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University of Notre Dame earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes. Located in Notre Dame, IN, University of Notre Dame 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. This list ranks 20 programs for Student Athletes by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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 Notre Dame earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes. Located in Notre Dame, IN, University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology ranked #2 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Terre Haute, IN.
Indiana University-Bloomington came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes. Located in Bloomington, IN, Indiana University-Bloomington is a public institution.
DePauw University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes. Based in Greencastle, IN, DePauw University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Purdue University-Main Campus ranked #5 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. Located in West Lafayette, IN, Purdue University-Main Campus is a public institution.
Ball State University landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Muncie, IN, Ball State University is a public institution.
Butler University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Butler University is a private not-for-profit school based in Indianapolis, IN.
Indiana University-Indianapolis placed #8 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. Based in Indianapolis, IN, Indiana University-Indianapolis is a public institution.
University of Evansville came in at #9 in this year's ranking. University of Evansville is a private not-for-profit school based in Evansville, IN.
Earlham College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in Richmond, IN, Earlham College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Valparaiso University placed #11 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Valparaiso, IN.
Indiana State University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Terre Haute, IN.
Trine University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Located in Angola, IN, Trine University is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of Indianapolis did well this year, earning the #14 position. Based in Indianapolis, IN, University of Indianapolis is a private not-for-profit institution.
Hanover College ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hanover, IN.
University of Southern Indiana did well this year, earning the #16 position. University of Southern Indiana is a public school based in Evansville, IN.
Purdue University Fort Wayne did well this year, earning the #17 position. Based in Fort Wayne, IN, Purdue University Fort Wayne is a public institution.
Franklin College did well this year, earning the #18 position. Located in Franklin, IN, Franklin College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Manchester University placed #19 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. Located in North Manchester, IN, Manchester University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Purdue University Northwest came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Located in Hammond, IN, Purdue University Northwest is a public institution.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.