by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 34 programs for Men’s Baseball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual weighs 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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Duke University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Baseball. Duke University is a private not-for-profit school based in Durham, NC. Duke University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 96%. About 76% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $72,624 in revenue per athlete, against $114,877 in expenses. The school awards about $34,321 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wake Forest University is one of the top schools for Men's Baseball, at #2. Based in Winston-Salem, NC, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 983, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $129,593, compared with $129,593 spent per athlete. The school awards about $38,933 in athletic aid per athlete.
Elon University landed the #3 spot for Men's Baseball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Elon, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 998, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. The program generates about $46,085 in revenue per athlete, against $46,085 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,795.
Davidson College earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Davidson, NC, Davidson College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,459, with expenses of about $37,642 per participant. The school awards about $9,830 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earned the #5 place for student athletes. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public school based in Chapel Hill, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 985, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. About 46% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $82,704 in revenue per athlete, compared with $122,989 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,771.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Raleigh, NC. North Carolina State University at Raleigh records an NCAA APR of 982, alongside a GSR of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 43%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $144,300, compared with $228,135 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,384.
Catawba College placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. Catawba College is a private not-for-profit school based in Salisbury, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,831, compared with $17,089 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,164 in athletic aid per athlete.
East Carolina University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Greenville, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 978, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 54% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $86,741 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $86,446 per participant. The school awards about $12,584 in athletic aid per athlete.
Campbell University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in Buies Creek, NC, Campbell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 979, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 45%. The program generates about $49,823 in revenue per athlete, compared with $49,823 spent per athlete. The school awards about $19,433 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #10 spot this year. This public school is set in Charlotte, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, alongside a GSR of 85%. Its federal graduation rate is 45%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $87,325, with expenses of about $57,213 per participant. The school awards about $11,522 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lenoir-Rhyne University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in Hickory, NC, Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $10,772 per participant, with expenses of about $10,772 per participant. The school awards about $7,094 in athletic aid per athlete.
Appalachian State University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Baseball. This public school is set in Boone, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 982, and a 84% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 48%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $47,695, against $47,695 in expenses. The school awards about $14,299 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wingate University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Men's Baseball. Located in Wingate, NC, Wingate University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $24,485 per participant, with expenses of about $24,194 per participant. The school awards about $6,748 in athletic aid per athlete.
Barton College landed the #14 spot this year. Based in Wilson, NC, Barton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,388 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,388 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,654.
University of North Carolina Wilmington did well this year, earning the #15 position. Based in Wilmington, NC, University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public institution. University of North Carolina Wilmington records an NCAA APR of 983, and a 87% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 57%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $34,233, with expenses of about $34,233 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,667.
University of North Carolina Asheville ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Men's Baseball. This public school is set in Asheville, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, alongside a GSR of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 61%. The program generates about $20,875 in revenue per athlete, compared with $20,875 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,593 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mount Olive came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Mount Olive, NC. The program generates about $13,007 in revenue per athlete, against $12,975 in expenses. The school awards about $7,775 in athletic aid per athlete.
High Point University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Men's Baseball. High Point University is a private not-for-profit school based in High Point, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 973, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 46%. The program generates about $45,389 in revenue per athlete, against $38,022 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $18,469 per athlete.
Gardner-Webb University placed #19 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boiling Springs, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 980, alongside a GSR of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 56%. The program generates about $23,405 in revenue per athlete, compared with $23,405 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,936 in athletic aid per athlete.
Guilford College landed the #20 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Greensboro, NC. The program generates about $3,940 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,299 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Queens University of Charlotte ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Men's Baseball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Charlotte, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 960, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,848, compared with $32,848 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,282.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro did well this year, earning the #22 position. Based in Greensboro, NC, University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 969, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $26,502 per participant, compared with $26,502 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,162 per athlete.
Western Carolina University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Western Carolina University is a public school based in Cullowhee, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 967, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 56%. The program generates about $23,891 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $23,891 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,960 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke placed #24 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. Based in Pembroke, NC, University of North Carolina at Pembroke is a public institution. Team revenue averages $9,258 per participant, against $8,243 in expenses. The school awards about $3,165 in athletic aid per athlete.
Belmont Abbey College placed #25 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. Based in Belmont, NC, Belmont Abbey College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,080 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,080 per participant. Athletic aid averages $2,908 per athlete.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology weighs 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.