Over the course of the semester people have been asking one question. Will ACU move up to Division I?

The answer for the time being is quite simply ‘I don’t know.’

There is some rumored movement coming out of the Southland Conference that they will be losing the University of Texas at San Antonio and Texas State University to the Western Athletic Conference. With these rumors come even more rumors from curious ACU sports junkies, myself included, on whether or not moving to Div. I would be an avenue the university will look into.

After some research into the process of becoming a Div. I school I can tell you this with certainty, it will be a few years.

The NCAA has a lengthy process to move from Div. II to Div. I.  A Div. II school must go through a five-year process after making an announcement of intention to join Div. I, with each year counting as a sort of stepping stone into full Div. I membership.

The first year of the membership is called the Exploratory Year. In this year, the school basically has to come up with with a strategic plan for how they will meet with the NCAA philosophy and comply with certain operating principles of Div. I.

The second year in the process begins a series of three years of ‘transitional years.’ During these transitional years schools compete against both Div. II and Div. I opponents while being in a sort of limbo between the divisions. Schools are considered to be Div. I opponents when they schedule games against Div. II opponents and are considered Div. II opponents when they schedule games against Div. I opponents.

And maybe the biggest obstacle in moving to Div. I would not even be the administrative requirements placed upon the department, but the financial burden placed upon the university. There is an application fee anywhere from an estimated 900,000 to 1.3 million dollars. The application fee is required in the second year of the process, officially named Transition Year One.

In addition to the initial application fee the cost of running a Div. I athletics program is significantly higher than a Div. II program. The reason for this cost increase is linked to scholarship increase at the Div. I level, the cost of staffing Div. I athletics, and the cost of operation due to greater travel distances etc.

So while it might be a wonderful thought to see ACU make the big leap from Division II to Division I, don’t expect a change anytime soon.