Dordt University is the top-ranked Christian college in Iowa for student athletes in 2025 Niche Best Colleges ranking

Dordt University is the best Christian college in Iowa for student athletes, according to a 2025 Niche Best Colleges ranking.

The 2025 Best Colleges for Student Athletes in Iowa ranking includes “top-ranked colleges [that] have both elite academic programs and competitive sports programs that support student athletes on and off the field.”

This aligns well with the Defender Way, where “competitive sports programs and academic development are two tenants,” says Dr. Darin Keizer, director of athletics at Dordt.

The Defender Way summarizes Dordt athletics’ commitment and approach to competitive athletics:

• We are committed to the Great Commission and Cultural Mandate.
• We are committed to equipping student-athletes to be servant leaders.
• We are committed to the academic development of all student-athletes.
• We are committed to the pursuit of championships.

Dordt’s athletics program wants to pursue success, but “not while sacrificing the development of leaders, academics, or principles,” adds Keizer. For example, Defender athletics had a combined 3.52 GPA by the end of the 2023-24 academic year, which is “a reflection of the level and type of student our coaches and admissions teams are recruiting.”

“Our coaching staff walks alongside student-athletes to help them excel in every avenue of their lives,” he explains. “Our athletes experience great support from Dordt professors; not only will they be supported in the classroom, but they also see their professors at their games and competitions.”

Gathering statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and reviews, the Best Colleges for Student Athletes in Iowa ranking considers academic factors such as quality of professors and athletic factors like the number of national championships won. Colleges and universities like Grinnell College, University of Iowa, and Drake University are also included on the list. Ranked sixth overall, Dordt is the top faith-based institution included on the list.

“To be in the same category as some of these high-level institutions is gratifying for our athletic department and coaches, it is a true compliment to the hard work our coaches have put in over the years” says Keizer. “More people are realizing what we have known for years: Dordt is a special place, and we do things differently here. With more success in our athletics programs, more attention is drawn to what we are doing and how we are doing it.”

About Dordt University

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.