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Our analysis found Macalester College to be the best college for Student Athletes in Minnesota. Located in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College 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 21 colleges 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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Our analysis found Macalester College to be the best college for Student Athletes in Minnesota. Located in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Carleton College came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes. Carleton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Northfield, MN.
University of Minnesota-Duluth is one of the top schools for Student Athletes, at #3. University of Minnesota-Duluth is a public school based in Duluth, MN.
St Olaf College ranked #4 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. Based in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Student Athletes. This public school is set in Minneapolis, MN.
Gustavus Adolphus College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Peter, MN.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in Winona, MN, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is a private not-for-profit institution.
Winona State University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Winona, MN, Winona State University is a public institution.
St Catherine University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Based in Saint Paul, MN, St Catherine University is a private not-for-profit institution.
Martin Luther College landed the #10 spot this year. Located in New Ulm, MN, Martin Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution.
University of Northwestern-St Paul placed #11 among the best colleges for Student Athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Paul, MN.
Bemidji State University landed the #12 spot this year. Bemidji State University is a public school based in Bemidji, MN.
Minnesota State University Moorhead ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Based in Moorhead, MN, Minnesota State University Moorhead is a public institution.
University of Minnesota-Crookston did well this year, earning the #14 position. Located in Crookston, MN, University of Minnesota-Crookston is a public institution.
North Central University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Minneapolis, MN.
University of Minnesota-Morris came in at #16 in this year's ranking. University of Minnesota-Morris is a public school based in Morris, MN.
Saint Cloud State University did well this year, earning the #17 position. This public school is set in Saint Cloud, MN.
Hamline University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. Hamline University is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Paul, MN.
Bethany Lutheran College came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Located in Mankato, MN, Bethany Lutheran College is a private not-for-profit institution.
Southwest Minnesota State University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Student Athletes. This public school is set in Marshall, MN.
Augsburg University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Based in Minneapolis, MN, Augsburg University is a private not-for-profit institution.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.