NCAA independent schools (lacrosse)
NCAA independent lacrosse schools are four-year institutions in the United States that do not belong to a lacrosse-only conference or a primary all-sports conference that sponsors lacrosse. As of the 2016–17 academic year there are 22 men's and 9 women's lacrosse programs in Division I, Division II, and Division III that compete as independents.
Division I
Men's
There are three independent teams in the 2020 season. All are relatively new additions to the sport's Division I ranks, with Hampton having added the sport for the 2016 season, Cleveland State beginning play in 2017, and Utah starting in 2019.The most recent departure from the independent ranks is NJIT, whose all-sports home of the ASUN Conference does not sponsor men's lacrosse. Despite the existence of a formal alliance between the ASUN and Southern Conference in men's lacrosse, NJIT opted instead to join the Northeast Conference as a single-sport member effective with the 2020 season.
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Affiliation | Enrollment |
| Cleveland State University | Cleveland, Ohio | Vikings | Public | 17,730 |
| Hampton University | Hampton, Virginia | Pirates | Private | 5,000 |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah | Utes | Public | 31,860 |
Women's
There have been no independent teams in Division I women's lacrosse since the 2018 season. The only independent team in that season was East Carolina, which played its first season of varsity lacrosse as such before its all-sports league, the American Athletic Conference, launched a women's lacrosse league for 2019.The next three schools to add women's lacrosse have confirmed conference homes for that sport. Youngstown State, which launches its program in the 2021 season, will become a single-sport member of the Mid-American Conference, which is launching a women's lacrosse league that season. In 2022, Eastern Michigan and Pittsburgh will add the sport, both housing that sport in their full-time conference homes, respectively the MAC and Atlantic Coast Conference.
Division II
Men's
Women's
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Affiliation | Enrollment |
| Concordia University | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Golden Bears | Lutheran | 2,800 |
| Florida Institute of Technology | Melbourne, Florida | Panthers | Private | 6,631 |