by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 51 schools for Men’s Baseball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual evaluates each program using a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and aid per athlete from the EADA survey), and overall school quality, drawing on NCAA, U.S. Department of Education EADA, and IPEDS data. Learn more about our ranking methodology.
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Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is Stanford University, our #1 college for Men's Baseball. Located in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 96%. Team revenue averages $114,322 per participant, compared with $114,322 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $42,012.
University of California-Los Angeles earned the #2 place for student athletes. University of California-Los Angeles is a public school based in Los Angeles, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 983, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. Team revenue averages $129,983 per participant, against $129,983 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $24,306 per athlete.
University of Southern California earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Los Angeles, CA, University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution. University of Southern California records an NCAA APR of 973, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 63%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $147,464, with expenses of about $147,464 per participant. Athletic aid averages $40,006 per athlete.
University of San Francisco earned the #4 place for student athletes. University of San Francisco is a private not-for-profit school based in San Francisco, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 986, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 45% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $51,945 in revenue per athlete, compared with $51,945 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $31,788.
Loyola Marymount University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Baseball. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Loyola Marymount University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 962, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $63,599, against $63,599 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $40,056.
Pepperdine University placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit school based in Malibu, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 977, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. About 68% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $71,324, with expenses of about $71,324 per participant. Athletic aid averages $27,861 per athlete.
California Institute of Technology placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. Based in Pasadena, CA, California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,965 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,965 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of California-San Diego did well this year, earning the #8 position. University of California-San Diego is a public school based in La Jolla, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 987, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 79%. Team revenue averages $52,161 per participant, compared with $52,161 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,847.
Chapman University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in Orange, CA, Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $12,156 in revenue per athlete, against $12,156 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Point Loma Nazarene University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Point Loma Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit school based in San Diego, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $33,538, with expenses of about $33,538 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,927.
University of California-Davis placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. University of California-Davis is a public school based in Davis, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 982, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. The program generates about $35,932 in revenue per athlete, compared with $35,932 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,267.
University of California-Irvine placed #12 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. Located in Irvine, CA, University of California-Irvine is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 975, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $57,962, compared with $57,962 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,955.
Occidental College placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Occidental College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,228, compared with $6,395 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of California-Berkeley placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. Located in Berkeley, CA, University of California-Berkeley is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 980, alongside a GSR of 87%. About 43% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,032, compared with $59,782 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $21,267 per athlete.
University of the Pacific came in at #15 in this year's ranking. University of the Pacific is a private not-for-profit school based in Stockton, CA. University of the Pacific records an NCAA APR of 979, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. The program generates about $49,747 in revenue per athlete, against $49,747 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,596.
University of San Diego ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Men's Baseball. University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit school based in San Diego, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 977, alongside a GSR of 87%. About 35% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $73,280 per participant, with expenses of about $73,280 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,537 per athlete.
Santa Clara University landed the #17 spot this year. Based in Santa Clara, CA, Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 985, alongside a GSR of 67%. The federal graduation rate stands at 32%. The program generates about $56,067 in revenue per athlete, against $56,067 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,355 per athlete.
University of California-Santa Barbara came in at #18 in this year's ranking. University of California-Santa Barbara is a public school based in Santa Barbara, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 82%. Its federal graduation rate is 45%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $66,067, with expenses of about $66,067 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,355.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo did well this year, earning the #19 position. This public school is set in San Luis Obispo, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, alongside a GSR of 82%. The federal graduation rate stands at 55%. Team revenue averages $49,083 per participant, against $49,083 in expenses. The school awards about $10,344 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Mary's College of California placed #20 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Moraga, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 957, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 63%. Team revenue averages $65,457 per participant, with expenses of about $65,457 per participant. The school awards about $18,999 in athletic aid per athlete.
California Baptist University did well this year, earning the #21 position. California Baptist University is a private not-for-profit school based in Riverside, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 979, and a 78% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 52%. Team revenue averages $77,553 per participant, with expenses of about $71,340 per participant. The school awards about $23,790 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Fresno landed the #22 spot this year. California State University-Fresno is a public school based in Fresno, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 979, alongside a GSR of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $60,062, against $60,062 in expenses. The school awards about $15,577 in athletic aid per athlete.
California Lutheran University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Based in Thousand Oaks, CA, California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,607 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,607 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Biola University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in La Mirada, CA, Biola University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,033, with expenses of about $18,441 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,338.
San Diego State University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in San Diego, CA, San Diego State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 960, with a Graduation Success Rate of 76%. The federal graduation rate stands at 45%. Team revenue averages $83,534 per participant, compared with $76,280 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,450.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and athletic aid from the federal EADA survey), and overall school quality. The current methodology measures academic-athletic quality and does not include team win/loss performance.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
