A new survey from Athletes.org, an organization that lets college athletes rate their schools, reveals failing marks for big-time sports schools like Stanford and Boston College.
“For years, athletes have been rated, ranked and critiqued publicly in the name of competition,” Athletes.org explains. “Now, we’re enabling athletes to […] rate their schools based on their overall impression in the following categories: Nutrition, Strength and Conditioning, Athletic Training, Athletic Facilities, NIL Support, Academic Support, Career Development, College Experience, and Mental Health Support.”
According to the group, it aims to draw attention to both the schools that are performing well and those that still have space for improvement. It also states that its goal is to assist present and future college athletes, as well as their parents and guardians, in making the best choices for their future.
“These results are intended to give an honest picture of a school’s environment and resources, beyond what is advertised,” Athletes.org states.
While Athletes.org refers to itself as the “players association for college athletes,” it doesn’t have official recognition from the NCAA, nor does it perform the same functions as a union. However, it does have over 5,000 members, so there is at least some validity to its findings.
The top rated and lowest rated college athlete experiences
Right now, only 59 colleges have qualified to be listed in the rankings. Among the bottom 10 schools, as rated by the school’s own athletes, are Seton Hall (3.4 out of 5), Alabama-Birmingham (3.9), Boston College (3.9), Washington (4.0), Stanford (4.0), Syracuse (4.1), Virginia (4.1), and Cal (4.1).
Most of the schools at the bottom of the list had their ratings strongly affected by particularly low scores in NIL Support and Mental Health Support.
At the top of the list with the highest ratings by their own student-athletes are Georgia, Nebraska, Ohio State, Clemson, Florida, Arizona State, Alabama, Oregon, Purdue, and North Carolina. All 10 schools were rated at least 4.6 out of 5 overall.