Athletic

Avoiding the freshman fifteen can come down to joining an official school team, or even just a club sport. Newsweek ranks the best schools for the sporty set.

Methodology: In ranking the best colleges for athletes, Newsweek Daily Beast took into account four metrics, equally weighted, with the most recent (2009-2010) data from the US Department of education, covering each school’s financial commitment to athletics including all types of athletes officially affiliated with the school. The data points: financial aid per athlete, athletes as a percentage of total undergraduate enrollment, operating expenses per athlete, and the ratio of athletic expenses to instructional expense.