UCSD athletics placed No. 6 overall — up from last year’s No. 23 ranking — by the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA), finishing behind NCAA Division I No. 5 University of Notre Dame and No. 4 Stanford University.  The university was named the top NCAA Division II institution in the country by the NCSA, in its Collegiate Power Rankings released on Sept. 20.
 
This marks the campus’ seventh year making NCSA’s top 100 campuses. Every university is eligible for the top 100 — the Collegiate Power Rankings are calculated for each university. NCSA takes into account student-athlete graduation rates and academic rankings, provided by the U.S. News & World Report. Strength of athletic departments are taken from the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup rankings.
 
Last year, the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup ranked UCSD as the fifth best overall athletic department out of 300 schools. UCSD first made the top 100 list in 2005, placing No. 26 overall. The university has earned the top position in Division II five years in a row.
 
According to “Survey Ranks UCSD as Top NCAA Division II Program,” published Sept. 20 in the La Jolla Patch, less than six percent of colleges and universities make it to NCSA’s top 100 list.
“We are very pleased to [be] ranked among the top universities in the country,” UCSD Director of Athletics Earl Edwards told La Jolla Patch. “We pride ourselves on excelling both academically and athletically and it’s great to be recognized for our accomplishments in both of those areas. Being ranked as the No. 1 institution in Division II is something we’re extremely proud of, but I feel our overall ranking is even more significant.

NCSA’s annual study is designed to aid student-athletes in the process of selecting a college. UCSD athletics — which moved from Division III to Division II in 2000 — boasts 30 National Championships, just a fraction of 194 total national, regional and conference championships.