2026 Best Colleges for Student Athletes (Division I) in Massachusetts

Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 9 schools for Student Athletes (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.

So you can compare your options, 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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Top 9 Colleges for Student Athletes (Division I)

Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:

1

Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA

92% Academic Quality Percentile

No school ranked higher than Boston College this year for Student Athletes (Division I). Boston College is a private not-for-profit school based in Chestnut Hill, MA.

2

Boston University
Boston, MA

91% Academic Quality Percentile

Boston University landed the #2 spot for Student Athletes (Division I). Located in Boston, MA, Boston University is a private not-for-profit institution.

3

Northeastern University
Boston, MA

90% Academic Quality Percentile

Northeastern University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes (Division I). Based in Boston, MA, Northeastern University is a private not-for-profit institution.

4

College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, MA

87% Academic Quality Percentile

College of the Holy Cross ranked #4 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division I). Based in Worcester, MA, College of the Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit institution.

5

Harvard University
Cambridge, MA

94% Academic Quality Percentile

Harvard University is one of the top schools for Student Athletes (Division I), at #5. Located in Cambridge, MA, Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution.

6

University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Amherst, MA

90% Academic Quality Percentile

University of Massachusetts-Amherst ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division I). Located in Amherst, MA, University of Massachusetts-Amherst is a public institution.

7

Merrimack College
North Andover, MA

84% Academic Quality Percentile

Merrimack College came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Merrimack College is a private not-for-profit school based in North Andover, MA.

8

University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Lowell, MA

87% Academic Quality Percentile

University of Massachusetts-Lowell came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Lowell, MA, University of Massachusetts-Lowell is a public institution.

9

Stonehill College
Easton, MA

82% Academic Quality Percentile

Stonehill College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division I). Based in Easton, MA, Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit institution.

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Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.

The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology weighs 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

• NCAA Academic Progress Rate & Graduation Success Rate — National Collegiate Athletic Association (athlete academic outcomes).
• Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) — U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education (team participation, revenue, expenses, and aid).
• Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics (institutional data).

See our data sources and methodologies.