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The Mountain West Conference will admit Grand Canyon as a full non-football member in 2026

The Mountain West will admit Grand Canyon University as a full non-football member in 2026, the conference announced Friday. It is the latest addition to the MWC as it rebuilds following the impending move of five schools to the also-rebuilding Pac-12 in 2026.

The MWC is also expected to add University of Texas El Paso from Conference USA. Football-only member Hawaii becomes a full member, giving the league eight full football members as well as non-football member Grand Canyon.

“Grand Canyon is a tremendous asset to the Mountain West,” MWC Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a statement.

“Grand Canyon has been on an upward trajectory both academically and athletically over the past decade, and its addition to the league will increase competition across the Mountain West as we strive to earn NCAA postseason bids and compete for national championships compete.”

The Grand Canyon men's basketball team has made the NCAA Tournament in three of the last four Western Athletic Conference seasons, including a second-round appearance earlier this year as a No. 12 seed against No. 5 Saint Mary's. The school, which does not have a football program, will compete in 17 sports at the MWC.

GCU announced back in May that it would join the West Coast Conference in 2025.

On Tuesday, the WCC said in a statement that it was “disappointed” by Grand Canyon's decision to participate in another conference.

“The WCC President’s Council will continue to assess the current landscape of Division I athletics and move forward aggressively in exploring expansion and alliance opportunities that position WCC for NCAA success.”

Grand Canyon was founded in 1949 and was promoted from Division II to Division I in 2013. It is a private university with approximately 25,000 students on campus in Phoenix and more than 95,000 online students. It is classified as a nonprofit school by the IRS, but is classified as a for-profit school by the Department of Education. The Department of Education fined the school $37.7 million in 2023 for allegedly misrepresenting the cost of its doctoral programs. The school has appealed that decision and is suing over its nonprofit status.

“GCU continues to grow rapidly as an institution and as an athletics program,” said Athletic Director Jamie Boggs. “We want to best position ourselves to be nationally competitive, and we are excited about the vision and future of the Mountain West.

“We are participating in a conference that has enjoyed national success, developed a rich tradition over 26 years, and positioned us financially for competitive success in this changing higher education landscape.”

With eight full-fledged football players already, the Mountain West meets FBS requirements. The 2026 membership now includes: Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, University of Nevada Las Vegas, UTEP and Wyoming, and Grand Canyon.

The conference continues to look at football prospects such as Northern Illinois and Toledo of the MAC, according to league sources. Football drives television dollars, and at least eight league football games would be preferable for the conference.

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(Photo: Nicole Mullen / USA Today)

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