Knox College ranked No. 8 for student soccer participation in the state, according to a Galesburg Reporter analysis of college sports participation.
Knox College's soccer program consisted of 68 players in 2016, according to federal athletics data.
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.
In all, there are 3,650 students playing on 77 college and university soccer teams in the state.
College soccer participation rankings
Rank | Institution Name | Soccer Men's Team Participation | Soccer Women's Team Participation | Soccer Total Participation |
1 | Robert Morris University Illinois | 93 | 66 | 159 |
2 | McKendree University | 42 | 43 | 85 |
3 | Olivet Nazarene University | 52 | 28 | 80 |
4 | Illinois Wesleyan University | 40 | 34 | 74 |
5 | Judson University | 49 | 25 | 74 |
6 | Augustana College | 42 | 30 | 72 |
7 | Trinity Christian College | 34 | 37 | 71 |
8 | Knox College | 35 | 33 | 68 |
9 | North Park University | 44 | 24 | 68 |
10 | Eastern Illinois University | 33 | 32 | 65 |
11 | Millikin University | 34 | 28 | 62 |
12 | University of Illinois at Springfield | 38 | 24 | 62 |
13 | Dominican University | 33 | 26 | 59 |
14 | Elmhurst College | 33 | 26 | 59 |
15 | Monmouth College | 31 | 28 | 59 |
16 | University of Chicago | 30 | 28 | 58 |
17 | Wheaton College | 32 | 26 | 58 |
18 | University of Illinois at Chicago | 26 | 31 | 57 |
19 | Western Illinois University | 28 | 29 | 57 |
20 | North Central College | 31 | 25 | 56 |
21 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | 29 | 27 | 56 |
22 | Aurora University | 32 | 23 | 55 |
23 | Northwestern University | 26 | 29 | 55 |
24 | Loyola University Chicago | 27 | 27 | 54 |
25 | Lake Forest College | 28 | 24 | 52 |
26 | Lewis University | 27 | 25 | 52 |
27 | Northern Illinois University | 25 | 27 | 52 |
28 | Quincy University | 30 | 22 | 52 |
29 | Trinity International University-Illinois | 26 | 26 | 52 |
30 | Benedictine University | 28 | 23 | 51 |
31 | Concordia University-Chicago | 24 | 27 | 51 |
32 | Triton College | 32 | 19 | 51 |
33 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 29 | 21 | 50 |
34 | Greenville College | 21 | 28 | 49 |
35 | William Rainey Harper College | 33 | 15 | 48 |
36 | DePaul University | 25 | 22 | 47 |
37 | Saint Xavier University | 23 | 24 | 47 |
38 | University of St Francis | 28 | 19 | 47 |
39 | Lewis and Clark Community College | 27 | 19 | 46 |
40 | Roosevelt University | 28 | 18 | 46 |
41 | Southwestern Illinois College | 25 | 20 | 45 |
42 | College of DuPage | 27 | 17 | 44 |
43 | Blackburn College | 21 | 22 | 43 |
44 | Illinois College | 25 | 18 | 43 |
45 | Moraine Valley Community College | 26 | 17 | 43 |
46 | Morton College | 23 | 20 | 43 |
47 | Waubonsee Community College | 24 | 19 | 43 |
48 | Parkland College | 22 | 20 | 42 |
49 | Rock Valley College | 22 | 20 | 42 |
50 | Rockford University | 25 | 17 | 42 |
51 | Oakton Community College | 25 | 16 | 41 |
52 | Heartland Community College | 20 | 20 | 40 |
53 | Bradley University | 38 | 38 | |
54 | Illinois Central College | 21 | 17 | 38 |
55 | Illinois Valley Community College | 24 | 13 | 37 |
56 | Lincoln College | 21 | 16 | 37 |
57 | City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College | 23 | 13 | 36 |
58 | Joliet Junior College | 17 | 19 | 36 |
59 | South Suburban College | 20 | 16 | 36 |
60 | Prairie State College | 21 | 14 | 35 |
61 | Eureka College | 20 | 14 | 34 |
62 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 34 | 34 | |
63 | College of Lake County | 18 | 15 | 33 |
64 | MacMurray College | 17 | 16 | 33 |
65 | Lincoln Christian University | 20 | 12 | 32 |
66 | Elgin Community College | 18 | 13 | 31 |
67 | Illinois State University | 29 | 29 | |
68 | Chicago State University | 25 | 25 | |
69 | McHenry County College | 23 | 23 | |
70 | Moody Bible Institute | 23 | 23 | |
71 | Kankakee Community College | 22 | 22 | |
72 | Carl Sandburg College | 21 | 21 | |
73 | Lincoln Land Community College | 21 | 21 | |
74 | City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College | 19 | 19 | |
75 | Kaskaskia College | 18 | 18 | |
76 | City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College | 16 | 16 | |
77 | City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College | 16 | 16 |