Best colleges for NCAA Division I athletes
Colleges that compete in NCAA Division I athletics, ranked by Compass Score.
Best colleges for NCAA Division I athletes367 schools
367 schools qualify, ranked by the Compass Score. The top 25 are shown.
How this list is made
- Accredited four-year undergraduate colleges.
- Competes in NCAA Division I (the school's athletics association, from federal and association data).
- Each school needs a complete Compass Score, so every row shows a rating.
- Ordered by Compass Score, highest first. Schools with the same score share a rank.
Updated Oct. 20, 2026. Methodology. Spot an error? Send a correction.
- 1
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor Roll#1 in New Jersey
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 98% graduate
- 2
Stanford University
Stanford, CA · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 92% graduate
- 3
Rice University
Houston, TX · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in Texas
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 95% graduate
- 4
Yale University
New Haven, CT · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor Roll#1 in Connecticut
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 96% graduate
- 5Tie
Brown University
Providence, RI · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor Roll#1 in Rhode Island
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 96% graduate
- 5Tie
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 98% graduate
- 7
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in Tennessee
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 94% graduate
- 8
Duke University
Durham, NC · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in North Carolina
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 97% graduate
- 9
United States Military Academy
West Point, NY · PublicHonor Roll#1 in New York
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 87% graduate
- 10
United States Air Force Academy
USAF Academy, CO · PublicHonor Roll#1 in Colorado
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 88% graduate
- 11
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor Roll#2 in New York
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 95% graduate
- 12
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor RollTop 1% for earnings
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 97% graduate
- 13
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 95% graduate
- 14
United States Naval Academy
Annapolis, MD · PublicHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 93% graduate
- 15Tie
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor RollTop 2% for graduation
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 96% graduate
- 15Tie
Davidson College
Davidson, NC · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 91% graduate
- 17
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH · Private nonprofitIvy LeagueHonor Roll#1 in New Hampshire
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 96% graduate
- 18Tie
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC · PublicHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 91% graduate
- 18Tie
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN · Private nonprofitHonor Roll#1 in Indiana
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 95% graduate
- 20
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 91% graduate
- 21
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI · PublicHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 93% graduate
- 22Tie
University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA · PublicHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 93% graduate
- 22Tie
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 92% graduate
- 24
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA · PublicHonor RollTop 2% for earnings
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 94% graduate
- 25
Barnard College
New York, NY · Private nonprofitHonor RollExceptional: Compass grade A+
- NCAA Division I athletics
- 93% graduate
Compare cost and outcomes
| School | Net price a year | Median debt | Earnings 10 years out | Graduation rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton University | $6,128 | $10,320 | $110,066 | 98% |
| Stanford University | $13,807 | $12,000 | $124,080 | 92% |
| Rice University | $13,370 | $11,000 | $89,718 | 95% |
| Yale University | $23,777 | $12,975 | $100,533 | 96% |
| Brown University | $25,184 | $11,428 | $93,487 | 96% |
| Harvard University | $19,066 | $14,000 | $101,817 | 98% |
| Vanderbilt University | $15,846 | $14,000 | $91,565 | 94% |
| Duke University | $29,612 | $13,000 | $97,800 | 97% |
| United States Military Academy | — | — | — | 87% |
| United States Air Force Academy | — | — | — | 88% |
| Cornell University | $28,690 | $14,000 | $104,043 | 95% |
| University of Pennsylvania | $28,699 | $15,715 | $111,371 | 97% |
| Northwestern University | $29,167 | $15,000 | $89,363 | 95% |
| United States Naval Academy | — | — | — | 93% |
| Columbia University in the City of New York | $21,590 | $21,500 | $102,491 | 96% |
| Davidson College | $17,379 | $18,688 | $81,400 | 91% |
| Dartmouth College | $29,519 | $17,500 | $97,434 | 96% |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | $11,655 | $14,000 | $72,200 | 91% |
| University of Notre Dame | $26,780 | $19,000 | $99,980 | 95% |
| Colgate University | $28,786 | $15,000 | $85,139 | 91% |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | $13,138 | $19,500 | $83,648 | 93% |
| University of California-Berkeley | $13,481 | $13,000 | $92,446 | 93% |
| University of Southern California | $32,740 | $18,000 | $92,498 | 92% |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | $12,116 | $21,672 | $102,772 | 94% |
| Barnard College | $28,800 | $18,000 | $80,516 | 93% |
Net price is the average yearly cost after grants. Federal data (College Scorecard). “—” means the school reports no figure.
By state
- Alabama 10
- Arizona 5
- Arkansas 5
- California 26
- Colorado 5
- Connecticut 6
- District of Columbia 4
- Florida 14
- Georgia 6
- Idaho 3
- Illinois 13
- Indiana 11
- Iowa 4
- Kansas 3
- Kentucky 8
- Louisiana 12
- Maryland 9
- Massachusetts 9
- Michigan 7
- Mississippi 6
- Missouri 6
- Nebraska 3
- New Jersey 8
- New York 23
- North Carolina 19
- Ohio 13
- Oklahoma 4
- Oregon 4
- Pennsylvania 15
- Rhode Island 4
- South Carolina 12
- Tennessee 12
- Texas 26
- Utah 7
- Virginia 14
- Washington 5
- Wisconsin 4