Virginia State University, a member of the CIAA since 1920, may be considering a move to the MEAC.

That possibility was reported May 10 by HBCU Sports, a sports information site based in Texas.

The online news service also reported Kentucky State University, also an HBCU and currently a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, or SIAC, may be headed to the MEAC as well.

The MEAC plays NCAA Division I basketball and NCAA FCS football. The CIAA and SIAC are NCAA Division II across the board.

The MEAC is looking for new members after losing Savannah State University to the SIAC, Hampton and North Carolina A&T State universities to the Big South and Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman universities to the SWAC.

Savannah State and Hampton already have moved, while the others are in the process of changing conferences.

Current members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference are Coppin State, Morgan State, Delaware State, Howard, Maryland- Eastern Shore, Norfolk State, North Carolina Central and South Carolina State.

According to HBCU Sports, both Kentucky State and Virginia State are “conducting a feasibility study to determine the pros and cons of jumping to Division I.”

During much of the 20th century, Virginia had five CIAA schools—Virginia Union, Virginia State, Hampton, Norfolk State and St. Paul’s College.

If VSU leaves the CIAA, the state would be down to one, Virginia Union University, VSU’s top rival.

The CIAA stretches from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania to Claflin University in South Carolina. The majority of the member schools are in North Carolina.

While costs are higher, there are some financial advantages to becoming a Division I institution. MEAC and SWAC schools often receive sizable “guarantee money” playing non-conference road games.

The Celebration Bowl is an annual event matching the SWAC and MEAC football champs in Atlanta with a television deal providing about $1 million to each conference.

Also there is the lure of receiving a slice of the NCAA Division I basketball tournament revenue.

The process of becoming a full-fledged member of Division I can take as long as three to four years.