UC San Diego To Join West Coast Conference In 2027

UC San Diego was formally admitted to the West Coast Conference on Wednesday, expanding the conference to 10 teams beginning in the 2027 season.

“We continually identify valuable opportunities to expand our membership, and the addition of UC San Diego greatly aligns with the goals of the West Coast Conference,” commissioner Stu Jackson said in a statement.

“UC San Diego’s meteoric rise during its recent NCAA Division I transition is the result of strong leadership, strategic investment and deliberate planning for postseason success.”

UC San Diego To Compete In 14 Of The WCC’s 16 Sponsored Sports

UC San Diego becomes the first full-member public school and non-religious institution in over four decades to join the predominantly Jesuit school-WCC.

According to Lindsay Schnell of The Athletic, when asked why the WCC extended an invite to a public school, Jackson stressed the importance of student-athletes overcoming challenges that relate to geography.

“In this college realignment landscape, it’s important, as a conference, that we don’t succumb to change but rather adapt to it,” Jackson added.

UC San Diego completed its transition to NCAA Division I in 2024 and made history by qualifying the men’s and women’s basketball teams for the NCAA Tournament in the school’s first year of eligibility.

The Tritons will compete in 14 of the WCC’s 16 sponsored sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, volleyball, baseball and softball.

UC San Diego intercollegiate athletic programs have claimed 30 NCAA national championships in team sports, while 44 have finished as national runners-up

Tritons Support 24 Sports

The Tritons sponsor 24 sports and will seek a conference affiliation for the remaining 10.

“We are excited to join the West Coast Conference, propelling our Triton scholar-athletes to new heights of excellence alongside top-tier teams in a range of sports and advancing our long-term strategic vision,” said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla.

“This move expands our reach across major West Coast metropolitan areas, amplifying our audience, media coverage and national presence. Plus, we’re excited to compete against cross-town rivals, the University of San Diego Toreros, ensuring that local fans can cheer on our San Diego teams in a variety of sports every year. This milestone elevates our university’s visibility, unlocking new opportunities for Triton students, scholar-athletes and the community – and cementing our reputation as a leader in elite Division I athletics.”

The addition of UC San Diego comes in the wake of Gonzaga’s decision to exit the WCC for the Pac-12, which will begin in 2026. Seattle officially joined the conference this year.

UCSD’s 12th-seeded men’s basketball team was viewed as a sleeper team in the NCAA Tournament but lost 68-65 to fifth-seeded Michigan in the first round. Head coach Eric Olen left for the New Mexico job shortly after.

The women’s basketball team also won the Big West Conference Tournament and qualified for the NCAA Tournament, falling to Southern by a final score of 68-56 in a First Four game at UCLA.

The newly formed Pac-12 starts play in the fall of 2026, with Boise State, Gonzaga, OSU, San Diego State, Texas State, and WSU headlining the new conference.