Nebraska officially joined the Big Ten Conference on July 1, 2011. The University of Nebraska's application for membership was unanimously approved by the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors on June 11, 2010, and Nebraska began competing in all sports for the 2011-12 academic year. This move marked the Big Ten's first expansion since Penn State joined in 1990 and increased the conference membership to 12 schools for the first time.