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California Institute of Technology earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Pasadena, CA.
by our College Data Analytics TeamPicking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 16 programs for Student Athletes (Division III) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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California Institute of Technology earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Pasadena, CA.
Whitman College came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes (Division III). Whitman College is a private not-for-profit school based in Walla Walla, WA.
Occidental College is one of the top schools for Student Athletes (Division III), at #3. This private not-for-profit school is set in Los Angeles, CA.
University of California-Santa Cruz is one of the top schools for Student Athletes (Division III), at #4. Located in Santa Cruz, CA, University of California-Santa Cruz is a public institution.
Chapman University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Orange, CA.
California Lutheran University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Thousand Oaks, CA, California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Willamette University landed the #7 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Salem, OR.
Pacific Lutheran University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Tacoma, WA, Pacific Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Lewis & Clark College landed the #9 spot this year. Located in Portland, OR, Lewis & Clark College is a private not-for-profit institution.
George Fox University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Newberg, OR.
University of Redlands ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division III). University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit school based in Redlands, CA.
Whitworth University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Spokane, WA.
University of La Verne came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in La Verne, CA, University of La Verne is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of Puget Sound came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in Tacoma, WA, University of Puget Sound is a private not-for-profit institution.
Linfield University placed #15 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in McMinnville, OR.
Whittier College landed the #16 spot this year. Based in Whittier, CA, Whittier College is a private not-for-profit institution.
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.