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No school ranked higher than Johns Hopkins University this year for Student Athletes. Based in Baltimore, MD, Johns Hopkins University 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 183 colleges for Student Athletes by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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No school ranked higher than Johns Hopkins University this year for Student Athletes. Based in Baltimore, MD, Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution.
New York University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in New York, NY, New York University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Carnegie Mellon University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Located in Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Swarthmore College earned the #4 place for student athletes. Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit school based in Swarthmore, PA.
Hamilton College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes. Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Clinton, NY.
Stevens Institute of Technology came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hoboken, NJ.
Georgetown University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Washington, DC, Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of Rochester came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY.
Villanova University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in Villanova, PA, Villanova University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Haverford College landed the #10 spot this year. Based in Haverford, PA, Haverford College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Based in Troy, NY, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution.
The College of New Jersey came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Based in Ewing, NJ, The College of New Jersey is a public institution.
Franklin and Marshall College ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Located in Lancaster, PA, Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Union College landed the #14 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Schenectady, NY.
George Washington University landed the #15 spot this year. Based in Washington, DC, George Washington University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Vassar College landed the #16 spot this year. Vassar College is a private not-for-profit school based in Poughkeepsie, NY.
Colgate University did well this year, earning the #17 position. Colgate University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hamilton, NY.
Fordham University landed the #18 spot this year. Based in Bronx, NY, Fordham University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Lafayette College landed the #19 spot this year. Lafayette College is a private not-for-profit school based in Easton, PA.
Gettysburg College did well this year, earning the #20 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Gettysburg, PA.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus came in at #21 in this year's ranking. University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus is a public school based in Pittsburgh, PA.
Skidmore College landed the #22 spot this year. Located in Saratoga Springs, NY, Skidmore College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Lehigh University did well this year, earning the #23 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bethlehem, PA.
Temple University ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Temple University is a public institution.
Syracuse University placed #25 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit school based in Syracuse, NY.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.