The short answer: 241 colleges, most outside Division I
NextCommit's coach data lists women's flag football staff at 241 colleges. Only 20 are NCAA Division I. The rest are Division II (47), Division III (80), NAIA (58), and junior colleges (36).
The NAIA made women's flag football a championship sport starting in 2026-27, with its first national championship in spring 2027, and the NCAA added it to its Emerging Sports for Women program in January 2026. An NCAA committee recommended a national championship in May 2026, with a first championship projected for spring 2028.
Source: NextCommit coach data loaded for the October 2026 launch, from the vendor coach file dated September 11, 2026. A school is listed when it has at least one women's flag football coach on staff. We list schools only; coach contact details stay inside the NextCommit app.
Which states have the most programs?
Programs are spread across 36 states and Washington, D.C. The table shows the 15 states with the most programs.
| State | Programs |
|---|---|
| NY | 23 |
| PA | 22 |
| CA | 20 |
| IL | 16 |
| NC | 13 |
| TX | 13 |
| AL | 12 |
| WI | 10 |
| FL | 9 |
| GA | 9 |
| VA | 9 |
| OH | 8 |
| KS | 7 |
| MO | 7 |
| NJ | 6 |
NCAA Division I colleges with women's flag football (20)
| School | State |
|---|---|
| Alabama State University | AL |
| California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo | CA |
| Charleston Southern University | SC |
| Eastern Michigan University | MI |
| Fairleigh Dickinson University | NJ |
| Gardner-Webb University | NC |
| Long Island University | NY |
| Manhattan College | NY |
| Mercyhurst University | PA |
| Mississippi Valley State University | MS |
| Mount St. Mary's University | MD |
| Norfolk State University | VA |
| SUNY Binghamton University | NY |
| University of Maryland Eastern Shore | MD |
| University of Nebraska | NE |
| University of North Alabama | AL |
| University of North Carolina Asheville | NC |
| University of South Carolina - Upstate | SC |
| University of Texas - Arlington | TX |
| Wagner College | NY |
NCAA Division II colleges with women's flag football (47)
| School | State |
|---|---|
| Barry University | FL |
| Barton College | NC |
| Caldwell University | NJ |
| California University of Pennsylvania | PA |
| Chestnut Hill College | PA |
| Chowan University | NC |
| College of Staten Island | NY |
| D'Youville University | NY |
| Daemen University | NY |
| Davenport University | MI |
| Dominican University New York | NY |
| Emmanuel University | GA |
| Erskine College | SC |
| Ferrum College | VA |
| Goldey-Beacom College | DE |
| Hawaii Pacific University | HI |
| Holy Family University | PA |
| Johnson C. Smith University | NC |
| King University - Tennessee | TN |
| Lees-McRae College | NC |
| Lewis University | IL |
| Mars Hill University | NC |
| Menlo College | CA |
| Mercy University | NY |
| Missouri Southern State University | MO |
| Newberry College | SC |
| North Greenville University | SC |
| Point Park University | PA |
| Post University | CT |
| Purdue University - Northwest | IN |
| Quincy University | IL |
| Roberts Wesleyan University | NY |
| Saginaw Valley State University | MI |
| Saint Leo University | FL |
| Shaw University | NC |
| Slippery Rock University | PA |
| Spring Hill College | AL |
| St. Thomas Aquinas College | NY |
| University of Bridgeport | CT |
| University of Illinois at Springfield | IL |
| University of Mount Olive | NC |
| University of West Alabama | AL |
| University of Wisconsin - Parkside | WI |
| Ursuline College | OH |
| Virginia Union University | VA |
| Wingate University | NC |
| Winston-Salem State University | NC |
NCAA Division III colleges with women's flag football (80)
| School | State |
|---|---|
| Albright College | PA |
| Allegheny College | PA |
| Augsburg University | MN |
| Aurora University | IL |
| Baldwin Wallace University | OH |
| Batten University | VA |
| Benedictine University | IL |
| Bethany College - West Virginia | WV |
| Blackburn College | IL |
| Bridgewater College | VA |
| Cairn University | PA |
| California Lutheran University | CA |
| Cedar Crest College | PA |
| Centenary College of Louisiana | LA |
| Centenary University - New Jersey | NJ |
| College of Saint Benedict | MN |
| Concordia University - Texas | TX |
| Dean College | MA |
| East Texas Baptist University | TX |
| Eastern Connecticut State University | CT |
| Eastern University | PA |
| Elizabethtown College | PA |
| Elmira College | NY |
| Eureka College | IL |
| Gallaudet University | DC |
| Gettysburg College | PA |
| Greenville University | IL |
| Guilford College | NC |
| Hardin-Simmons University | TX |
| Hartwick College | NY |
| Hendrix College | AR |
| Hobart & William Smith Colleges | NY |
| Hollins University | VA |
| Howard Payne University | TX |
| Huntingdon College | AL |
| Illinois College | IL |
| Illinois Wesleyan University | IL |
| Immaculata University | PA |
| John Carroll University | OH |
| Kean University | NJ |
| Keystone College | PA |
| Knox College | IL |
| Lakeland University | WI |
| Lancaster Bible College | PA |
| Lawrence University | WI |
| Marian University - Wisconsin | WI |
| Marymount University | VA |
| McMurry University | TX |
| Meredith College | NC |
| Millikin University | IL |
| Millsaps College | MS |
| Montclair State University | NJ |
| Mount Saint Mary College | NY |
| Neumann University | PA |
| North Park University | IL |
| Penn State Harrisburg | PA |
| Randolph College | VA |
| Ripon College | WI |
| Rockford University | IL |
| Russell Sage College | NY |
| Saint Joseph's College of Maine | ME |
| Schreiner University | TX |
| St. Catherine University | MN |
| St. John Fisher University | NY |
| St. Joseph's College - Long Island | NY |
| St. Joseph's University-New York | NY |
| SUNY Brockport | NY |
| SUNY College at Geneseo | NY |
| Thiel College | PA |
| Union College - New York | NY |
| University of Mary Hardin-Baylor | TX |
| University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth | MA |
| University of Mount Union | OH |
| University of Redlands | CA |
| University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | WI |
| University of Wisconsin - Stout | WI |
| Utica University | NY |
| Westminster College - Missouri | MO |
| Wisconsin Lutheran College | WI |
| Wittenberg University | OH |
NAIA colleges with women's flag football (58)
| School | State |
|---|---|
| Andrew College | GA |
| Arizona Christian University | AZ |
| Avila University | MO |
| Baker University | KS |
| Benedictine University - Mesa | AZ |
| Brewton-Parker College | GA |
| Campbellsville University | KY |
| College of Saint Mary | NE |
| Cottey College | MO |
| Cumberland University | TN |
| Defiance College | OH |
| Florida Memorial University | FL |
| Freed-Hardeman University | TN |
| Graceland University | IA |
| Hastings College | NE |
| Hesston College | KS |
| Hope International University | CA |
| Indiana Wesleyan University | IN |
| Kansas Wesleyan University | KS |
| La Sierra University | CA |
| Life University | GA |
| Lindsey Wilson College | KY |
| Mayville State University | ND |
| McPherson College | KS |
| Midland University | NE |
| Midway University | KY |
| Milligan University | TN |
| Missouri Valley College | MO |
| Mount Mary University | WI |
| Oklahoma Wesleyan University | OK |
| Ottawa University | KS |
| Ottawa University-Surprise | AZ |
| Our Lady of the Lake University | TX |
| Penn State Schuylkill | PA |
| Point University | GA |
| Reinhardt University | GA |
| Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College | IN |
| Savannah College of Art & Design | GA |
| Siena Heights University | MI |
| Simpson University | CA |
| Southwestern College - Kansas | KS |
| St. Thomas University - Florida | FL |
| Stillman College | AL |
| Texas Wesleyan University | TX |
| Thomas University | GA |
| Tougaloo College | MS |
| University of Northwestern Ohio | OH |
| University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne | IN |
| University of Saint Mary | KS |
| Warner University | FL |
| Washington Adventist University | MD |
| Webber International University | FL |
| Wesleyan College | GA |
| Westcliff University | CA |
| Wilberforce University | OH |
| Wiley University | TX |
| William Penn University | IA |
| William Woods University | MO |
Junior colleges with women's flag football (36)
| School | State |
|---|---|
| Alexandria Technical & Community College | MN |
| Brookhaven College | TX |
| Bryant & Stratton College - Wisconsin | WI |
| Calhoun Community College | AL |
| Camden County College | NJ |
| Cedar Valley College | TX |
| Chabot College | CA |
| Citrus College | CA |
| College of DuPage | IL |
| Cypress College | CA |
| Daytona State College | FL |
| Diablo Valley College | CA |
| Enterprise State Community College | AL |
| Florida Gateway College | FL |
| Golden West College | CA |
| Harcum College | PA |
| Harford Community College | MD |
| Howard Community College | MD |
| Jackson State Community College | TN |
| Los Angeles Harbor College | CA |
| Lurleen B Wallace Community College | AL |
| Manor College | PA |
| Mt. San Jacinto College | CA |
| Norco College | CA |
| North Central Missouri College | MO |
| Northwest Shoals Community College | AL |
| Pasadena City College | CA |
| Pasco-Hernando State College | FL |
| Richard Bland College of the College of William and Mary | VA |
| Santiago Canyon College | CA |
| Shelton State Community College | AL |
| Southwestern College - California | CA |
| St. Clair County Community College | MI |
| Triton College | IL |
| Ventura College | CA |
| Wallace State Community College - Hanceville | AL |
What to do with this list
- 1Pick 20 to 40 programs at two or three levels, in states where you would go to school.
- 2Check each program's schedule and roster on its athletics website.
- 3Record your 40-yard dash and 5-10-5 shuttle and build a 2 to 4 minute highlight video.
- 4Email each head coach with your positions, numbers, film, and why the program fits.
Reach every coach on this list
NextCommit has the coach contacts for these programs and writes a personalized email to each one.
Written by
Preston Viltz
Co-founder and Head of Growth, NextCommit
Preston Viltz is a co-founder and Head of Growth at NextCommit. He played college baseball at Sacramento State, Lower Columbia College, and the University of Washington after graduating from Kentridge High School in 2018, and he ran his own recruiting outreach as a lightly recruited player, which is the process NextCommit was built to fix.
- Co-founder and Head of Growth, NextCommit
- College baseball: Sacramento State, Lower Columbia College, University of Washington
- Kentridge High School, Class of 2018
More guides by Preston and the editorial policy.
Sources
Where these numbers come from
- NAIA: women's flag football approved as its 30th championship sport June 17, 2026: championship status from 2026-27 and about 60 NAIA sponsors expected in 2026-27.
- NCAA: flag football added to the Emerging Sports for Women program January 16, 2026; at least 40 varsity sponsors are needed to be considered for a championship.
- NCAA: flag football moves toward championship status May 19, 2026 recommendation; first championship projected for spring 2028.
FAQ
Questions athletes and parents ask
How many colleges have women's flag football?
NextCommit's coach data lists women's flag football staff at 241 colleges: 20 in NCAA Division I, 47 in Division II, 80 in Division III, 58 in the NAIA, and 36 junior colleges. New programs are being announced every season, so check with each school.
Which division has the most women's flag football programs?
NCAA Division III, with 80 programs in this list, followed by the NAIA with 58. The NAIA was the first college association to recognize the sport, in partnership with the NFL, and made it a championship sport starting in 2026-27.
Which states have the most college flag football programs?
In this list: NY (23), PA (22), CA (20), IL (16), NC (13), TX (13), AL (12), WI (10).
Does every school on this list play this season?
Not always. The list includes schools with a women's flag football coach on staff, and some have announced a team that begins competing in a later season. Ask the coach when the team plays its first season and how many players it plans to add.