Northwestern University is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference starting in 1893.
The Big Ten Conference -LRB- B1G -RRB- , formerly Western Conference and Big Nine Conference , is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States .. Division I. NCAA Division I. athletic conference. List of NCAA conferences. The conference , consisting of 14 members as of 2016 , competes in the NCAA Division I ; its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision -LRB- FBS -RRB- , formerly known as Division I-A , the highest level of NCAA competition in that sport .. NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Division I. NCAA Division I. FBS. NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. NCAA Division I. NCAA Division I. football. College football. Football Bowl Subdivision. NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The conference includes the flagship public university in each of 11 states stretching from New Jersey to Nebraska , as well as two additional public land grant schools and a private university .. flagship. Flagship university. private university. private university. Nebraska. Nebraska. The Big Ten Conference was established in 1895 when Purdue University president James H. Smart and representatives from the University of Chicago , University of Illinois , University of Michigan , University of Minnesota , Northwestern University , and University of Wisconsin gathered at Chicago 's Palmer House Hotel to set policies aimed at regulating intercollegiate athletics .. Purdue University. Purdue University. University of Chicago. University of Chicago. University of Illinois. University of Illinois. University of Michigan. University of Michigan. University of Minnesota. University of Minnesota. Northwestern University. Northwestern University. University of Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin. In 1905 , the conference was officially incorporated as the `` Intercollegiate Conference Athletic Association '' .. Big Ten member institutions are predominantly major flagship research universities with large financial endowments and strong academic reputations .. flagship. Flagship university. research universities. research universities. Large student enrollment is also a hallmark of Big Ten universities , as 12 of the 14 members feature enrollments of 30,000 or more students .. Northwestern University , one of just two full members with a total enrollment of fewer than 30,000 students -LRB- the other is the University of Nebraska -- Lincoln -RRB- , is the lone private university among Big Ten membership -LRB- the University of Chicago , a private university , left the conference in 1946 -RRB- .. University of Chicago. University of Chicago. Northwestern University. Northwestern University. private university. private university. Nebraska. Nebraska. Collectively , Big Ten universities educate more than 520,000 total students and have 5.7 million living alumni .. Big Ten universities engage in $ 9.3 billion in funded research each year .. Though the Big Ten existed for nearly a century as an assemblage of universities located primarily in the Midwest , the conference 's geographic footprint now spans from the state of Nebraska in the west to the Atlantic Ocean in the east .. Midwest. Midwestern United States. Nebraska. Nebraska. Big Ten universities are also members of the Big Ten Academic Alliance , an academic consortium .. Big Ten Academic Alliance. Big Ten Academic Alliance. consortium. consortium. In 2014 -- 2015 , members generated more than $ 10 billion in research expenditures .. Despite the conference 's name , the Big Ten has grown to fourteen members , with the following universities accepting invitations to join  : Pennsylvania State University in 1990 , the University of Nebraska -- Lincoln in 2011 , and both the University of Maryland and Rutgers University in 2014 .. Nebraska. Nebraska. Pennsylvania State University. Pennsylvania State University. University of Maryland. University of Maryland, College Park. Rutgers University. Rutgers University. Johns Hopkins University was invited in 2012 to join the Big Ten as an associate member participating in men 's lacrosse only .. Johns Hopkins University. Johns Hopkins University. lacrosse. lacrosse. In 2015 , it was also accepted as an associate member in women 's lacrosse .. lacrosse. lacrosse. Notre Dame is scheduled to join the Big Ten in 2017 as an associate member in men 's ice hockey .. Notre Dame. University of Notre Dame. ice hockey. ice hockey