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No school ranked higher than University of Utah this year for Student Athletes (Division I). Based in Salt Lake City, UT, University of Utah is a public institution.
by our College Data Analytics TeamChoosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 7 programs for Student Athletes (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual scores each program on 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:
No school ranked higher than University of Utah this year for Student Athletes (Division I). Based in Salt Lake City, UT, University of Utah is a public institution.
Utah State University is one of the top schools for Student Athletes (Division I), at #2. Based in Logan, UT, Utah State University is a public institution.
Brigham Young University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Brigham Young University is a private not-for-profit school based in Provo, UT.
Weber State University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes (Division I). Based in Ogden, UT, Weber State University is a public institution.
Utah Valley University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes (Division I). Based in Orem, UT, Utah Valley University is a public institution.
Southern Utah University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in Cedar City, UT, Southern Utah University is a public institution.
Utah Tech University placed #7 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division I). Based in Saint George, UT, Utah Tech University is a public institution.
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.