Chicago State University announced in the spring of 2006 that it would withdraw from the conference to compete as an independent starting in the 2006–07 school year.

[16] The University of North Dakota had also been openly rumored to have been courted by the Summit League, but controversy over the Fighting Sioux nickname in all likelihood prevented UND's admission at that time.

[18] While Denver is slightly outside The Summit's current Midwestern base, the city's status as a major air hub seemingly minimized travel issues for the other members.

In December 2013, The Summit League office announced that Oral Roberts University returned to the conference in all sports, effective July 1, 2014.

First, on January 26, North Dakota, which had resolved its controversy by selecting the new nickname Fighting Hawks, unveiled as a new member beginning in 2018.

[23] For much of 2018, speculation involving further league expansion focused on Augustana University, a Division II school located in the Summit's headquarters city of Sioux Falls.

[26] However, on May 22, 2020, the Summit League commissioner, Tom Douple, informed Augustana president Stephanie Herseth Sandlin that the conference would not be adding more new teams "at this time.

[28] However, shortly thereafter, Purdue Fort Wayne announced its 2020 departure for the Horizon League, maintaining the full-time conference membership at nine schools.

[30] Shortly before St. Thomas' future conference membership was confirmed, the University of Northern Colorado was announced as a baseball-only member effective in 2021–22.

Both institutions began transitions from Division II as new members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), which at the time did not sponsor any of these schools' Summit League sports, in July 2022.

[32] In late March 2023, the OVC announced that it would begin sponsoring men's soccer that fall, leading to Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, and Southern Indiana moving that sport to their full-time home.

In early May 2023, it was announced that founding member Western Illinois would be leaving the Summit League in all sports and would join the Ohio Valley Conference beginning in fall 2023.

[34] In mid-June, Western Illinois announced that its men's soccer team would remain in the Summit League for the fall 2023 season, and depart for the OVC after that.

[38] (Evangelical) (Catholic) (MAC in 2025) All institutional names and nicknames used reflect those in the final school year of conference membership.

Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, and Southern Indiana moved men's soccer to their primary home of the Ohio Valley Conference in 2023–24 while remaining Summit affiliates in swimming & diving.

Western Illinois elected to leave the league full time in 2023, but its men's soccer team remained in the Summit through the fall 2023 season.

It will provide access to all nine member institutions' live streams of every home game, both non-conference and in-conference, as well as interviews and other league info.

This expansion will preserve the local media rights given out at select institutions, as the provider for the university will supply Midco with that broadcast/live stream to be simulcast on the Summit League Network.