The Frontier Conference was organized in 1935 with four of the eight existing teams as charter members (Montana Tech, Montana Western, MSU-Northern and Rocky Mountain College).

Carroll College joined in 1938. For a 10-year period, from 1974 - 1984, the University of Great Falls competed in the conference and rejoined in 1999.

The conference added Lewis-Clark State College of Lewiston, Idaho and Westminster College of Salt Lake City, Utah in 1998. Eastern Oregon University of La Grande, Ore., joined in 2008 as an associate member for football only. In 2012 the league will welcome Dickinson State University as a full member and Southern Oregon University
as an associate member for football only.

The purpose of the Frontier Conference is to encourage, promote, sponsor and control athletic competition among participating colleges as an integral part of the total educational process. With their motto, "The best in academics and athletics," members compete for conference championships in football, golf, men's basketball, volleyball, women's basketball and women's soccer.

Any contest between two Frontier Conference schools will always provide spectators with the excitement and thrills that can be experienced through intercollegiate athletic conference. Many of our games are broadcast through local radio and via school webcasts.