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New York University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY.
by our College Data Analytics TeamChoosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 59 programs 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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Explore the leading programs below:
New York University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY.
Hamilton College ranked #2 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Clinton, NY.
Colgate University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Hamilton, NY, Colgate University is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of Rochester landed the #4 spot for Student Athletes. University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY.
Fordham University landed the #5 spot for Student Athletes. Located in Bronx, NY, Fordham University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Vassar College placed #6 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. Based in Poughkeepsie, NY, Vassar College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Union College ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Schenectady, NY.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Troy, NY, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution.
Syracuse University placed #9 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Syracuse, NY.
Skidmore College placed #10 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. Based in Saratoga Springs, NY, Skidmore College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Hofstra University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Hofstra University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hempstead, NY.
Yeshiva University did well this year, earning the #12 position. Based in New York, NY, Yeshiva University is a private not-for-profit institution.
St. John's University-New York ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. St. John's University-New York is a private not-for-profit school based in Queens, NY.
Binghamton University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Binghamton University is a public school based in Vestal, NY.
Marist University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Poughkeepsie, NY.
St Lawrence University placed #16 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit school based in Canton, NY.
Stony Brook University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Stony Brook University is a public school based in Stony Brook, NY.
University at Buffalo came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Based in Buffalo, NY, University at Buffalo is a public institution.
Niagara University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Niagara University, NY.
Clarkson University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Clarkson University is a private not-for-profit school based in Potsdam, NY.
Ithaca College came in at #21 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Ithaca, NY.
St. John Fisher University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Based in Rochester, NY, St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #23 spot this year. Located in New York, NY, Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution.
Adelphi University did well this year, earning the #24 position. Located in Garden City, NY, Adelphi University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Le Moyne College came in at #25 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Syracuse, NY.
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. 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
See our data sources and methodologies.