Elite 50: Ranking the 50 Best Colleges for Athletes
Although many college rankings focus on sports and many more deal with academics, few resources exist for athletes concerned with both. That’s why STACK developed the Elite 50 five years ago. In this year’s edition, you’ll find 50 schools where students excel not only on the playing field, but also in the classroom.
After analyzing thousands of pages of data, from team records to U.S. News & World Reports rankings to Academic Progress Rates, we proudly present the Fifth Annual STACK Elite 50. Check out our Guide to the Elite 50 for more information on our rankings, browse the chart below to find schools that are moving up the list, and dive into our sport-specific rankings at the bottom of the page for the best schools in your sport.
| College | Change in Rank from Last Year | Score | Top-15 Ranked Sports | ’12 U.S. News Rank |
| 1. Stanford | Same | 100 | 17 | 5 |
| 2. Florida | Same | 81.54 | 14 | 58 |
| 3. Texas | Same | 68.88 | 12 | 45 |
| 4. Duke | Up 3 | 62.76 | 15 | 10 |
| 5. North Carolina | Down 1 | 53.69 | 11 | 29 |
| 6. Virginia | Down 1 | 49.79 | 12 | 25 |
| 7. Texas A&M | Down 1 | 46.1 | 10 | 58 |
| 8. UCLA | Down 2 | 41.67 | 11 | 25 |
| 9. Ohio State | Same | 35.76 | 7 | 55 |
| 10. Florida State | Up 2 | 35.65 | 7 | 58 |
| 11. Cal | Up 6 | 32.81 | 9 | 21 |
| 12. Notre Dame | Up 4 | 30.8 | 6 | 19 |
| 13. USC | Down 3 | 29.96 | 10 | 23 |
| 14. Oklahoma | Up 17 | 29.64 | 6 | 101 |
| 15. Alabama | Down 1 | 29.22 | 4 | 75 |
| 16. Oregon | Up 3 | 26.58 | 5 | 101 |
| 17. Michigan | Up 4 | 22.57 | 9 | 28 |
| 18. Washington | Same | 22.15 | 6 | 42 |
| 19. Virginia Tech | Up 9 | 20.78 | 3 | 71 |
| 20. Arizona State | Down 2 | 20.68 | 5 | 132 |
| 21. TCU | Up 15 | 19.2 | 2 | 97 |
| 22. Butler | Up 14 | 18.67 | 2 | 2* |
| 23. Kansas (T) | Up 5 | 18.14 | 1 | 101 |
| 23. UConn (T) | Same | 18.14 | 1 | 58 |
| 25. Syracuse | NR | 17.09 | 4 | 62 |
| 26. LSU | Up 9 | 16.46 | 4 | 128 |
| 27. Penn State | Down 16 | 16.14 | 4 | 45 |
| 28. Baylor | Up 5 | 16.03 | 3 | 75 |
| 29. Georgia | Down 14 | 15.72 | 6 | 62 |
| 30. Wisconsin (T) | Down 4 | 15.4 | 5 | 42 |
| 30. Purdue (T) | NR | 15.4 | 2 | 62 |
| 30. Vanderbilt (T) | NR | 15.4 | 2 | 17 |
| 33. Maryland | Down 9 | 15.3 | 4 | 55 |
| 34. Missouri | NR | 14.45 | 2 | 90 |
| 35. Tennessee | Down 15 | 14.35 | 5 | 101 |
| 36. Georgia Tech | Down 14 | 14.14 | 4 | 36 |
| 37. South Carolina | Same | 12.87 | 1 | 111 |
| 38. Oklahoma State | Up 9 | 11.92 | 3 | 132 |
| 39. Portland | Up 5 | 11.39 | 2 | 9* |
| 40. Pitt | Up 6 | 10.76 | 1 | 58 |
| 41. Minnesota | Up 3 | 10.34 | 6 | 68 |
| 42. Akron | Up 7 | 10.23 | 1 | NR |
| 43. Green Bay | NR | 9.7 | 1 | 78* |
| 44. Arizona | NR | 8.76 | 4 | 124 |
| 45. Auburn (T) | NR | 8.65 | 3 | 82 |
| 45. Nebraska (T) | Down 2 | 8.65 | 1 | 101 |
| 45. Wake Forest (T) | Down 5 | 8.65 | 1 | 25 |
| 48. Villanova | Down 14 | 7.91 | 3 | 1* |
| 49. Illinois | NR | 7.81 | 4 | 45 |
| 50. BYU (T) | Down 24 | 7.59 | 1 | 71 |
| 50. Clemson (T) | NR | 7.59 | 1 | 68 |
| 50. Gonzaga (T) | NR | 7.59 | 1 | 3* |
NR: Not ranked in the top 195 of the ’12 U.S. News & World Report Best College Rankings
*Within Regional Universities category
T: Tied
Dropped out: Cornell [25], Miami [28], Michigan State [32], Boise State [36],
Rice [39], Northwestern [41], Cincinnati [41], Boston College [48], Princeton [50]
Sport-Specific College Rankings
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Elite 50: Ranking the 50 Best Colleges for Athletes
Although many college rankings focus on sports and many more deal with academics, few resources exist for athletes concerned with both. That’s why STACK developed the Elite 50 five years ago. In this year’s edition, you’ll find 50 schools where students excel not only on the playing field, but also in the classroom.
After analyzing thousands of pages of data, from team records to U.S. News & World Reports rankings to Academic Progress Rates, we proudly present the Fifth Annual STACK Elite 50. Check out our Guide to the Elite 50 for more information on our rankings, browse the chart below to find schools that are moving up the list, and dive into our sport-specific rankings at the bottom of the page for the best schools in your sport.
| College | Change in Rank from Last Year | Score | Top-15 Ranked Sports | ’12 U.S. News Rank |
| 1. Stanford | Same | 100 | 17 | 5 |
| 2. Florida | Same | 81.54 | 14 | 58 |
| 3. Texas | Same | 68.88 | 12 | 45 |
| 4. Duke | Up 3 | 62.76 | 15 | 10 |
| 5. North Carolina | Down 1 | 53.69 | 11 | 29 |
| 6. Virginia | Down 1 | 49.79 | 12 | 25 |
| 7. Texas A&M | Down 1 | 46.1 | 10 | 58 |
| 8. UCLA | Down 2 | 41.67 | 11 | 25 |
| 9. Ohio State | Same | 35.76 | 7 | 55 |
| 10. Florida State | Up 2 | 35.65 | 7 | 58 |
| 11. Cal | Up 6 | 32.81 | 9 | 21 |
| 12. Notre Dame | Up 4 | 30.8 | 6 | 19 |
| 13. USC | Down 3 | 29.96 | 10 | 23 |
| 14. Oklahoma | Up 17 | 29.64 | 6 | 101 |
| 15. Alabama | Down 1 | 29.22 | 4 | 75 |
| 16. Oregon | Up 3 | 26.58 | 5 | 101 |
| 17. Michigan | Up 4 | 22.57 | 9 | 28 |
| 18. Washington | Same | 22.15 | 6 | 42 |
| 19. Virginia Tech | Up 9 | 20.78 | 3 | 71 |
| 20. Arizona State | Down 2 | 20.68 | 5 | 132 |
| 21. TCU | Up 15 | 19.2 | 2 | 97 |
| 22. Butler | Up 14 | 18.67 | 2 | 2* |
| 23. Kansas (T) | Up 5 | 18.14 | 1 | 101 |
| 23. UConn (T) | Same | 18.14 | 1 | 58 |
| 25. Syracuse | NR | 17.09 | 4 | 62 |
| 26. LSU | Up 9 | 16.46 | 4 | 128 |
| 27. Penn State | Down 16 | 16.14 | 4 | 45 |
| 28. Baylor | Up 5 | 16.03 | 3 | 75 |
| 29. Georgia | Down 14 | 15.72 | 6 | 62 |
| 30. Wisconsin (T) | Down 4 | 15.4 | 5 | 42 |
| 30. Purdue (T) | NR | 15.4 | 2 | 62 |
| 30. Vanderbilt (T) | NR | 15.4 | 2 | 17 |
| 33. Maryland | Down 9 | 15.3 | 4 | 55 |
| 34. Missouri | NR | 14.45 | 2 | 90 |
| 35. Tennessee | Down 15 | 14.35 | 5 | 101 |
| 36. Georgia Tech | Down 14 | 14.14 | 4 | 36 |
| 37. South Carolina | Same | 12.87 | 1 | 111 |
| 38. Oklahoma State | Up 9 | 11.92 | 3 | 132 |
| 39. Portland | Up 5 | 11.39 | 2 | 9* |
| 40. Pitt | Up 6 | 10.76 | 1 | 58 |
| 41. Minnesota | Up 3 | 10.34 | 6 | 68 |
| 42. Akron | Up 7 | 10.23 | 1 | NR |
| 43. Green Bay | NR | 9.7 | 1 | 78* |
| 44. Arizona | NR | 8.76 | 4 | 124 |
| 45. Auburn (T) | NR | 8.65 | 3 | 82 |
| 45. Nebraska (T) | Down 2 | 8.65 | 1 | 101 |
| 45. Wake Forest (T) | Down 5 | 8.65 | 1 | 25 |
| 48. Villanova | Down 14 | 7.91 | 3 | 1* |
| 49. Illinois | NR | 7.81 | 4 | 45 |
| 50. BYU (T) | Down 24 | 7.59 | 1 | 71 |
| 50. Clemson (T) | NR | 7.59 | 1 | 68 |
| 50. Gonzaga (T) | NR | 7.59 | 1 | 3* |
NR: Not ranked in the top 195 of the ’12 U.S. News & World Report Best College Rankings
*Within Regional Universities category
T: Tied
Dropped out: Cornell [25], Miami [28], Michigan State [32], Boise State [36],
Rice [39], Northwestern [41], Cincinnati [41], Boston College [48], Princeton [50]
Sport-Specific College Rankings