The all sport conference started in 1955 when Amherst, Bowdoin, Wesleyan and Williams reached an agreement to form an informal affiliation. In 1971 Bates, Colby, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, Tufts and Union College joined on and the conference was officially formed. Union left the conference in 1977 and Connecticut College joined in 1982. The conference is informally known as the "Little Ivies" as the schools have a reputation for high academic standards and selective admissions. All of the member schools place in the top 15% of the 2016 US News and World Report and Forbes Magazine university rankings.