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No school ranked higher than Stanford University this year for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Stanford, CA.
by our College Data Analytics TeamFor student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 84 programs for Student Athletes 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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No school ranked higher than Stanford University this year for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Stanford, CA.
University of Southern California landed the #2 spot for Student Athletes. Based in Los Angeles, CA, University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution.
California Institute of Technology is one of the top schools for Student Athletes, at #3. California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Pasadena, CA.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes. University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a public school based in Seattle, WA.
Point Loma Nazarene University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Located in San Diego, CA, Point Loma Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of California-Berkeley ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. This public school is set in Berkeley, CA.
University of California-Los Angeles ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. University of California-Los Angeles is a public school based in Los Angeles, CA.
Pepperdine University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Based in Malibu, CA, Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Chapman University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Orange, CA.
Santa Clara University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Based in Santa Clara, CA, Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Occidental College landed the #11 spot this year. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Occidental College is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of San Francisco did well this year, earning the #12 position. Located in San Francisco, CA, University of San Francisco is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of California-Santa Cruz did well this year, earning the #13 position. This public school is set in Santa Cruz, CA.
Loyola Marymount University landed the #14 spot this year. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Loyola Marymount University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Whitman College ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Located in Walla Walla, WA, Whitman College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Gonzaga University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Gonzaga University is a private not-for-profit school based in Spokane, WA.
San Diego State University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in San Diego, CA.
University of California-Irvine landed the #18 spot this year. Based in Irvine, CA, University of California-Irvine is a public institution.
Dominican University of California ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Located in San Rafael, CA, Dominican University of California is a private not-for-profit institution.
Seattle University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Located in Seattle, WA, Seattle University is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of California-San Diego came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Located in La Jolla, CA, University of California-San Diego is a public institution.
Oregon State University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Located in Corvallis, OR, Oregon State University is a public institution.
University of California-Davis did well this year, earning the #23 position. Based in Davis, CA, University of California-Davis is a public institution.
California Lutheran University landed the #24 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Thousand Oaks, CA.
University of Oregon did well this year, earning the #25 position. Located in Eugene, OR, University of Oregon is a public institution.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.
