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University of Michigan-Ann Arbor earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes (Division I). University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a public school based in Ann Arbor, MI.
by our College Data Analytics TeamChoosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 7 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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University of Michigan-Ann Arbor earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes (Division I). University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a public school based in Ann Arbor, MI.
Michigan State University landed the #2 spot for Student Athletes (Division I). Located in East Lansing, MI, Michigan State University is a public institution.
Western Michigan University is one of the top schools for Student Athletes (Division I), at #3. Located in Kalamazoo, MI, Western Michigan University is a public institution.
Eastern Michigan University landed the #4 spot for Student Athletes (Division I). Eastern Michigan University is a public school based in Ypsilanti, MI.
Oakland University is one of the top schools for Student Athletes (Division I), at #5. This public school is set in Rochester Hills, MI.
Central Michigan University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Mount Pleasant, MI.
University of Detroit Mercy came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Detroit, MI, University of Detroit Mercy is a private not-for-profit institution.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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.