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Northwestern University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division I). Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Evanston, IL.
by our College Data Analytics TeamFor student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 13 schools for Student Athletes (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual evaluates each program using a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and aid per athlete from the EADA survey), and overall school quality, drawing on NCAA, U.S. Department of Education EADA, and IPEDS data. Learn more about our ranking methodology.
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Explore the leading programs below:
Northwestern University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division I). Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Evanston, IL.
Loyola University Chicago ranked #2 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division I). Located in Chicago, IL, Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign earned the #3 place for student athletes. Located in Champaign, IL, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public institution.
DePaul University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Chicago, IL, DePaul University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Bradley University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit school based in Peoria, IL.
University of Illinois Chicago landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Chicago, IL, University of Illinois Chicago is a public institution.
Illinois State University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Normal, IL.
Northern Illinois University did well this year, earning the #8 position. Located in Dekalb, IL, Northern Illinois University is a public institution.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale came in at #9 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Carbondale, IL.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public school based in Edwardsville, IL.
Eastern Illinois University landed the #11 spot this year. Eastern Illinois University is a public school based in Charleston, IL.
Western Illinois University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division I). Located in Macomb, IL, Western Illinois University is a public institution.
Chicago State University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division I). This public school is set in Chicago, IL.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and athletic aid from the federal EADA survey), and overall school quality. The current methodology measures academic-athletic quality and does not include team win/loss performance.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.