(BCSNN) — UC Santa Barbara will join the West Coast Conference beginning with the 2027–28 academic year, the league announced, marking the WCC’s first expansion to 12 member institutions.

The WCC Presidents’ Council approved UCSB’s admission following recent decisions to add Denver and UC San Diego. Denver will enter the conference next season, with both California schools joining the following year.

The additions come as Gonzaga prepares to depart the WCC at the end of the current academic year to join the Pac‑12. Despite the loss of its most nationally prominent program, the conference will reach a record 12 members for the first time.

“This is a monumental moment for the West Coast Conference as we grow our membership to 12 institutions for the first time in our history and enhance our national profile with the addition of UC Santa Barbara,” WCC commissioner Stu Jackson said in a statement.

UC Santa Barbara will compete in 13 sports within the WCC, including men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, baseball, softball, cross country, tennis, men’s golf and men’s water polo.

The WCC continues to maintain a strong basketball profile. Three men’s programs — Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara and Gonzaga — reached the NCAA Tournament this season, marking the seventh straight year the league has earned multiple bids. On the women’s side, the conference has sent multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament in five of the past seven seasons.

UCSB previously competed in the WCC from 1965 to 1969 before joining the Big West, where it has remained for more than five decades.