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New York University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes (Division III). New York University is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY.
by our College Data Analytics TeamPicking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 322 programs for Student Athletes (Division III) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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.
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New York University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes (Division III). New York University is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY.
University of Chicago ranked #2 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL.
Emory University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Emory University is a private not-for-profit school based in Atlanta, GA.
Washington University in St Louis earned the #4 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in St. Louis, MO.
Johns Hopkins University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes (Division III). Based in Baltimore, MD, Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Bowdoin College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Brunswick, ME.
Tufts University placed #7 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division III). Located in Medford, MA, Tufts University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Carnegie Mellon University did well this year, earning the #8 position. Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit school based in Pittsburgh, PA.
Bates College landed the #9 spot this year. Based in Lewiston, ME, Bates College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Swarthmore College placed #10 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division III). Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit school based in Swarthmore, PA.
Colby College landed the #11 spot this year. Colby College is a private not-for-profit school based in Waterville, ME.
Middlebury College landed the #12 spot this year. Based in Middlebury, VT, Middlebury College is a private not-for-profit institution.
California Institute of Technology did well this year, earning the #13 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Pasadena, CA.
Amherst College did well this year, earning the #14 position. Amherst College is a private not-for-profit school based in Amherst, MA.
Hamilton College did well this year, earning the #15 position. Located in Clinton, NY, Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Washington and Lee University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division III). Based in Lexington, VA, Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Williams College did well this year, earning the #17 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Williamstown, MA.
Wellesley College ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division III). Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit school based in Wellesley, MA.
Babson College placed #19 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division III). Based in Wellesley, MA, Babson College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Brandeis University did well this year, earning the #20 position. Based in Waltham, MA, Brandeis University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Stevens Institute of Technology landed the #21 spot this year. Stevens Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Hoboken, NJ.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Based in Cambridge, MA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution.
Macalester College placed #23 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division III). Macalester College is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Paul, MN.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute placed #24 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA.
Case Western Reserve University placed #25 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Cleveland, OH.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
These colleges narrowly missed the top tiers:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | DePauw University | Greencastle, IN |
| 52 | Berry College | Mount Berry, GA |
| 53 | Kalamazoo College | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 54 | Kenyon College | Gambier, OH |
| 55 | St Olaf College | Northfield, MN |
| 56 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Terre Haute, IN |
| 57 | Calvin University | Grand Rapids, MI |
| 58 | Dickinson College | Carlisle, PA |
| 59 | Oberlin College | Oberlin, OH |
| 60 | The College of Wooster | Wooster, OH |
| 61 | John Carroll University | University Heights, OH |
| 62 | University of Scranton | Scranton, PA |
| 63 | Lawrence University | Appleton, WI |
| 64 | St Lawrence University | Canton, NY |
| 65 | Hope College | Holland, MI |
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.