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Washington University in St Louis earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes in Plains States. Located in St. Louis, MO, Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution.
by our College Data Analytics TeamFor student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 79 colleges for Student Athletes in Plains States by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Washington University in St Louis earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Student Athletes in Plains States. Located in St. Louis, MO, Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution.
Carleton College ranked #2 among the best colleges for Student Athletes in Plains States. Located in Northfield, MN, Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Macalester College is one of the top schools for Student Athletes in Plains States, at #3. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Paul, MN.
Rockhurst University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Student Athletes in Plains States. Based in Kansas City, MO, Rockhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Grinnell College landed the #5 spot for Student Athletes in Plains States. Grinnell College is a private not-for-profit school based in Grinnell, IA.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities did well this year, earning the #6 position. This public school is set in Minneapolis, MN.
Maryville University of Saint Louis placed #7 among the best colleges for Student Athletes in Plains States. Based in Saint Louis, MO, Maryville University of Saint Louis is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of Missouri-Columbia landed the #8 spot this year. University of Missouri-Columbia is a public school based in Columbia, MO.
St Olaf College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes in Plains States. Based in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Saint Louis University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in Saint Louis, MO, Saint Louis University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Iowa State University did well this year, earning the #11 position. This public school is set in Ames, IA.
Kansas State University placed #12 among the best colleges for Student Athletes in Plains States. This public school is set in Manhattan, KS.
Creighton University landed the #13 spot this year. Creighton University is a private not-for-profit school based in Omaha, NE.
Gustavus Adolphus College ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes in Plains States. Based in Saint Peter, MN, Gustavus Adolphus College is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of Kansas landed the #15 spot this year. Based in Lawrence, KS, University of Kansas is a public institution.
University of Iowa landed the #16 spot this year. This public school is set in Iowa City, IA.
Luther College came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Decorah, IA.
University of North Dakota landed the #18 spot this year. University of North Dakota is a public school based in Grand Forks, ND.
University of Mary landed the #19 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bismarck, ND.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln did well this year, earning the #20 position. University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a public school based in Lincoln, NE.
Drake University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Based in Des Moines, IA, Drake University is a private not-for-profit institution.
North Dakota State University-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #22 position. Located in Fargo, ND, North Dakota State University-Main Campus is a public institution.
Wichita State University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Located in Wichita, KS, Wichita State University is a public institution.
Missouri University of Science and Technology did well this year, earning the #24 position. Located in Rolla, MO, Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public institution.
Cornell College came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Mount Vernon, IA, Cornell College is a private not-for-profit institution.
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.
