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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 TeamFor student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 31 schools for Student Athletes (Division III) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Learn more about these schools below:
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.
Hamilton College ranked #2 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Clinton, NY.
University of Rochester earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Rochester, NY, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit institution.
Vassar College landed the #4 spot for Student Athletes (Division III). Vassar College is a private not-for-profit school based in Poughkeepsie, NY.
Union College earned the #5 place for student athletes. Union College is a private not-for-profit school based in Schenectady, NY.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute placed #6 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division III). Located in Troy, NY, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution.
Skidmore College landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Saratoga Springs, NY, Skidmore College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Yeshiva University did well this year, earning the #8 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY.
St Lawrence University landed the #9 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Canton, NY.
Ithaca College ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Ithaca, NY.
St. John Fisher University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in Rochester, NY, St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Clarkson University did well this year, earning the #12 position. Located in Potsdam, NY, Clarkson University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Rochester Institute of Technology ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY.
Hobart William Smith Colleges placed #14 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division III). Hobart William Smith Colleges is a private not-for-profit school based in Geneva, NY.
Nazareth University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Located in Rochester, NY, Nazareth University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Bard College did well this year, earning the #16 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Annandale-On-Hudson, NY.
State University of New York at New Paltz came in at #17 in this year's ranking. State University of New York at New Paltz is a public school based in New Paltz, NY.
State University of New York at Cortland came in at #18 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Cortland, NY.
Sarah Lawrence College did well this year, earning the #19 position. Based in Bronxville, NY, Sarah Lawrence College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Russell Sage College did well this year, earning the #20 position. Located in Troy, NY, Russell Sage College is a private not-for-profit institution.
State University of New York at Oswego came in at #21 in this year's ranking. State University of New York at Oswego is a public school based in Oswego, NY.
Houghton University landed the #22 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Houghton, NY.
Alfred University ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes (Division III). Located in Alfred, NY, Alfred University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Farmingdale State College placed #24 among the best colleges for Student Athletes (Division III). Located in Farmingdale, NY, Farmingdale State College is a public institution.
University of Mount Saint Vincent came in at #25 in this year's ranking. University of Mount Saint Vincent is a private not-for-profit school based in Bronx, NY.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
See our data sources and methodologies.