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University of Chicago earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes. Based in Chicago, IL, University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution.
by our College Data Analytics TeamFor student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 35 schools for Student Athletes by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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University of Chicago earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes. Based in Chicago, IL, University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution.
Northwestern University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Evanston, IL.
Loyola University Chicago earned the #3 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL.
Illinois Wesleyan University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Bloomington, IL, Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public school based in Champaign, IL.
Illinois Institute of Technology placed #6 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. Illinois Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL.
Bradley University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Peoria, IL, Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of Illinois Chicago landed the #8 spot this year. Located in Chicago, IL, University of Illinois Chicago is a public institution.
Lewis University landed the #9 spot this year. Located in Romeoville, IL, Lewis University is a private not-for-profit institution.
DePaul University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. DePaul University is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL.
Illinois State University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in Normal, IL, Illinois State University is a public institution.
North Central College ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Naperville, IL.
Northern Illinois University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. This public school is set in Dekalb, IL.
Lake Forest College came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Located in Lake Forest, IL, Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is a public school based in Carbondale, IL.
Elmhurst University did well this year, earning the #16 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Elmhurst, IL.
University of Illinois Springfield came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Springfield, IL.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public school based in Edwardsville, IL.
Knox College did well this year, earning the #19 position. Based in Galesburg, IL, Knox College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Eastern Illinois University did well this year, earning the #20 position. Located in Charleston, IL, Eastern Illinois University is a public institution.
Western Illinois University landed the #21 spot this year. This public school is set in Macomb, IL.
McKendree University placed #22 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lebanon, IL.
Illinois College ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Based in Jacksonville, IL, Illinois College is a private not-for-profit institution.
North Park University did well this year, earning the #24 position. North Park University is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL.
Aurora University placed #25 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. Based in Aurora, IL, Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution.
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. 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.