1
No school ranked higher than Catawba College this year for Student Athletes (Division II). Based in Salisbury, NC, Catawba College is a private not-for-profit institution.
by our College Data Analytics TeamChoosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 16 colleges for Student Athletes (Division II) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
No school ranked higher than Catawba College this year for Student Athletes (Division II). Based in Salisbury, NC, Catawba College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Lenoir-Rhyne University landed the #2 spot for Student Athletes (Division II). Located in Hickory, NC, Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Winston-Salem State University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division II). Located in Winston-Salem, NC, Winston-Salem State University is a public institution.
University of Mount Olive earned the #4 place for student athletes. University of Mount Olive is a private not-for-profit school based in Mount Olive, NC.
Barton College is one of the top schools for Student Athletes (Division II), at #5. Based in Wilson, NC, Barton College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Wingate University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Wingate University is a private not-for-profit school based in Wingate, NC.
Lees-McRae College landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Banner Elk, NC, Lees-McRae College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Elizabeth City State University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division II). Located in Elizabeth City, NC, Elizabeth City State University is a public institution.
Fayetteville State University landed the #9 spot this year. Fayetteville State University is a public school based in Fayetteville, NC.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke came in at #10 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Pembroke, NC.
Mars Hill University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division II). Located in Mars Hill, NC, Mars Hill University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Johnson C Smith University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division II). Located in Charlotte, NC, Johnson C Smith University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Belmont Abbey College did well this year, earning the #13 position. Based in Belmont, NC, Belmont Abbey College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Shaw University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division II). Located in Raleigh, NC, Shaw University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Livingstone College came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Located in Salisbury, NC, Livingstone College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Chowan University placed #16 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division II). Chowan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Murfreesboro, NC.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.