Olivet Nazarene University ranked No. 7 for student athletic participation in the state, according to a Kankakee Times analysis of college sports participation.
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education collects athletics data annually from all institutions with intercollegiate athletics programs that receive funding through federal financial aid programs. Data for 2016 – the latest year available – includes more than 2,000 schools nationwide.
The number of Olivet Nazarene University students taking part in athletic programs was 569 – 375 men and 194 women – representing the largest contingent of student athletes in Illinois.
In all, there are 23,295 students – 14,354 men and 8.941 women – playing on athletic teams at 97 colleges and universities in the state.
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Colleges with the most student athletes
Rank | School | Division | Total Undergraduates | Male Student Athletes | Female Student Athletes | Total Number of Student Athletes |
1 | Robert Morris University Illinois | NAIA Division II | 2,253 | 665 | 314 | 979 |
2 | Augustana College | NCAA Division III with football | 2,514 | 435 | 227 | 662 |
3 | Benedictine University | NCAA Division III with football | 2,687 | 428 | 217 | 645 |
4 | McKendree University | NCAA Division II with football | 1,820 | 403 | 233 | 636 |
5 | North Central College | NCAA Division III with football | 2,534 | 439 | 190 | 629 |
6 | Aurora University | NCAA Division III with football | 3,302 | 399 | 194 | 593 |
7 | Olivet Nazarene University | NAIA Division II | 3,019 | 375 | 194 | 569 |
8 | Illinois Wesleyan University | NCAA Division III with football | 1,760 | 333 | 206 | 539 |
9 | Northwestern University | NCAA Division I-FBS | 8,249 | 235 | 243 | 478 |
10 | University of Chicago | NCAA Division III with football | 5,956 | 320 | 154 | 474 |
11 | Elmhurst College | NCAA Division III with football | 2,682 | 327 | 143 | 470 |
12 | Monmouth College | NCAA Division III with football | 1,124 | 294 | 173 | 467 |
13 | Millikin University | NCAA Division III with football | 1,796 | 309 | 156 | 465 |
14 | Wheaton College | NCAA Division III with football | 2,400 | 298 | 166 | 464 |
15 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | NCAA Division I-FBS | 32,126 | 269 | 185 | 454 |
16 | Eastern Illinois University | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,117 | 270 | 164 | 434 |
17 | University of St Francis | NAIA Division II | 1,320 | 266 | 167 | 433 |
18 | Quincy University | NCAA Division II with football | 1,035 | 294 | 126 | 420 |
19 | Illinois State University | NCAA Division I-FCS | 17,420 | 230 | 189 | 419 |
20 | Northern Illinois University | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,323 | 242 | 161 | 403 |
21 | Western Illinois University | NCAA Division I-FCS | 7,482 | 241 | 155 | 396 |
22 | North Park University | NCAA Division III with football | 1,884 | 248 | 138 | 386 |
23 | Illinois College | NCAA Division III with football | 949 | 250 | 121 | 371 |
24 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | NCAA Division I-FCS | 10,509 | 227 | 138 | 365 |
25 | Greenville College | NCAA Division III with football | 913 | 240 | 122 | 362 |
26 | Lake Forest College | NCAA Division III with football | 1,502 | 207 | 147 | 354 |
27 | Lewis University | NCAA Division II without football | 3,741 | 196 | 155 | 351 |
28 | University of Illinois at Chicago | NCAA Division I without football | 16,408 | 169 | 163 | 332 |
29 | Concordia University-Chicago | NCAA Division III with football | 1,355 | 201 | 121 | 322 |
30 | Knox College | NCAA Division III with football | 1,325 | 178 | 134 | 312 |
31 | Judson University | NAIA Division I | 786 | 174 | 128 | 302 |
32 | Saint Xavier University | NAIA Division II | 2,599 | 201 | 91 | 292 |
33 | College of DuPage | NJCAA Division III | 6,335 | 204 | 65 | 269 |
34 | MacMurray College | NCAA Division III with football | 531 | 185 | 81 | 266 |
35 | Rockford University | NCAA Division III with football | 909 | 183 | 60 | 243 |
36 | University of Illinois at Springfield | NCAA Division II without football | 1,896 | 127 | 115 | 242 |
37 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | NCAA Division I without football | 9,883 | 138 | 102 | 240 |
38 | Trinity Christian College | NAIA Division II | 903 | 131 | 106 | 237 |
39 | Lincoln College | NJCAA Division III | 727 | 137 | 95 | 232 |
40 | Bradley University | NCAA Division I without football | 4,278 | 126 | 101 | 227 |
41 | Dominican University | NCAA Division III without football | 2,101 | 126 | 98 | 224 |
42 | Loyola University Chicago | NCAA Division I without football | 10,261 | 109 | 114 | 223 |
43 | Trinity International University-Illinois | NAIA Division I | 631 | 152 | 70 | 222 |
44 | Eureka College | NCAA Division III with football | 644 | 155 | 60 | 215 |
45 | DePaul University | NCAA Division I without football | 13,126 | 99 | 113 | 212 |
46 | Illinois Institute of Technology | NCAA Division III without football | 2,709 | 120 | 75 | 195 |
47 | Triton College | Other | 3,107 | 119 | 75 | 194 |
48 | William Rainey Harper College | NJCAA Division III | 4,331 | 119 | 66 | 185 |
49 | Roosevelt University | NAIA Division II | 2,250 | 89 | 82 | 171 |
50 | Moraine Valley Community College | NJCAA Division II | 6,186 | 87 | 83 | 170 |
51 | Blackburn College | NCAA Division III without football | 569 | 80 | 76 | 156 |
52 | Parkland College | NJCAA Division II | 2,978 | 83 | 69 | 152 |
53 | Illinois Central College | NJCAA Division II | 3,082 | 87 | 63 | 150 |
54 | Waubonsee Community College | NJCAA Division II | 3,101 | 78 | 69 | 147 |
55 | Lewis and Clark Community College | NJCAA Division I | 1,731 | 82 | 64 | 146 |
56 | Oakton Community College | NJCAA Division II | 2,596 | 98 | 42 | 140 |
57 | Joliet Junior College | NJCAA Division III | 4,988 | 69 | 68 | 137 |
58 | Southwestern Illinois College | NJCAA Division I | 3,860 | 73 | 63 | 136 |
59 | Kaskaskia College | NJCAA Division I | 1,233 | 64 | 68 | 132 |
60 | South Suburban College | NJCAA Division II | 1,328 | 73 | 59 | 132 |
61 | Chicago State University | NCAA Division I without football | 1,464 | 55 | 75 | 130 |
62 | Illinois Valley Community College | NJCAA Division II | 1,256 | 73 | 53 | 126 |
63 | Rock Valley College | NJCAA Division III | 2,999 | 61 | 65 | 126 |
64 | Carl Sandburg College | NJCAA Division II | 929 | 73 | 52 | 125 |
65 | College of Lake County | NJCAA Division II | 3,808 | 83 | 42 | 125 |
66 | Morton College | NJCAA Division II | 1,253 | 67 | 57 | 124 |
67 | McHenry County College | NJCAA Division II | 1,944 | 73 | 42 | 115 |
68 | Rend Lake College | NJCAA Division I | 1,135 | 53 | 58 | 111 |
69 | Elgin Community College | NJCAA Division III | 3,008 | 73 | 33 | 106 |
70 | Lincoln Land Community College | NJCAA Division II | 2,269 | 59 | 47 | 106 |
71 | Lincoln Trail College | NJCAA Division I | 386 | 59 | 46 | 105 |
72 | Prairie State College | NJCAA Division II | 1,400 | 60 | 45 | 105 |
73 | John A Logan College | NJCAA Division I | 1,899 | 56 | 46 | 102 |
74 | Kankakee Community College | NJCAA Division II | 1,064 | 62 | 39 | 101 |
75 | Heartland Community College | NJCAA Division II | 2,107 | 57 | 42 | 99 |
76 | Highland Community College | NJCAA Division I | 823 | 55 | 44 | 99 |
77 | Sauk Valley Community College | NJCAA Division I | 792 | 45 | 47 | 92 |
78 | Black Hawk College | NJCAA Division II | 1,909 | 56 | 34 | 90 |
79 | Olney Central College | NJCAA Division I | 479 | 57 | 33 | 90 |
80 | Lake Land College | NJCAA Division I | 2,261 | 40 | 49 | 89 |
81 | Wabash Valley College | NJCAA Division I | 464 | 52 | 35 | 87 |
82 | Danville Area Community College | NJCAA Division II | 973 | 46 | 31 | 77 |
83 | Shawnee Community College | NJCAA Division I | 739 | 35 | 35 | 70 |
84 | Southeastern Illinois College | NJCAA Division I | 457 | 43 | 27 | 70 |
85 | Governors State University | NAIA Division II | 1,923 | 28 | 39 | 67 |
86 | John Wood Community College | NJCAA Division II | 965 | 39 | 27 | 66 |
87 | Lincoln Christian University | NAIA Division II | 357 | 36 | 28 | 64 |
88 | Moody Bible Institute | NCCAA Division II | 2,275 | 33 | 30 | 63 |
89 | City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College | NJCAA Division I | 2,420 | 35 | 24 | 59 |
90 | Frontier Community College | NJCAA Division I | 257 | 26 | 27 | 53 |
91 | City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College | NJCAA Division I | 1,599 | 39 | 13 | 52 |
92 | Kishwaukee College | NJCAA Division II | 1,570 | 37 | 13 | 50 |
93 | Spoon River College | NJCAA Division II | 727 | 27 | 16 | 43 |
94 | City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College | NJCAA Division I | 1,570 | 30 | 11 | 41 |
95 | City Colleges of Chicago-Olive-Harvey College | NJCAA Division II | 781 | 29 | 7 | 36 |
96 | City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College | NJCAA Division I | 1,901 | 34 | 34 | |
97 | City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College | NJCAA Division II | 3,149 | 12 | 12 | 24 |