Niche.com recently released its 2027 ranking of the Top 20 colleges with the best athletics in Ohio, and Ashland University's athletic department is slotted No. 4 overall, and ranked as the best in Ohio in NCAA Division II.
The Ohio State University sits at No. 1 on Niche's list, followed by Mount Union, Cincinnati, and Ashland. The Best College Athletics ranking is based on student reviews and statistics for number of national championships, athletic department revenue, strength of conference, and athletic participation rates.
Ashland's athletics was given a grade of A-minus on Niche's report card.
According to the Niche web site, "With in-depth profiles on every school and college in America, over 140 million reviews and ratings, and powerful search and data tools, Niche helps millions of students and families find and enroll in the right school for them."
In 2025-26, Ashland athletics finished 26
th in the NCAA Division II Learfield Directors' Cup (all-sports) standings, boasted six national champions (four in esports, two individuals in indoor track and field), six College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-Americans, 65 CSC Academic All-District selections and 18 teams reaching their respective national postseasons, and saw every athletic team sport a cumulative grade-point average of higher than 3.0 for six consecutive semesters.
