Forbes.com recently released its “America’s Top 25 Colleges for 2016” and an impressive 20 of the 25 colleges included have NCAA field hockey programs. The Forbes.com website is focused on the theme of wealth- how it is created, how it is managed, and how it can be enjoyed. Their Top 25 Rankings weigh heavily on that theme.
Of the 20 total field hockey colleges included in the rankings, 12 are Division I programs and 8 are Division III programs. As you might assume, the Ivy League is very well represented (7 colleges), as is the NESCAC (5 colleges). Stanford University took the #1 Ranking spot.
The following are the 20 field hockey colleges ranked by Forbes. We also included the field hockey basics for each, including NCAA Division, Conference, 2015 final record and ranking (either NCAA RPI Ranking for Division I or FieldHockeyCorner Ranking for Division III). These 20 colleges had an overall record of 198-160 (55% Wins), 13 colleges had winning records, and 4 were ranked in the Top 10 in the nation.
Forbes America’s Top 25 Colleges of 2016
1) Stanford University (Stanford, CA)
FH: Division I – America East Conference
2015: 13-7 Final Record, NCAA RPI Ranking: #14
2) Williams College (Williamstown, MA)
FH: Division III – NESCAC
2015: 10-6 Final Record, FHC Ranking: #16
3) Princeton University (Princeton, NJ)
FH: Division I – Ivy League
2015: 11-7 Final Record, NCAA RPI Ranking: #7
4) Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)
FH: Division I – Ivy League
2015: 9-8 Final Record, NCAA RPI Ranking: #39
5) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
FH: Division III – NEWMAC
2015: 9-6 Final Record, FHC Ranking: #54
6) Yale University (New Haven, CT)
FH: Division I – Ivy League
2015: 3-14 Final Record, NCAA RPI Ranking: #54
8) Brown University (Providence, RI)
FH: Division I – Ivy League
2015: 7-10 Final Record, NCAA RPI Ranking: #58
9) Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT)
FH: Division III – NESCAC
2015: 4-11 Final Record, FHC Ranking: #64
10) Swarthmore College (Swarthmore, PA)
FH: Division III – Centennial Conference
2015: 6-12 Final Record, FHC Ranking: #102
11) University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
FH: Division I – Ivy League
2015: 13-3 Final Record, FHC Ranking: #21
12) Amherst College (Amherst, MA)
FH: Division III – NESCAC
2015: 12-5 Final Record, FHC Ranking: #8
15) Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)
FH: Division I – BIG Ten
2015: 13-8 Final Record, NCAA RPI Ranking: #23
16) Columbia University (New York, NY)
FH: Division I – Ivy League
2015: 9-8 Final Record, NCAA RPI Ranking: #41
17) Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH)
FH: Division I – Ivy League
2015: 7-10 Final Record, NCAA RPI Ranking: #57
18) Tufts University (Medford, MA)
FH: Division III – NESCAC
2015: 11-6 Final Record, FHC Ranking: #10
19) Bowdoin College (Brunswick, ME)
FH: Division III – NESCAC
2015: 21-1 Final Record, FHC Ranking: #2
21) Georgetown University (Washington, DC)
FH: Division I – Big East Conference
2015: 8-11 Final Record, NCAA RPI Ranking: #65
22) Boston College (Boston, MA)
FH: Division I – ACC
2015: 13-9 Final Record, NCAA RPI Ranking: #6
23) Haverford College (Haverford, PA)
FH: Division III – Centennial Conference
2015: 11-7 Final Record, FHC Ranking: #26
25) Davidson College (Davidson, NC)
FH: Division I – Atlantic-10 Conference
2015: 8-11 Final Record, NCAA RPI Ranking: #49
Forbes description of their rankings:
“Like every college ranking, this list cannot quantify the mystery of picking a school: how it connects to a student’s heart and ambitions. But what it does do is speak directly to those footing a six-figure higher ed bill and looking for a consumer guide to the ROI of every college. In the last four decades tuition and fees have risen 270% at public schools and 204% at their private counterparts. For those footing a higher ed bill stretching as high as $250,000, the only question is: Is my college worth the investment?”
