Hilbert College joined the NEAC as an associate member for men's lacrosse in the 2013 spring season (2012–13 academic year).
2013 – Penn State–Harrisburg left the NEAC to join the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC, now the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference or C2C) after the 2012–13 academic year.
2013 – Cedar Crest College joined the NEAC as an associate member for women's swimming in the 2013–14 academic year.
2014 – Rutgers–Camden left the NEAC as an associate member for men's tennis after the 2014 spring season (2013–14 academic year).
2014 – Wilson (Pa.) added men's sports into its athletic program in the 2014–15 academic year.
2014 – The NEAC added men's volleyball along with four institutions as associate members for that sport (Hilbert and Medaille, former full member D'Youville, and Pennsylvania State University at Altoona) in the 2015 spring season (2014–15 academic year).
2017 – D'Youville, Hilbert, Medaille and Penn State–Altoona left the NEAC as associate members for men's volleyball after the 2017 spring season (2016–17 academic year).
2018 – Bryn Athyn and Wilson (Pa.) left the NEAC to join the CSAC after the 2017–18 academic year.
2019 – Saint Elizabeth (N.J.) left the NEAC to join the CSAC after the 2018–19 academic year.
2019 – Penn State–Harrisburg re-joined the NEAC in the 2019–20 academic year.
2020 – Four institutions left the NEAC to join their respective new home primary conferences: Cazenovia, SUNY Cobleskill and SUNY Poly for the NAC, and Keuka for the Empire 8, all after the 2019–20 academic year.
2021 – Cedar Crest left the NEAC as an associate member for women's swimming after the 2020–21 academic year.
2021 – Rosemont College joined the NEAC as an associate member for men's golf (alongside former full member Wilson (Pa.) re-joining as an associate), both in the 2022 spring season (2021–22 academic year).
2021 – The NEAC was re-branded as the United East Conference, beginning the 2021–22 academic year.
2022 – Clarks Summit joined the United East as an associate member for men's golf and men's tennis in the 2023 spring season (2022–23 academic year).
2022 – The United East Conference and the Colonial States Athletic Conference announced their intent to merge beginning with the 2023–24 academic year.
2023 – Two institutions left the United East to join their respective new home primary conferences: SUNY Morrisville to the NAC, and Wells to the AMCC, both after the 2022–23 academic year.
^Bryn Athyn left the United East (then the NEAC on its first stint) after the 2017–18 school year before re-joining as a full member in the 2023–24 school year.
^Cairn was known as Philadelphia Biblical University throughout its first stint in the NEAC. It adopted its current name in 2012.
^Cairn left the United East (then the NEAC on its first stint) after the 2007–08 school year before re-joining as a full member in the 2023–24 school year.
^This institution is a women's college, therefore it does not compete in men's sports.
^Cedar Crest was an associate member for women's swimming between the 2013–14 and 2020–21 school years, before joining as a full member in the 2023–24 school year.
^Keystone left the United East (then the NEAC on its first stint) after the 2007–08 school year before re-joining as a full member in the 2023–24 school year.
^ abcdThis institution is a former women's college, which has eventually turned into a co-educational college (Rosemont since 2009–10, Wilson since 2013–14, Saint Elizabeth since 2016–17, and Notre Dame of Maryland since 2023–24).
^Rosemont was an associate member for men's golf since the 2021–22 school year, before joining as a full member in the 2023–24 school year.
^Saint Elizabeth (N.J.) was known as The College of Saint Elizabeth during its first stint as a member.
^Saint Elizabeth left the United East (then the NEAC on its first stint) after the 2018–19 school year, before re-joining in the 2023–24 school year.
^Wilson (Pa.) left the United East (then the NEAC on its first stint) after the 2017–18 school year, then joined as an associate member for men's golf, in the 2022 spring season (2021–22 school year) before re-joining as a full member in the 2023–24 school year.
^Penn State–Harrisburg left the United East (then the NEAC on its first stint) after the 2012–13 school year, before re-joining in the 2019–20 school year.
Associate members
The United East currently has four associate members, all but one are private schools:
^Rutgers–Camden competed in the NEAC/United East as an associate member for men's tennis from the 2012 to 2014 spring seasons (2011–12 to 2013–14 school years).
Former members
The United East had twelve full members, all but four are private schools:
^Cazenovia closed its doors after 2022–23 school year.
^Clarks Summit was known as Baptist Bible College & Seminary throughout its first stint in the NEAC. The school name was changed to Summit University of Pennsylvania in 2015, and to Clarks Summit University in 2016.
^Clarks Summit (when it was known as Baptist Bible College) was a former full member of the NEAC/United East from 2004–05 to 2007–08, then joined as an associate member for men's golf and men's tennis in the 2022–23 school year, before re-joining as a full member in the 2023–24 school year.
^D'Youville was D'Youville College throughout its tenure in the NEAC. It adopted its current name in 2022.
^D'Youville changed its nickname from Spartans to Saints in 2020.
^Keuka changed its nickname from Storm to Wolves in 2014.
^ abThe NYU engineering school was the standalone Polytechnic University while in the NEAC. Polytechnic became affiliated with New York University (NYU) in 2008 as the Polytechnic Institute of New York University (athletically known as NYU Poly), and merged completely into NYU in 2014. And as part of the final merger of NYU Poly with NYU, Poly's athletics program was merged into that of NYU.
^Stevenson was known as Villa Julie College throughout its tenure in the NEAC. It adopted its current name in 2008.
Former associate members
The United East has had eleven former associate members, with eight being private schools and three public. One of these schools, Rutgers–Camden, is currently a United East associate in a different sport.
^Cedar Crest was an associate member for women's swimming between the 2013–14 and 2020–21 school years, before joining as a full member in the 2023–24 school year.
^Clarks Summit was known as Baptist Bible College & Seminary throughout its tenure in the NEAC. The school name was changed to Summit University of Pennsylvania in 2015, and to Clarks Summit University in 2016.
^Clark Summit (when it was known as Baptist Bible College) was a former full member of the NEAC/United East from 2004–05 to 2007–08.
^Clarks Summit was an associate member for men's golf and men's tennis in the 2022–23 school year, before re-joining as a full member in the 2023–24 school year.
^Clarks Summit announced that it would cease all operations and close on July 1, 2024.
^Dallas competed in what was then the NEAC for some sports (men's soccer, men's golf, men's & women's cross country, and men's & women's basketball joined from 2008-09 to 2009-10; later men's volleyball in the 2009-10 season).
^D'Youville was a full member of the NEAC/United East from 2004–05 to 2008–09. It was designated a university in 2022.
^D'Youville changed its nickname from Spartans to Saints in 2020.
^ abThe AMCC began sponsoring men's volleyball in the 2017–18 school year.
^Medaille announced that it would cease all operations and close on August 31, 2023.
^ abThis institution is a former women's college, which has eventually turned into a co-educational college (Rosemont since 2009–10, Wilson since 2013–14, Saint Elizabeth since 2016–17, and Notre Dame of Maryland since 2023–24).
^Rosemont was an associate member for men's golf since the 2021–22 school year, before joining as a full member in the 2023–24 school year.
^Rutgers–Camden remains in the United East as an associate member for men's golf.
^Wilson (Pa.) left the United East (then the NEAC on its first stint) after the 2017–18 school year, then joined as an associate member for men's golf, in the 2022 spring season (2021–22 school year) before re-joining as a full member in the 2023–24 school year.
Men’s soccer, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball, and women’s tennis are separated into divisions based on their former conference affiliations before the United East and CSAC merger. The remaining sports play conference schedules with no divisions or have a conference-wide championship at the end of the season.
Skye Division
Volt Division
Bryn Athyn
Gallaudet
Cairn
Lancaster Bible
Cedar Crest
Penn College
Keystone
Penn State Abington
Notre Dame (MD)
Penn State Berks
Rosemont
Penn State Brandywine
Saint Elizabeth (NJ)
Penn State Harrisburg
Valley Forge
St. Mary's (MD)
Wilson
Men's sports
School
Baseball
Basketball
Cross country
Golf
Lacrosse
Soccer
Tennis
Track & Field (Indoor)
Track & Field (Outdoor)
Volleyball
Total Sports
Bryn Athyn
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
N
N
Y
5
Cairn
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
N
N
Y
7
Gallaudet
Y
Y
Y
N
N
Y
N
Y
Y
N
6
Keystone
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
N
Y
N
6
Lancaster Bible
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
9
Notre Dame (MD)
N
Y
Y
N
N
Y
N
N
N
N
3
Penn College
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
N
7
Penn State Abington
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
Y
N
7
Penn State Berks
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
N
N
6
Penn State Harrisburg
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
8
Rosemont
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
Y
N
6
Saint Elizabeth
Y
Y
Y
N
N
Y
Y
N
N
Y
6
St. Mary's
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
8
Valley Forge
Y
Y
Y
N
N
Y
N
N
N
Y
5
Wilson
Y
Y
N
Y
N
Y
N
N
N
Y
5
Totals
14
16
15
8+1
6+1
16
9
4
7+2
6+1
101+5
Alfred State
Y
1
La Roche
Y
1
Penn State Behrend
Y
1
Penn State Brandywine
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
N
N
6
Pratt
Y
1
Rutgers-Camden
Y
1
Notes
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the United East that are played by United East schools