from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) as the school moved from a two-year college to a four-year comprehensive university.
In June 2015, the college was approved for full membership status in the NCAA Division III.
=== Athletics expansion ===
The university announced an expansion of athletics starting in the 2011–12 academic year. In 2011, SUNY Canton added men's golf and men's and women's lacrosse, in addition to reinstating its women's volleyball program. The university added women's ice hockey in the 2012–13 academic year and the team has played in the Northeast Women's Hockey League (NEWHL) conference since the 2019–20 season. SUNY Canton also added a women's golf team in 2015.
In 2018 SUNY Canton announced it will begin competing nationally in coed Esports. The college became the first New York State team to join the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) and the first varsity esports program in the State University of New York system. Esports teams currently play competitively …
