North Idaho College is eliminating men’s and women’s golf programs

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – North Idaho College announced it will discontinue the college’s men’s and women’s golf programs after the spring 2025 semester.

The college said they are restructuring the athletics program because current financial performance is “unsustainable.” The elimination of the programs is part of a cost-saving measure by the university amid uncertainty over the school’s future accreditation status.

“NIC will honor tuition, fees, and room and board for golf student-athletes who choose to remain enrolled at NIC through the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters, but golf will no longer be offered as a sport here,” said NIC Interim Provost Lloyd said Duman.

North Idaho College said the college spent $4 million more on athletics in the 2024-25 fiscal year than it did in the 2023-24 fiscal year. The college said this was due to the college moving conferences from the NWAC to the SWAC.

North Idaho College said eliminating the two programs could affect 11 student-athletes. According to the university, eliminating the two programs will save $600,000.

According to the university, there are no plans to eliminate other athletic programs, but additional cost-cutting measures will be necessary in the future to keep the athletic program budget sustainable.

“Golf is a sport that requires relatively high costs per student. Additionally, due to Title IX, eliminating a sport requires ensuring gender equity, and golf has both men’s and women’s teams,” Duman said. “This was an extremely difficult decision – it does not reflect the quality of the program or the people involved in any way. It was designed to impact as few student-athletes and staff as possible.”

According to the university, the university must resolve all remaining accreditation issues by April 2025.

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