The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) is an NCAA Division III athletic conference, consisting of eleven highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities located in New England and New York. Often referred to as the "Little Ivies", most of the schools have competed against one another since the 19th century.

As a group, the schools that make up the NESCAC represent the most academically competitive of all liberal arts colleges. In addition, the NESCAC is one of the most sports competitive Division 3 conferences. Due to the prestigious reputations of its member schools, the NESCAC is able to attract many of the most athletically and intellectually gifted student-athletes in the country.

Member institutions believe athletic teams should be representative of school's entire student bodies, and academic standards are strictly followed. To ensure that academics take precedent, Conference rules are often even more restrictive than those of the NCAA Division III regarding season length, number of contests and post-season competition.

Most NESCAC women soccer coaches work closely with the Admissions Department and are able to provide pre-reads to recruited athletes after July 1 before their senior year. For most sports, the coaches are allotted a few positions (“tips”) where they can provide their support and, providing the athlete has an acceptable academic record, use their tip for that athlete. The coach will need your transcripts through your junior year, your standardized test scores, and your senior year schedule. If Admissions gives a favorable read and the coach offers support, the athlete is expected to apply Early Decision.

The league consists of Amherst College, Bowdoin College, Wesleyan University, Williams College, Bates College, Colby College, Hamilton College, Middlebury College, Trinity College, Tufts University, and Connecticut College.