2026 Best Sports Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Sports Studies is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.
College Factual analyzed 12 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best sports studies schools.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Sports Studies in the Great Lakes Region
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the sports studies degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Sports Studies
Leading the list is Denison University, our #1 school for sports studies. Set in the suburb of Granville, Denison University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Denison University graduates 79% of students within six years. Denison University awarded about 24 sports studies degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their sports studies degree from Denison University earn around $39,797 in the first couple years of their career. Denison University graduates carry a median of $25,360 in student loans.
Read more about the sports studies program at Denison University
A rank of #2 makes Adler School Of Professional Psychology one of the top schools for sports studies. Adler School Of Professional Psychology is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Adler School Of Professional Psychology awarded about 13 sports studies degrees in the most recent data year. Sports Studies graduates of Adler School Of Professional Psychology earn a median of $55,542 early in their careers.
See the full sports studies program report for Adler School Of Professional Psychology
John Carroll University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best sports studies schools. This mid-sized private not-for-profit university is located in the suburb of University Heights. The six-year graduation rate is 79%. There were roughly 30 sports studies students who graduated with this degree at John Carroll University in the most recent data year. Sports Studies graduates of John Carroll University earn a median of $27,971 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in sports studies from John Carroll University
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 12 schools evaluated.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
