After spending eight years in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), Georgia State became a full member of the Sun Belt Conference on July 1, 2013. It began its transition with 10 individual sport teams in the Sun Belt Conference in 2012. 

In just its fifth year in 2014, football will be a full member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

Prior to that, Georgia State competed five years as an inaugural member of the then-six-team Sun Belt Conference after being an independent for more than a decade after starting the athletics program.

Georgia State’s women’s teams were part of the TAAC/A-Sun since 1991. Before that, they were members of the New South Women’s Athletic Conference (NSWAC), beginning in 1984-85.

In 1963-64, Georgia State became a fully accredited NCAA Division I athletics program, giving scholarships for the first time to students to compete at the highest collegiate level.

Women's sports joined the program during the 1974-75 school year as basketball, soccer, volleyball and tennis competed at the Division I level. Women's cross country began the next year.

The teams women's competed against programs throughout the southeast, but were not affiliated with a conference. In 1976-77, the athletics program became a member of the Sun Belt Conference. After five seasons, Georgia State chose to break its affiliation.

Through automatic conference bids, 17 teams have competed in NCAA postseason play. They included men's basketball, women's basketball, men's soccer, volleyball, men's cross country, women's cross country, softball, men's golf, women's golf, men's tennis, women's tennis, women's indoor track and field, and women's outdoor track and field.