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UTD Athletics on the Road to NCAA Division II

By: Jeff Joiner | July 8, 2025

UTD softball players show off their new uniforms sporting the updated Comets brand.
UTD softball players show off their new uniforms sporting the updated Comets brand.

Now a year into their two-year provisional transition from NCAA Division III athletics to Division II status, the Comets are celebrating the July 1 admission to the Lone Star Conference where UTD sports teams will compete this fall. If all goes according to plan, the NCAA will officially accept UT Dallas as a Division II school in July 2026.

UTD Men's Basketball player.
Comets teams, like men’s basketball, will compete in the Lone Star Conference beginning in fall 2025.

After competing as a Division III school for the entirety of its 26-year college athletics history, UT Dallas began the process of petitioning to upgrade to a Division II school in 2023. The change promises increased competitiveness with other schools and allows UTD for the first time to offer athletic scholarships to student athletes. UT Dallas first became a NCAA Division III sports school in 1998, competing in the American Southwest Conference with four sports. Today, UTD sponsors 15 men’s and women’s sports.

“The petition includes making a commitment to provide the resources to be able to make the move to Division II,” said Bill Petitt, associate athletic director. “You’re offering scholarships now and there are other expenses like expanded schedules. But the whole campus community agrees that this is an exciting and positive move for the University.”

University athletics celebrated joining the Lone Star Conference when a promotional video was aired on a multipaneled display on Times Square in New York City. The promotion, prepared by athletics and University marketing, extolls the excitement of joining the more competitive conference.

The Comets officially became members of the Lone Star Conference, announcing the occasion widely, including in New York City’s Times Square.
On July 1, the Comets officially became members of the Lone Star Conference, announcing the occasion widely, including in New York City’s Times Square.

“It was inspired by the marketing department’s DFW billboard campaign promoting UTD,” Petitt said. “We were looking for wow moments to get our name out there and having a video shown on Times Square was a way to really have a big bang moment on joining the Lone Star Conference.”

The Lone Star Conference is now made up of 18 schools in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Of the schools, 14 are from Texas and include three schools affiliated with the University of Texas System including UTD, the University of Texas at Tyler and the University of Texas Permian Basin.

Though UT Dallas will compete against Lone Star opponents as a member of the conference, the University’s teams will not be eligible to compete in conference or NCAA tournaments until official recognition as a DII school next year.

“We’re excited to be a part of the Lone Star Conference because this is a very elite athletic conference,” Petitt said. “They win national championships and have kids who go to the Olympics. So, this is a big step for the University that will bring a lot more exposure to campus through the lens of athletics.”