The list of Big Ten national championships includes championships won by teams from the Big Ten Conference and former member Chicago. Including football champions listed in the official NCAA Records book, Big Ten teams have compiled 302 NCAA and Football Bowl Subdivision national championships (as of April 4, 2023) during their years of membership. Prior to NCAA sponsorship of women's sports, Big Ten teams, as members of the AIAW, also won 6 undisputed national championships in 1976–82. In the 2021–22 academic year, Big Ten members have so far won four titles: (1) Northwestern won the NCAA field hockey championship. It is the first for Northwestern in field hockey and the first for the Big Ten since 2001 when Michigan won the title; (2) Wisconsin won the NCAA women's volleyball championship marking the first title for the Badgers in the sport. Wisconsin becomes the third Big Ten school to win in women's volleyball, joining Penn State and Nebraska. It also is the first for the conference since Nebraska won the title in 2017; (3) Penn State won the wrestling championship continuing the Big Ten's championship streak since 2007. Penn State has won nine of the last eleven wrestling titles and tenth overall and (4) Ohio State won the NCAA women's ice hockey championship for the first time in the school's history and only the second NCAA women's sport where the Buckeyes have won a title, joining women's rowing. The title continues the streak of a Big Ten team winning the women's ice hockey title as Wisconsin won the prior two championships.
Listed below are all championship teams of NCAA-sponsored events, as well as the titles won in football, which has a Division I championship not sanctioned by the NCAA. The main list in Sections 2, 3 and 4 includes championships won by Chicago when it was a member, but does not credit a Big Ten NCAA championship to current Big Ten member schools before they joined the conference. These prior titles are separately indicated. Michigan State joined in 1950 and competed in the conference for the first time in 1953. Penn State joined in 1990 and competed in the conference for the first time in 1991. Nebraska joined in 2011. Rutgers and Maryland joined in 2014. Johns Hopkins joined in 2014 for men's lacrosse and began play in spring 2015.
Teams
† includes football national championships by Big Ten members starting in 1901, as listed in the official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records book
Most recent NCAA championship
* most recent NCAA championship won by a member of the conference
Fall NCAA sports
Men's cross country (12)
Prior to joining the Big Ten, Michigan State won four and Penn State won three NCAA titles in men's cross country. (7 NCAA before Big Ten)
† Co-champion with Penn State
Women's cross country (3)
Field hockey (3)
Prior to joining the Big Ten, Maryland won 8 NCAA titles and Penn State won 2 AIAW national titles in Field Hockey. (8 NCAA before Big Ten)
Football (43)
The Division I (FBS) football championship is not officially sanctioned by the NCAA; however, the Big Ten teams among the champions and co-champions listed in its official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records book are shown below. Prior to joining the Big Ten, Nebraska won 3 football national titles and 2 co-titles, Penn State won 2 national titles, Maryland won one national title, and Michigan State won one championship (1952, the year before it began Big Ten competition). The NCAA was formed in 1906 to address violent injuries in the sport.
† As listed in official NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records. For 1950 to present, includes only recognized consensus selections (AP, UP-UPI-USAT, FWAA, NFF)
Men's soccer (12)
Prior to joining the Big Ten, Maryland won 3 NCAA titles in Men's Soccer, and Penn State won 6 national titles awarded by the ISFA in the era before NCAA championships. (3 NCAA before Big Ten)
† Co-champion with Saint Louis (game called because of weather)
‡ Co-champion with Maryland (game ended in tie)
Women's soccer (1)
Women's volleyball (10)
Prior to joining the Big Ten, Nebraska won 3 NCAA titles in women's volleyball. (3 NCAA before Big Ten)
Winter NCAA sports
Men's basketball (10)
Prior to joining the Big Ten, Maryland won 1 NCAA title in men's basketball (2002). (1 NCAA before Big Ten)
The NCAA championship tournament began in 1939.