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Our analysis found University of Chicago to be the best college for Student Athletes in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Chicago, IL, University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution.
by our College Data Analytics TeamPicking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 144 schools for Student Athletes by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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:
Our analysis found University of Chicago to be the best college for Student Athletes in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Chicago, IL, University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution.
Northwestern University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Evanston, IL.
University of Notre Dame came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes. Located in Notre Dame, IN, University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution.
Case Western Reserve University landed the #4 spot for Student Athletes. Based in Cleveland, OH, Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Denison University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes. Denison University is a private not-for-profit school based in Granville, OH.
Illinois Wesleyan University placed #6 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. Based in Bloomington, IL, Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Ohio State University-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in Columbus, OH, Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public institution.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor landed the #8 spot this year. This public school is set in Ann Arbor, MI.
Michigan Technological University placed #9 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. Michigan Technological University is a public school based in Houghton, MI.
Loyola University Chicago came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL.
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus came in at #11 in this year's ranking. University of Cincinnati-Main Campus is a public school based in Cincinnati, OH.
Kenyon College landed the #12 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Gambier, OH.
University of Wisconsin-Madison landed the #13 spot this year. Based in Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public institution.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology placed #14 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Terre Haute, IN.
Kalamazoo College landed the #15 spot this year. Based in Kalamazoo, MI, Kalamazoo College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Indiana University-Bloomington landed the #16 spot this year. Based in Bloomington, IN, Indiana University-Bloomington is a public institution.
DePauw University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Greencastle, IN.
Marquette University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Located in Milwaukee, WI, Marquette University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Calvin University placed #19 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Grand Rapids, MI.
Grand Valley State University landed the #20 spot this year. Grand Valley State University is a public school based in Allendale, MI.
Michigan State University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in East Lansing, MI.
Hope College ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Hope College is a private not-for-profit school based in Holland, MI.
Oberlin College did well this year, earning the #23 position. Based in Oberlin, OH, Oberlin College is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign did well this year, earning the #24 position. This public school is set in Champaign, IL.
John Carroll University ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in University Heights, OH.
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. The methodology weighs 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.