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North Greenville University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes (Division II). North Greenville University is a private not-for-profit school based in Tigerville, SC.
by our College Data Analytics TeamFor student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 13 schools for Student Athletes (Division II) 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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Learn more about these schools below:
North Greenville University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes (Division II). North Greenville University is a private not-for-profit school based in Tigerville, SC.
Southern Wesleyan University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Central, SC, Southern Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Lander University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Located in Greenwood, SC, Lander University is a public institution.
University of South Carolina Aiken landed the #4 spot for Student Athletes (Division II). University of South Carolina Aiken is a public school based in Aiken, SC.
Converse University earned the #5 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Spartanburg, SC.
Claflin University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Claflin University is a private not-for-profit school based in Orangeburg, SC.
Francis Marion University placed #7 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division II). This public school is set in Florence, SC.
Erskine College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Due West, SC, Erskine College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Newberry College landed the #9 spot this year. Located in Newberry, SC, Newberry College is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of South Carolina Beaufort did well this year, earning the #10 position. University of South Carolina Beaufort is a public school based in Bluffton, SC.
Coker University placed #11 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division II). Based in Hartsville, SC, Coker University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Benedict College landed the #12 spot this year. Benedict College is a private not-for-profit school based in Columbia, SC.
Allen University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Allen University is a private not-for-profit school based in Columbia, SC.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.