Start your board
Rankings›Where the most students are athletes
Athletic departments

Where the most students are athletes

Varsity athletes as a share of the undergraduate body — the small Division III colleges where a third of campus is on a team.

Build a target list
All divisionsDivision IDivision IIDivision III
81.3%
#1 · Wheeling University
Division II · Mountain East Conference · Wheeling, WV
11.2%
Median
of 1,060 schools, all divisions
7.3×
Top vs median
how far the leader sits above the middle
66.4%
10th place
the cut for a top-ten list

Top 15

  1. 1Wheeling UniversityDivision II · Mountain East Conference · Wheeling, WV81.3%
  2. 2Erskine CollegeDivision II · Conference Carolinas · Due West, SC80.8%
  3. 3Emmanuel University (Georgia)Division II · Conference Carolinas · Franklin Springs, GA79.3%
  4. 4Chowan UniversityDivision II · Conference Carolinas · Murfreesboro, NC71.5%
  5. 5Brevard CollegeDivision III · USA South Athletic Conference · Brevard, NC70.9%
  6. 6Pfeiffer UniversityDivision III · USA South Athletic Conference · Misenheimer, NC70.2%
  7. 7Lyon CollegeDivision III · St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference · Batesville, AR67.6%
  8. 8Bethany College (West Virginia)Division III · Presidents' Athletic Conference · Bethany, WV67.1%
  9. 9Southern Virginia UniversityDivision III · USA South Athletic Conference · Buena Vista, VA66.7%
  10. 10William Jewell CollegeDivision II · Great Lakes Valley Conference · Liberty, MO66.4%
  11. 11Quincy UniversityDivision II · Great Lakes Valley Conference · Quincy, IL65.8%
  12. 12McKendree UniversityDivision II · Great Lakes Valley Conference · Lebanon, IL65.7%
  13. 13Lake Erie CollegeDivision II · Great Midwest Athletic Conference · Painesville, OH65.5%
  14. 14Huntingdon CollegeDivision III · Collegiate Conference of the South · Montgomery, AL65.0%
  15. 15Westminster College (Missouri)Division III · St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference · Fulton, MO64.4%

Every school, all divisions

0.0%81.3%
#1 · Wheeling Universityevery school

The spread across 1,060 schools; the median is 11.2%.

How it is measured

Schools with at least 500 undergraduates; athlete counts over fall undergraduates.

Related

Most athletesMost teamsWomen head coachesCoaching depth

The full list · top 100

#SchoolAthletes as a share of undergraduatesAthletesUndergradsSetting
1Wheeling University
Division II · Mountain East Conference · Wheeling, WV
81.3%478588City
2Erskine College
Division II · Conference Carolinas · Due West, SC
80.8%690854Rural
3Emmanuel University (Georgia)
Division II · Conference Carolinas · Franklin Springs, GA
79.3%683861Rural
4Chowan University
Division II · Conference Carolinas · Murfreesboro, NC
71.5%456638Rural
5Brevard College
Division III · USA South Athletic Conference · Brevard, NC
70.9%542764Town
6Pfeiffer University
Division III · USA South Athletic Conference · Misenheimer, NC
70.2%459654Rural
7Lyon College
Division III · St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference · Batesville, AR
67.6%395584Town
8Bethany College (West Virginia)
Division III · Presidents' Athletic Conference · Bethany, WV
67.1%433645Rural
9Southern Virginia University
Division III · USA South Athletic Conference · Buena Vista, VA
66.7%645967Town
10William Jewell College
Division II · Great Lakes Valley Conference · Liberty, MO
66.4%576868Suburb
11Quincy University
Division II · Great Lakes Valley Conference · Quincy, IL
65.8%7431,130Town
12McKendree University
Division II · Great Lakes Valley Conference · Lebanon, IL
65.7%1,0551,605Suburb
13Lake Erie College
Division II · Great Midwest Athletic Conference · Painesville, OH
65.5%487744Suburb
14Huntingdon College
Division III · Collegiate Conference of the South · Montgomery, AL
65.0%563866City
15Westminster College (Missouri)
Division III · St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference · Fulton, MO
64.4%382593Town
16The University of Olivet
Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association · Olivet, MI
63.8%598938Rural
17Belmont Abbey College
Division II · Conference Carolinas · Belmont, NC
61.8%9571,549Suburb
18Bluffton University
Division III · Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference · Bluffton, OH
61.8%372602Rural
19Millsaps College
Division III · Southern Athletic Association · Jackson, MS
61.5%358582City
20Barton College
Division II · Conference Carolinas · Wilson, NC
61.0%7091,163Town
21Heidelberg University
Division III · Ohio Athletic Conference · Tiffin, OH
60.9%551905Town
22University of Jamestown
Division II · Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference · Jamestown, ND
60.8%586964Town
23Mars Hill University
Division II · South Atlantic Conference · Mars Hill, NC
60.5%6061,002Rural
24Simpson College
Division III · American Rivers Conference · Indianola, IA
59.9%6831,140Town
25Alma College
Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association · Alma, MI
59.6%7361,235Town
26Davis & Elkins College
Division II · Mountain East Conference · Elkins, WV
59.2%404683Town
27Wartburg College
Division III · American Rivers Conference · Waverly, IA
59.0%8581,454Town
28Central College (Iowa)
Division III · American Rivers Conference · Pella, IA
57.4%6291,095Town
29Centenary College (Louisiana)
Division III · Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference · Shreveport, LA
57.3%355620City
30Newberry College
Division II · South Atlantic Conference · Newberry, SC
57.3%8381,462Town
31LaGrange College
Division III · Collegiate Conference of the South · LaGrange, GA
57.0%332582Town
32Elmira College
Division III · Empire 8 · Elmira, NY
56.8%348613City
33Catawba College
Division II · South Atlantic Conference · Salisbury, NC
56.5%6521,153Suburb
34Ferrum College
Division II · Conference Carolinas · Ferrum, VA
56.2%420747Rural
35Greenville University
Division III · St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference · Greenville, IL
56.2%509905Town
36West Virginia Wesleyan College
Division II · Mountain East Conference · Buckhannon, WV
55.2%518938Town
37Franklin Pierce University
Division II · Northeast 10 Conference · Rindge, NH
55.1%5831,058Rural
38Eureka College
Division III · St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference · Eureka, IL
55.0%290527Town
39Tusculum University
Division II · South Atlantic Conference · Greeneville, TN
54.7%5591,022Town
40Presbyterian College
Division I · Big South Conference · Clinton, SC
54.0%488903Town
41Washington and Jefferson College
Division III · Presidents' Athletic Conference · Washington, PA
53.7%6241,162Suburb
42Loras College
Division III · American Rivers Conference · Dubuque, IA
52.9%5981,130City
43Ripon College
Division III · Midwest Conference · Ripon, WI
52.2%383734Town
44Monmouth College (Illinois)
Division III · Midwest Conference · Monmouth, IL
50.6%368727Town
45Adrian College
Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association · Adrian, MI
50.4%8461,678Town
46Emory & Henry University
Division II · South Atlantic Conference · Emory, VA
50.3%5571,107Rural
47Westminster College (Pennsylvania)
Division III · Presidents' Athletic Conference · New Wilmington, PA
50.2%5801,155Rural
48Wittenberg University
Division III · North Coast Athletic Conference · Springfield, OH
49.8%6411,288City
49Hanover College
Division III · Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference · Hanover, IN
49.2%473962Town
50Centre College
Division III · Southern Athletic Association · Danville, KY
48.4%6561,356Town
51Nichols College
Division III · Conference of New England · Dudley, MA
48.4%5571,152Suburb
52Lenoir-Rhyne University
Division II · South Atlantic Conference · Hickory, NC
47.7%7051,477City
53Franklin College
Division III · Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference · Franklin, IN
47.6%434911Suburb
54Allen University
Division II · Southern Intercol. Ath. Conf. · Columbia, SC
46.9%298635City
55Lees-McRae College
Division II · Conference Carolinas · Banner Elk, NC
46.9%384818Rural
56Walsh University
Division II · Great Midwest Athletic Conference · North Canton, OH
46.9%6671,423Suburb
57Albion College
Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association · Albion, MI
46.7%6321,354Town
58U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Division III · Skyline Conference · Kings Point, NY
45.9%435947Suburb
59Thiel College
Division III · Presidents' Athletic Conference · Greenville, PA
45.5%373819Town
60American International College
Division II · Northeast 10 Conference · Springfield, MA
45.4%6041,331City
61Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Division III · Liberty League · Geneva, NY
45.4%7341,618Town
62Howard Payne University
Division III · American Southwest Conference · Brownwood, TX
45.3%348768Town
63Ursinus College
Division III · Centennial Conference · Collegeville, PA
44.9%6701,492Suburb
64Wisconsin Lutheran College
Division III · Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference · Milwaukee, WI
44.8%4571,021City
65Greensboro College
Division III · USA South Athletic Conference · Greensboro, NC
44.7%362809City
66Ohio Dominican University
Division II · Great Midwest Athletic Conference · Columbus, OH
44.7%400894City
67Hiram College
Division III · Presidents' Athletic Conference · Hiram, OH
44.4%436983Rural
68Marietta College
Division III · Ohio Athletic Conference · Marietta, OH
44.2%4801,085Town
69Coe College
Division III · American Rivers Conference · Cedar Rapids, IA
44.1%5641,278City
70Saint Vincent College
Division III · Presidents' Athletic Conference · Latrobe, PA
44.1%5651,280Suburb
71Wagner College
Division I · Northeast Conference · Staten Island, NY
44.1%7021,592City
72Gustavus Adolphus College
Division III · Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference · Saint Peter, MN
44.0%8591,952Town
73Illinois College
Division III · Midwest Conference · Jacksonville, IL
43.9%420956Town
74Converse University
Division II · Conference Carolinas · Spartanburg, SC
43.4%370852City
75Kentucky Wesleyan College
Division II · Great Midwest Athletic Conference · Owensboro, KY
43.4%362834City
76Wilmington College (Ohio)
Division III · Ohio Athletic Conference · Wilmington, OH
43.4%401924Town
77Malone University
Division II · Great Midwest Athletic Conference · Canton, OH
43.3%427987City
78University of Mount Union
Division III · Ohio Athletic Conference · Alliance, OH
43.3%8341,927Town
79Assumption University
Division II · Northeast 10 Conference · Worcester, MA
43.1%7281,688City
80Adams State University
Division II · Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference · Alamosa, CO
42.6%6711,576Town
81Hendrix College
Division III · Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference · Conway, AR
42.1%4621,098City
82Washington College (Maryland)
Division III · Centennial Conference · Chestertown, MD
42.0%385916Town
83Hardin-Simmons University
Division III · American Southwest Conference · Abilene, TX
41.7%5351,283City
84Averett University
Division III · Old Dominion Athletic Conf. · Danville, VA
41.4%4891,180Town
85Bates College
Division III · New England Small College Athletic Conference · Lewiston, ME
41.4%7251,753City
86Queens University of Charlotte
Division I · Atlantic Sun Conference · Charlotte, NC
41.2%5651,373City
87Manchester University
Division III · Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference · North Manchester, IN
40.9%374915Town
88Earlham College
Division III · Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference · Richmond, IN
40.6%258635Town
89Ohio Wesleyan University
Division III · North Coast Athletic Conference · Delaware, OH
40.6%5901,452Suburb
90Illinois Wesleyan University
Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin · Bloomington, IL
40.5%6381,576City
91Methodist University
Division III · USA South Athletic Conference · Fayetteville, NC
40.5%5821,436City
92Transylvania University
Division III · Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference · Lexington, KY
40.5%4141,022City
93University of Dubuque
Division III · American Rivers Conference · Dubuque, IA
40.4%5961,477City
94Juniata College
Division III · Landmark Conference · Huntingdon, PA
40.2%4871,212Town
95King University
Division II · Conference Carolinas · Bristol, TN
40.1%4311,076City
96Southern Nazarene University
Division II · Great American Conference · Bethany, OK
39.9%5851,465Suburb
97Texas Lutheran University
Division III · Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference · Seguin, TX
39.8%5141,290Town
98Menlo College
Division II · California Collegiate Athletic Association · Atherton, CA
39.6%329831Suburb
99Bridgewater College (Virginia)
Division III · Old Dominion Athletic Conf. · Bridgewater, VA
39.3%5461,391Suburb
100DePauw University
Division III · North Coast Athletic Conference · Greencastle, IN
39.1%7111,819Town
Put any of these schools on a target list and email their coaching staffs from Gmail.Start your board