Johnson County Leads the NJCAA D1 Top 20 in Alumni Placement Score

Johnson County (Region 6) leads all of NJCAA D1 with a 276.3 Raw Alumni Placement Score (APS), the highest of any of the 158 D1 colleges nationally.

The 20 colleges below have a combined 868 alumni currently active on four-year rosters, drawn from the 158 NJCAA D1 colleges nationally, spanning NCAA Division I, II, and III, NAIA, NCCAA, and USCAA programs in 2026. Starting with this leaderboard, this board is ranked by Alumni Placement Score (APS) rather than raw alumni count alone.

McLennan Sets the Efficiency Standard

Iowa Western (Region 11, 241.3 Raw APS) and Wabash Valley (Region 24, 232.3 Raw APS) round out the D1 top three behind Johnson County. McLennan (Region 5) posts the highest Efficiency APS on the board at 4.86, despite ranking just 6th in Raw APS.

NJCAA Top 20 D1 Programs (2026)

Johnson County’s 67-3-0 (.957) record didn’t just top the alumni count — it was also among the group’s best win percentages. Cloud County (Region 6) posted the group’s second-best win percentage at .877.

Reading This Board Alongside the Regional Leaderboards

This board ranks colleges by their national standing within NJCAA D1 — it is not a geographic cross-section, and its regional footprint looks different from the 24 region-by-region leaderboards. 5 of NJCAA’s 24 regions field no D1 programs at all, so they cannot appear on this board regardless of how strong their alumni pipeline is at other levels: Region 3 (Upper New York State), Region 12 (Indiana, Lower Michigan & Ohio), Region 13 (Mon Dak & Minnesota College Athlete Conferences), Region 19 (Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware & New Jersey), and Region 21 (Connecticut, Massachusetts & Rhode Island). Only 11 of NJCAA’s 24 regions are represented in this Top 20 alone. A region missing from this list may still lead the country at another division level — check that region’s own leaderboard for its full college-by-college picture across every division.

How These Rankings Are Calculated

Rankings are based on Alumni Placement Score (APS), which weights each alumnus by the level they’re playing at rather than counting every roster spot the same. Total alumni is highlighted alongside Raw APS in the table. When two or more colleges tie on Raw APS, the higher total alumni count breaks the tie; win percentage is the second-level tiebreaker if Total Alumni is also equal. This board ranks colleges within NJCAA D1 specifically — a college’s NJCAA division reflects its own competitive classification, not the four-year level of its alumni. See the 2026 APS methodology for the formula, weights, and FAQ.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many NJCAA D1 colleges are there nationally?

158 colleges compete at the NJCAA D1 level nationally in 2026, with a combined 4,236 alumni currently active on four-year rosters.

Which NJCAA D1 college has the highest Alumni Placement Score?

Johnson County (Region 6) leads NJCAA D1 with a Raw APS of 276.3, built on 59 alumni currently active on four-year rosters.

Which D1 Top 20 program has the best Efficiency APS?

McLennan (Region 5) posts the highest Efficiency APS on the board at 4.86, despite ranking just 6th in Raw APS.

Which NJCAA D1 program in the Top 20 has the best win percentage?

Johnson County (Region 6) posted the best win percentage among the D1 Top 20 at .957 (67-3-0) in 2026, in addition to leading the group in Raw APS.

Are all 24 NJCAA regions represented in the D1 Top 20?

No. 5 of NJCAA’s 24 regions field no D1 programs at all, so they can’t appear on this board regardless of their alumni totals at other division levels. Only 11 regions are represented in this Top 20.

Explore more NJCAA rankings: All-Regions Summary · Top 25 · D2 Top 20 · D3 Top 10

• Region 1 — Arizona
• Region 2 — Arkansas & Oklahoma
• Region 3 — Upper New York State
• Region 4 — Upper Illinois & Southern Wisconsin
• Region 5 — New Mexico & Western Texas
• Region 6 — Kansas
• Region 7 — Tennessee
• Region 8 — Florida
• Region 9 — Colorado, Nebraska & Wyoming
• Region 10 — NC, SC, VA & South WV
• Region 11 — Iowa & Northeast Nebraska
• Region 12 — Indiana, Lower Michigan & Ohio
• Region 13 — Mon Dak & Minnesota College Athlete Conferences
• Region 14 — Eastern Texas & Southwestern Louisiana
• Region 15 — Lower New York
• Region 16 — Missouri
• Region 17 — Georgia
• Region 18 — Scenic West Athletic Conference
• Region 19 — Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware & New Jersey
• Region 20 — Maryland, Western Pennsylvania & West Virginia Panhandle
• Region 21 — Connecticut, Massachusetts & Rhode Island
• Region 22 — Alabama
• Region 23 — Mississippi & Louisiana
• Region 24 — Illinois

Looking for a different governing body? Browse all JUCO leaderboards — NJCAA, 3C2A, NWAC, and USCAA-2YR.

Insights reflect data available at time of publication and are subject to change.