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No school ranked higher than Fordham University this year for Student Athletes (Division I). Located in Bronx, NY, Fordham University is a private not-for-profit institution.
by our College Data Analytics TeamFor student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 54 colleges for Student Athletes (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual weighs 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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No school ranked higher than Fordham University this year for Student Athletes (Division I). Located in Bronx, NY, Fordham University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Villanova University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division I). Located in Villanova, PA, Villanova University is a private not-for-profit institution.
George Washington University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Washington, DC.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes (Division I). This public school is set in Pittsburgh, PA.
Syracuse University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division I). Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit school based in Syracuse, NY.
Seton Hall University placed #6 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division I). Based in South Orange, NJ, Seton Hall University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Colgate University placed #7 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division I). Colgate University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hamilton, NY.
Temple University did well this year, earning the #8 position. This public school is set in Philadelphia, PA.
Rutgers University-New Brunswick came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Rutgers University-New Brunswick is a public school based in New Brunswick, NJ.
Lafayette College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Easton, PA.
University of Maryland-College Park did well this year, earning the #11 position. University of Maryland-College Park is a public school based in College Park, MD.
Georgetown University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division I). Located in Washington, DC, Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Lehigh University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Bethlehem, PA, Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Drexel University landed the #14 spot this year. Drexel University is a private not-for-profit school based in Philadelphia, PA.
University of Delaware placed #15 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division I). Based in Newark, DE, University of Delaware is a public institution.
St. John's University-New York ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Queens, NY.
Bucknell University landed the #17 spot this year. Based in Lewisburg, PA, Bucknell University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus landed the #18 spot this year. Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus is a public school based in University Park, PA.
Hofstra University landed the #19 spot this year. Hofstra University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hempstead, NY.
American University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Located in Washington, DC, American University is a private not-for-profit institution.
New Jersey Institute of Technology landed the #21 spot this year. This public school is set in Newark, NJ.
Monmouth University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division I). Based in West Long Branch, NJ, Monmouth University is a private not-for-profit institution.
University at Buffalo ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division I). This public school is set in Buffalo, NY.
Loyola University Maryland came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Based in Baltimore, MD, Loyola University Maryland is a private not-for-profit institution.
Columbia University in the City of New York placed #25 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division I). Located in New York, NY, Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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
See our data sources and methodologies.
