This is a list of the NCAA Division I outdoor champions in the 1500 meters or its imperial equivalent mile run. The mile was contested until 1975, while the metric 1500 meters was contested in Olympic years starting in 1932. Metrication occurred in 1976, so all subsequent championships were at the metric distance. Hand timing was used until 1973, while starting in 1974 fully automatic timing was used. The women's race began in 1982.
| Year | Name | Nationality | Team | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 4:17.90 | ||||
| 1983 | 4:14.48 | ||||
| 1984 | 4:14.31 | ||||
| 1985 | 4:12.64 | ||||
| 1986 | 4:17.48 | ||||
| 1987 | 4:09.85 | ||||
| 1988 | 4:13.91 | ||||
| 1989 | 4:15.83 | ||||
| 1990 | 4:08.26 | ||||
| 1991 | 4:11.46 | ||||
| 1992 | 4:16.38 | ||||
| 1993 | 4:20.12 | ||||
| 1994 | 4:17.99 | ||||
| 1995 | 4:14.53 | ||||
| 1996 | 4:17.92 | ||||
| 1997 | 4:12.84 | ||||
| 1998 | 4:16.04 | ||||
| 1999 | 4:21.06 | ||||
| 2000 | 4:13.03 | ||||
| 2001 | 4:14.30 | ||||
| 2002 | 4:12.60 | ||||
| 2003 | 4:06.75 | ||||
| 2004 | 4:11.59 | ||||
| 2005 | 4:11.37 | ||||
| 2006 | 4:14.63 | ||||
| 2007 | 4:09.93 | ||||
| 2008 | 4:06.19 | ||||
| 2009 | 4:13.05 | ||||
| 2010 | 4:15.84 | ||||
| 2011 | 4:14.57 | ||||
| 2012 | 4:13.79 | ||||
| 2013 | Natalja Piliusina | 4:13.25 | |||
| 2014 | 4:18.10 | ||||
| 2015 | 4:09.56 | ||||
| 2016 | 4:09.53 | ||||
| 2017 | 4:13.78 | ||||
| 2018 | 4:08.75 | ||||
| 2019 | 4:05.98 | ||||
| 2021 | Anna Camp | BYU Cougars | 4:08.53 | ||
| 2022 | Sintayehu Vissa | Ole Miss Rebels | 4:09.42 | ||
| 2023 | Maia Ramsden | Harvard Crimson | 4:08.60 | ||
| 2024 | Maia Ramsden | Harvard Crimson | 4:06.62 |
| Year | Name, (Country) | Team | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | Ray Watson | Kansas St | 4:23.4y | |
| 1922 | Lawrence Shields | Penn St | 4:20.4y | |
| 1923 | Schuyler Enck | Penn St | 4:27.4y | |
| 1924 | Not held | |||
| 1925 | Jim Reese | Texas | 4:18.8y | |
| 1926 | Charles Judge | Notre Dame | 4:22.5y | |
| 1927 | Ray Conger | Iowa St | 4:17.6y | |
| 1928 | Rufus Kiser | Washington | 4:17.6y | |
| 1929 | Wilbur Getz | Alfred | 4:19.4y | |
| 1930 | Joseph Sivak | Butler | 4:19.3y | |
| 1931 | Ray Putnam | Iowa St | 4:18.0y | |
| 1932 | Glenn Cunningham | Kansas | 3:53.0 | |
| 1933 | Glenn Cunningham | Kansas | 4:09.8y | |
| 1934 | Bill Bonthron | Princeton | 4:08.9y | |
| 1935 | Archie San Romani | Emporia St | 4:19.1y | |
| 1936 | Archie San Romani | Emporia St | 3:53.0 | |
| 1937 | Charles Fenske | Wisconsin | 4:13.9y | |
| 1938 | Louis Zamperini | Southern Cal | 4:08.3y | |
| 1939 | Louis Zamperini | Southern Cal | 4:13.6y | |
| 1940 | John Munski | Missouri | 4:14.7y | |
| 1941 | Leslie MacMitchell | New York | 4:10.4y | |
| 1942 | Bob Ginn | Nebraska | 4:11.1y | |
| 1943 | Don Burnham | Dartmouth | 4:19.1y | |
| 1944 | Robert Hume | Michigan | 4:16.6y | |
| Ross Hume | Michigan | |||
| 1945 | Ross Hume | Michigan | 4:18.5y | |
| 1946 | Robert Rehberg | Illinois | 4:15.2y | |
| 1947 | Gerry Karver | Penn St | 4:17.2yA | |
| 1948 | Don Gehrmann | Wisconsin | 3:54.3 | |
| 1949 | Don Gehrmann | Wisconsin | 4:09.6y | |
| 1950 | Don Gehrmann | Wisconsin | 4:12.4y | |
| 1951 | Warren Druetzler | Michigan St | 4:08.8y | |
| 1952 | Bob McMillen | Occidental | 3:50.7y | |
| 1953 | Wes Santee | Kansas | 4:03.7y | |
| 1954 | Bill Dellinger | Oregon | 4:13.8y | |
| 1955 | Jim Bailey | Oregon | 4:05.6y | |
| 1956 | Villanova | 3:47.3 | ||
| 1957 | Villanova | 4:06.5y | ||
| 1958 | Villanova | 4:03.5y | ||
| 1959 | Jim Grelle | Oregon | 4:03.9y | |
| 1960 | Dyrol Burleson | Oregon | 3:44.2 | |
| 1961 | Dyrol Burleson | Oregon | 4:00.5y | |
| 1962 | Dyrol Burleson | Oregon | 3:59.8y | |
| 1963 | Morgan Groth | Oregon St | 4:05.3Ay | |
| 1964 | Morgan Groth | Oregon St | 3:40.4 | |
| 1965 | Bob Day | UCLA | 4:01.8y | |
| 1966 | Dave Patrick | Villanova | 4:02.1y | |
| 1967 | Jim Ryun | Kansas | 4:03.5Ay | |
| 1968 | Dave Patrick | Villanova | 3:39.9 | |
| 1969 | Marty Liquori | Villanova | 3:57.7y | |
| 1970 | Marty Liquori | Villanova | 3:59.9y | |
| 1971 | Marty Liquori | Villanova | 3:57.6y | |
| 1972 | Dave Wottle | Bowling Green | 3:39.7 | |
| 1973 | Dave Wottle | Bowling Green | 3:57.1y | |
| 1974 | Paul Cummings | Brigham Y | 4:01.1y | |
| 1975 | Villanova | 4:00.06Ay | ||
| 1976 | Villanova | 3:37.0 | ||
| 1977 | UTEP | 3:39.9 | ||
| 1978 | Steve Scott | UC Irvine | 3:37.6 | |
| 1979 | Don Paige | Villanova | 3:39.2 | |
| 1980 | Villanova | 3:38.6 | ||
| 1981 | Villanova | 3:35.30 | ||
| 1982 | Jim Spivey | Indiana | 3:45.42A | |
| 1983 | Arkansas | 3:40.5 | ||
| 1984 | Oregon | 3:36.5 | ||
| 1985 | George Mason | 3:41.6 | ||
| 1986 | Doug Myers | Oregon | 3:41.7 | |
| 1987 | George Mason | 3:35.79 | ||
| 1988 | Joe Falcon | Arkansas | 3:38.9 | |
| 1989 | Mt. St. Mary's | 3:42.06A | ||
| 1990 | Bob Kennedy | Indiana | 3:40.4 | |
| 1991 | Wash St | 3:39.5 | ||
| 1992 | Steve Holman | Georgetown | 3:38.4 | |
| 1993 | Illinois | 3:38.1 | ||
| 1994 | Arkansas | 3:42.1 | ||
| 1995 | Michigan | 3:37.6 | ||
| 1996 | Illinois | 3:37.6 | ||
| 1997 | Seneca Lassiter | Arkansas | 3:40.2 | |
| 1998 | Seneca Lassiter | Arkansas | 3:42.3 | |
| 1999 | Southern Meth | 3:47.5 | ||
| 2000 | Gabe Jennings | Stanford | 3:37.76 | |
| 2001 | Bryan Berryhill | Colorado St | 3:37.0 | |
| 2002 | Donald Sage | Stanford | 3:42.7 | |
| 2003 | Grant Robison | Stanford | 3:40.4 | |
| 2004 | Arkansas | 3:44.7 | ||
| 2005 | Leonel Manzano | Texas | 3:37.1 | |
| 2006 | South Alabama | 3:44.1 | ||
| 2007 | Lopez Lomong | Northern Arizona | 3:37.07 | |
| 2008 | Leonel Manzano | Texas | 3:41.25 | |
| 2009 | German Fernandez | Oklahoma State | 3:39.00 | |
| 2010 | Andrew Wheating | Oregon | 3:47.94 | |
| 2011 | Matthew Centrowitz | Oregon | 3:42.54 | |
| 2012 | Andrew Bayer | Indiana | 3:43.82 | |
| 2013 | Mac Fleet | Oregon | 3:50.25 | |
| 2014 | Mac Fleet | Oregon | 3:39.09 | |
| 2015 | Chad Noelle | Oklahoma State | 3:54.96 | |
| 2016 | 3:36.38 | |||
| 2017 | 3:43.03 | |||
| 2018 | Wisconsin | 3:44.77 | ||
| 2019 | Notre Dame | 3:41.39 | ||
| 2020 | Not held | - | - | |
| 2021 | Cole Hocker | Oregon | 3:35.35 | |
| 2022 | Joe Waskom | Washington | 3:45.58 | |
| 2023 | Nathan Green | Washington | 3:39.50 |