ACC Announces Additions of Cal, SMU, Stanford

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• ACC Release

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The ACC Board of Directors voted today to formally admit the University of California, Berkeley (Cal), Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Stanford University to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Cal, SMU and Stanford will join the ACC as full members with full voting participation effective July 1, 2024 (SMU) and August 2, 2024 (Stanford and Cal). The decision followed the submission of letters of application from all three institutions.

The additions of Cal, SMU and Stanford enhance and strengthen the ACC academically, athletically and financially as well as create true national conference that spans coast to coast. The incoming universities enrich the league's competitiveness in all sports and further demonstrate the ACC's commitment to broad-based programs for both women and men. More than 2,200 student-athletes from Cal, SMU and Stanford will join the nearly 10,000 current ACC student-athletes competing at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics.

Cal, SMU and Stanford will begin competing in the ACC across their respective sponsored sports beginning in the 2024-2025 academic year. The ACC leads all Autonomy 5 conferences with 15 women's sports offerings and no conference offers more than the league's 28 total sponsored sports.

Statement from Duke Vice President and Director of Athletics Nina King: "Duke Athletics enthusiastically welcomes Cal, SMU and Stanford to the ACC. We are greatly appreciative of Jim Phillips' guidance, as well as the leadership of Dr. Vincent Price and his campus colleagues across the league. The addition of these three institutions – of which all are elite academically – strengthens our conference for the future as we continue to navigate the overall landscape of intercollegiate athletics. Adding these two high-impact geographic areas to the league's footprint enhances Duke's international brand to another level, and we look forward to competing in front of our strong alumni and fan bases in both Dallas and northern California."

Statement from ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D: "We are thrilled to welcome three world-class institutions to the ACC, and we look forward to having them compete as part of our amazing league. Throughout the evaluation process, the ACC Board of Directors, led by President Ryan, was deliberate in prioritizing the best possible athletic and academic experience for our student-athletes and in ensuring that the three universities would strengthen the league in all possible ways. Cal, SMU and Stanford will be terrific members of the ACC and we are proud to welcome their student-athletes, coaches, staff and entire campus community, alumni and fans."

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