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No school ranked higher than Duke University this year for Student Athletes. Based in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution.
by our College Data Analytics TeamChoosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 44 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
No school ranked higher than Duke University this year for Student Athletes. Based in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Wake Forest University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes. Located in Winston-Salem, NC, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Elon University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Located in Elon, NC, Elon University is a private not-for-profit institution.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes. Located in Raleigh, NC, North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public institution.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earned the #5 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Chapel Hill, NC.
Davidson College landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Davidson, NC, Davidson College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Catawba College ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Located in Salisbury, NC, Catawba College is a private not-for-profit institution.
High Point University placed #8 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. Located in High Point, NC, High Point University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in Charlotte, NC, Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte is a private not-for-profit institution.
Lenoir-Rhyne University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hickory, NC.
East Carolina University landed the #11 spot this year. Based in Greenville, NC, East Carolina University is a public institution.
Appalachian State University did well this year, earning the #12 position. This public school is set in Boone, NC.
Campbell University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Campbell University is a private not-for-profit school based in Buies Creek, NC.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Located in Charlotte, NC, University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a public institution.
University of North Carolina Wilmington placed #15 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. Based in Wilmington, NC, University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public institution.
Winston-Salem State University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Based in Winston-Salem, NC, Winston-Salem State University is a public institution.
Barton College came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wilson, NC.
Wingate University placed #18 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wingate, NC.
University of Mount Olive did well this year, earning the #19 position. University of Mount Olive is a private not-for-profit school based in Mount Olive, NC.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro came in at #20 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Greensboro, NC.
Queens University of Charlotte came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Located in Charlotte, NC, Queens University of Charlotte is a private not-for-profit institution.
Gardner-Webb University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Located in Boiling Springs, NC, Gardner-Webb University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Guilford College ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Greensboro, NC.
North Carolina Central University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. North Carolina Central University is a public school based in Durham, NC.
Western Carolina University landed the #25 spot this year. Based in Cullowhee, NC, Western Carolina University is a public 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.