2026 Best Colleges for Student Athletes in New Hampshire

For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 10 schools for Student Athletes by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.

So you can compare your options, 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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Top 10 Colleges for Student Athletes

Explore the leading programs below:

1

Saint Anselm College
Manchester, NH

79% Academic Quality Percentile

Saint Anselm College earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes. Located in Manchester, NH, Saint Anselm College is a private not-for-profit institution.

2

University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
Durham, NH

86% Academic Quality Percentile

University of New Hampshire-Main Campus is one of the top schools for Student Athletes, at #2. Located in Durham, NH, University of New Hampshire-Main Campus is a public institution.

3

Rivier University
Nashua, NH

82% Academic Quality Percentile

Rivier University landed the #3 spot for Student Athletes. Based in Nashua, NH, Rivier University is a private not-for-profit institution.

4

Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH

94% Academic Quality Percentile

Dartmouth College earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Hanover, NH, Dartmouth College is a private not-for-profit institution.

5

Colby-Sawyer College
New London, NH

74% Academic Quality Percentile

Colby-Sawyer College landed the #5 spot for Student Athletes. Colby-Sawyer College is a private not-for-profit school based in New London, NH.

6

Keene State College
Keene, NH

77% Academic Quality Percentile

Keene State College did well this year, earning the #6 position. This public school is set in Keene, NH.

7

Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH

86% Academic Quality Percentile

Southern New Hampshire University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Manchester, NH, Southern New Hampshire University is a private not-for-profit institution.

8

Franklin Pierce University
Rindge, NH

78% Academic Quality Percentile

Franklin Pierce University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Rindge, NH, Franklin Pierce University is a private not-for-profit institution.

9

Plymouth State University
Plymouth, NH

77% Academic Quality Percentile

Plymouth State University placed #9 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. Plymouth State University is a public school based in Plymouth, NH.

10

New England College
Henniker, NH

72% Academic Quality Percentile

New England College landed the #10 spot this year. Located in Henniker, NH, New England College is a private not-for-profit institution.

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Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.

This list is compiled 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

• NCAA Academic Progress Rate & Graduation Success Rate — National Collegiate Athletic Association (athlete academic outcomes).
• Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) — U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education (team participation, revenue, expenses, and aid).
• Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) — National Center for Education Statistics (institutional data).

See our data sources and methodologies.