After a nearly 18-month wait, the new era is finally here, and the University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens are officially full members of Conference USA as of July 1, 2025. Fourteen of UD's 22 varsity programs will be housed in CUSA, with seven others joining as affiliate members in the Atlantic Sun (women's lacrosse, men's and women's swimming & diving), Atlantic 10 (men's lacrosse), Mid-American Conference (rowing), The Summit League (men's soccer), and Atlantic Hockey America (ice hockey). Field hockey will play an independent schedule this fall as the department continues to work diligently to finalize a new conference for the reigning CAA champions.

An athletic department built on history and tradition, Delaware brings an abundance of success to CUSA, having won 10 national championships, 172 team conference titles, 282 individual conference crowns, 342 major conference awards, 2,655 all-league selections, and 543 all-Americans.

UD student-athletes complement their athletic success with strong academic performances. During the 2024-25 academic year, the Blue Hens compiled a cumulative 3.41 grade-point average—the highest in department history, excluding academic terms impacted by COVID-19. This marked the 11th consecutive year and the 23rd-straight semester in which UD student-athletes have posted a 3.00 GPA or better.

The move will push the Delaware brand across the nation, spanning from the northeast down into Florida, and west as far as New Mexico. However, the reach won't stop there. At least five football games will hit the national scene on CBS Sports Network/ESPN family of networks, including a non-conference tilt on FOX against Colorado. Men's and women's basketball will also have the chance to play nationally televised games as part of CUSA's media rights agreement with CBS Sports Network and ESPN.

Speaking of reach, Delaware's initial announcements about joining Conference USA reached over two billion people according to social media analytics. Put that into perspective - just over one million people live in the state of Delaware. That means these announcements reached over 2,000 Delawareans.

Football has already benefited, nearly filling its schedule through the 2029 season! These opponents include Power 4 games at Colorado and Wake Forest in its inaugural FBS season and hosting UConn in the first FBS game at Delaware Stadium. Other Power 4 road games include Vanderbilt, Virginia, Penn State, Maryland, Pitt, and Indiana. FBS home-and-home series are set with Coastal Carolina, James Madison, Temple, and Buffalo.

On the ice, the Hens have become the first-ever women's ice hockey program to have a partnership with a NHL franchise, as the Philadelphia Flyers have signed on to assist. In the newly rebranded Atlantic Hockey America (previously College Hockey America), UD has its inaugural roster and schedule set for the 2025-26 season.

Don't miss your chance to be a part of history! Learn more at bluehens.com.