Top 10 Best Colleges That Thrive Athletically and Academically

Picking a college is a tough choice. There are many factors to balance, such as the quality of the academics, the price of the university, the social scene, the campus-style, and the athletics. Here we will be taking a look at the schools that excel both academically and athletically and offer the best balance of the two.

How rankings will work

Points will be distributed for four categories: academic ranking, Learfield Directors’ Cup ranking, Best College Reviews ranking and a number of championships since 2010.

For academic ranking based on Forbes.com top colleges, scoring will be:

10 points for top 10 schools, 9 for schools 11-20, 8 for schools 21-30 and the pattern continues until 1 point for schools 91-100 and 0 for schools over 100.

For Learfield Directors’ Cup and Best College Reviews ranking, scoring will be:

5 points for top 5 schools, 4 for school 6-10, 3 for schools 11-15, 2 for schools 16-20, 1 point for schools 21-30, and 0 for schools over 30.

For a number of championships since 2010, scoring will be:

5 points for 20 or more championships, 4 for 15-19 championships, 3 for 10-14 championships, 2 for 5-9 championships and 1 for 0-4 championships.

A college must be ranked in the top 150 on the Fobres.com list in order to be qualified for the top 10.

 

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Honorable Mentions

• University of Texas at Austin, 13 points
• University of Oregon, 11 points (did not qualify)
• University of Maryland, College Park, 9 points
• University of Oklahoma, 9 points

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10. University of Michigan, 15 Points

• Forbes ranking: 20
• Best College Reviews ranking: 24
• Learfield Directors’ Cup ranking: 8
• Number of championships since 2010: 4

Best sports: football, ice hockey, men’s lacrosse, men’s swimming and diving

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9. University of California, Berkeley, 15 Points

• Forbes ranking: 13
• Best College Reviews ranking: 19
• Learfield Directors’ Cup ranking: 16
• Number of championships since 2010: 10

Best sports: men’s swimming and diving, women’s swimming, women’s rowing

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8. University of Virginia, 16 Points

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• Forbes ranking: 33
• Best College Reviews ranking: 20
• Learfield Directors’ Cup ranking: 10
• Number of championships since 2010: 11

Best sports: men’s soccer, men’s basketball, men’s lacrosse

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7. University of Notre Dame, 16 Points

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• Forbes ranking: 18
• Best College Reviews ranking: 17
• Learfield Directors’ Cup ranking: 15
• Number of championships since 2010: 6

Best sports: football, women’s basketball, fencing

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6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 17 Points

• Forbes ranking: 45
• Best College Reviews ranking: 5
• Learfield Directors’ Cup ranking: 7
• Number of championships since 2010: 7

Best sports: men’s basketball, women’s soccer, women’s lacrosse

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5. University of Florida, 18 Points

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• Forbes ranking: 45
• Best College Reviews ranking: 5
• Learfield Directors’ Cup ranking: 7
• Number of championships since 2010: 7

Best sports: women’s tennis, men’s indoor track and field, men’s outdoor track and field

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4. Duke University, 18 Points

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• Forbes ranking: 9
• Best College Reviews ranking: 10
• Learfield Directors’ Cup ranking: 18
• Number of championships since 2010: 7

Best sports: men’s basketball, women’s golf, men’s lacrosse

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3. University of Southern California (USC), 20 Points

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• Forbes ranking: 30
• Best College Reviews ranking: 11
• Learfield Directors’ Cup ranking: 3
• Number of championships since 2010: 18

Best sports: football, baseball, men’s outdoor track and field, men’s water polo

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2. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 20 Points

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• Forbes ranking: 38
• Best College Reviews ranking: 3
• Learfield Directors’ Cup ranking: 4
• Number of championships since 2010: 14

Best sports: men’s tennis, men’s basketball, men’s volleyball, softball, water polo

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1. Stanford University, 25 Points

• Forbes ranking: 2
• Best College Reviews ranking: 2
• Learfield Directors’ Cup ranking: 1
• Number of championships since 2010: 26

Best sports: women’s tennis, men’s tennis, women’s volleyball, women’s swimming