There are 18 schools in the Big Ten Conference as of the most recent realignment, even though the name still says “Ten.”

Why the number is 18

  • The Big Ten originally had 10 (and even fewer) members, but the name stayed the same for brand and tradition reasons.
  • Expansion over the years added schools like Penn State, Nebraska, Maryland, and Rutgers, taking the league well beyond ten members.
  • A major 2024 expansion brought in Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington, pushing the conference to 18 full member universities.

Quick context for fans

  • When people ask “how many schools are in the Big Ten,” they usually mean full member universities that compete across most sports, not affiliate-only members.
  • Affiliate members such as Johns Hopkins (lacrosse) or Notre Dame (hockey) are sometimes discussed, but they are not counted among the 18 core Big Ten schools.

TL;DR: Despite the name, the Big Ten now has 18 full member schools.