The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference - then known as the Northern Athletics Conference - began its first season of competition in the fall of 2006. The conference consists of 14 private colleges and universities from the shared-border states of Illinois and Wisconsin, all of which are NCAA Division III members.

The members of the NACC include Alverno College, Aurora University, Benedictine University, Concordia University Chicago, Concordia University Wisconsin, Dominican University, Edgewood University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Lakeland University, Marian University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Rockford University, St. Norbert College, and Wisconsin Lutheran College.

Additionally, Eureka College maintains affiliate membership in football, Beloit College, Cornell College, Lake Forest College, and Lawrence University are affiliate members in men's and women's lacrosse, and the University of Dubuque is an affiliate member in the sport of men's lacrosse.

The NACC sponsors championships in 21 sports. Men's championships include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, and volleyball. Women's championships are sponsored in basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field and volleyball.

The league's charter members included Alverno, Aurora, Benedictine, Concordia Chicago, Concordia Wisconsin, Dominican, Edgewood, Lakeland, Maranatha Baptist Bible College (now Maranatha Baptist University), Marian, Rockford, and Wisconsin Lutheran. The charter members shared traditional rivalries dating back to their predecessor conferences, the Lake Michigan Conference and the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference.

Just four changes to the league's full membership have occurred. MSOE joined the league in fall of 2007, while Maranatha withdrew from the league in the summer of 2013, at which time the league officially changed its name from the Northern Athletics Conference to its current Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. Illinois Institute of Technology was accepted for membership beginning with the 2018-2019 academic year. Most recently, the NACC grew to 14 institutions strong when St. Norbert joined the league as a full-time member on July 1, 2021. Amongst affiliate members, Mount Mary competed in women's tennis (2015-16) and women's cross country (2015-24) before exiting the league.