Northern Illinois University announced that it will be moving its basketball and other non-football programs to the Horizon League in 2026. This decision comes after the university revealed its plans to join the Mountain West Conference as a football-only member. The Board of Trustees approved the move in a recent vote.
In order to join the Horizon League, NIU will have to pay an entrance fee of $1.4 million over six annual installments. The university has also applied to keep wrestling and gymnastics as affiliate members of the MAC, as the Horizon League does not currently sponsor those sports.
This is not the first time NIU’s non-football programs have played outside of the MAC. The Huskies previously left the MAC and became independent in 1986, before later joining the Mid-Continent Conference and Midwest Collegiate Conference in the 1990s. They rejoined the MAC in 1997.
The move to the Horizon League comes as NIU’s men’s basketball team currently holds a record of 5-23 overall and 1-14 in the MAC, while the women’s basketball team has a record of 12-15 overall. The university had previously authorized $2 million for an entrance fee to join the Mountain West Conference.
As part of the agreement to join the Mountain West, NIU will receive an incentive payment from the conference and financial assistance to help cover its exit fee from the MAC. The exact figures of these payments were redacted in the agreement obtained through a public records request.
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