Western Collegiate Hockey Association

The **Western Collegiate Hockey Association** (WCHA) is a group of colleges and universities in the Midwestern United States that play NCAA Division I women's ice hockey against one another every season. The champion is automatically invited to the NCAA Division I women's hockey tournament. When the WCHA ran a men's league, the men's champion was also automatically invited to the Division I men's tournament.

Founded in 1951 as a men's hockey league, the WCHA added a women's division in the 1999–2000 season. The league would expand far beyond its traditional Midwestern base, adding teams in Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, and Indiana at different times. The WCHA shut down its men's division after the 2020–21 season when seven of its 10 members left to start a new Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

Today, eight schools are members of the now women-only WCHA.

## Current members

|scope=col|Institution|scope=col|Location|scope=col|Founded|scope=col|Joined|scope=col|Affiliation|scope=col|Enrollment|scope=col|Nickname|scope=col|Main conference|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Bemidji, Minnesota|1919|1999 (women)|rowspan=6|Public|5,198|Beavers|Northern Sun (D-II)|||||||||
|Minneapolis & Saint Paul, Minnesota|1851|1999 (women)|51,848|Golden Gophers|Big Ten|||||||||||
|Duluth, Minnesota|1947|1999 (women)|11,168|Bulldogs|Northern Sun (D-II)|||||||||||
|Mankato, Minnesota|1867|1999|14,712|Mavericks|Northern Sun (D-II)|||||||||||
|Columbus, Ohio|1870|1999|59,837|Buckeyes|Big Ten|||||||||||
||1869|1999 (women)|14,615|Huskies|Northern Sun (D-II)|||||||||||
|Saint Paul, Minnesota|1885|2021|Private|9,878|Tommies|Summit League||||||||||
|Madison, Wisconsin|1848|1999 (women)|Public|43,820|Badgers|Big Ten||||||||||

### Final men's members

Ten schools were members of the WCHA men's league in its final season.
|scope=col|Institution|scope=col|Location|scope=col|Founded|scope=col|Joined|scope=col|Affiliation|scope=col|Enrollment|scope=col|Nickname|scope=col|Main conference|scope=col|Current hockey conference|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
||Huntsville, Alabama|1950|2013|rowspan="10"|Public|9,736|Chargers|Gulf South (D-II)||||||||||
||Anchorage, Alaska|1977|1993|15,819|Seawolves|Great Northwest (D-II)|Independent|||||||||||
||Fairbanks, Alaska|1917|2013|7,744|Nanooks|Great Northwest (D-II)|Independent|||||||||||
||Bemidji, Minnesota|1919|2010 (men)|5,198|Beavers|Northern Sun (D-II)|CCHA|||||||||||
||Bowling Green, Ohio|1910|2013|17,357|Falcons|MAC|CCHA|||||||||||
||Big Rapids, Michigan|1884|2013|13,798|Bulldogs|GLIAC (D-II)|CCHA|||||||||||
||Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan|1946|2013|1,963|Lakers|GLIAC (D-II)|CCHA|||||||||||
||Houghton, Michigan|1885|1951–1981 1984|7,319|Huskies|GLIAC (D-II)|CCHA|||||||||||
||Mankato, Minnesota|1867|1999|14,712|Mavericks|Northern Sun  (D-II)|CCHA|||||||||||
|Northern Michigan University|Marquette, Michigan|1899|1984–1997 2013|7,612|Wildcats|GLIAC (D-II)|CCHA|||||||||||

### Other former men's members

|scope=col|Institution|scope=col|Location|scope=col|Joined|scope=col|Left|scope=col|Nickname|scope=col|Next hockey conference|scope=col|Current hockey conference|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Colorado Springs, Colorado|1951|2013|Tigers|colspan=2|NCHC|||||||||
|Denver, Colorado|1951|2013|Pioneers|colspan=2|NCHC|||||||||
|Ann Arbor, Michigan|1951|1981|Wolverines|CCHA|Big Ten|||||||||
|East Lansing, Michigan|1951|1981|Spartans|CCHA|Big Ten|||||||||
|Minneapolis & Saint Paul, Minnesota|1951|2013|Golden Gophers|colspan=2|Big Ten|||||||||
|Duluth, Minnesota|1966|2013|Bulldogs|colspan=2|NCHC|||||||||
|Omaha, Nebraska|2010|2013|Mavericks|colspan=2|NCHC|||||||||
|Grand Forks, North Dakota|1951|2013|Fighting Sioux|colspan=2|NCHC|||||||||
|Notre Dame, Indiana|1971|1981|Fighting Irish|CCHA|Big Ten|||||||||
||1990|2013|Huskies|colspan=2|NCHC|||||||||
|Madison, Wisconsin|1969|2013|Badgers|colspan=2|Big Ten|||||||||

### Former women's member

|scope=col|Institution|scope=col|Location|scope=col|Joined|scope=col|Left|scope=col|Nickname|scope=col|Next hockey conference|scope=col|Current hockey conference|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
||Grand Forks, North Dakota|2004|2017|Fighting Hawks|colspan=2|||||||||