The last exception, Rutgers–Newark, had been a grandfathered scholarship program in men's volleyball and could compete for the National Collegiate Championship through the 2014 edition.
All schools that sponsor men's volleyball and are members of either Division I or II are allowed to offer financial aid for the sport that is equivalent to a maximum of 4.5 full scholarships.
For sponsorship reasons, it was known as the "Molten Division III Men's Invitational Volleyball Championship Tournament (Final Four)".
Though it never occurred, an NCAA Division III school could, before 2012, qualify for the at-large bid to the National Collegiate Championship.
Before the Big West Conference became the first Division I all-sports conference to sponsor men's volleyball in the 2017–18 school year (2018 season), each region was represented by one "major" conference (defined here as a league that includes full Division I member schools)—respectively the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA), and Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA).
[1] COVID-19 issues led the SIAC to delay the start of men's volleyball play to the 2022 season, by which time the conference had lost one of its intended six programs but added a replacement.
[3] In May 2023, the Division II East Coast Conference announced it would add men's volleyball and play its first season in 2024.
Full members Roberts Wesleyan and St. Thomas Aquinas were joined by associates American International and Dominican (NY).
[5] Five full GLVC members played men's volleyball in the 2024 season, with Lewis, McKendree, and Quincy in the MIVA and Maryville and Missouri S&T as independents.
Lewis and McKendree will remain in the MIVA, with the other full GLVC members being joined by former independents Rockhurst and Thomas More.
Because of the historic lack of an official divisional structure in men's volleyball, four of the five major conferences have member schools that normally participate in NCAA Division II.
The creation of the men's Division III national championship led to several D-III schools leaving the EIVA.
The Big West receives an automatic bid, and two at-large teams continue to earn tournament entries.