by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 20 schools for Men’s Baseball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
No school ranked higher than Belmont University this year for Men's Baseball. Belmont University is a private not-for-profit school based in Nashville, TN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 81% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $45,170 per participant, against $45,170 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,742.
Vanderbilt University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. Based in Nashville, TN, Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 39%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $219,459, against $219,459 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $42,235 per athlete.
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville earned the #3 place for student athletes. The University of Tennessee-Knoxville is a public school based in Knoxville, TN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 26%. The program generates about $186,665 in revenue per athlete, compared with $208,105 spent per athlete. The school awards about $29,054 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rhodes College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Baseball. Located in Memphis, TN, Rhodes College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,084 per participant, with expenses of about $12,084 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Union University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Union University is a private not-for-profit school based in Jackson, TN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,308, compared with $18,299 spent per athlete. The school awards about $17,895 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Memphis landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Memphis, TN, University of Memphis is a public institution. University of Memphis records an NCAA APR of 989, alongside a GSR of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 61%. The program generates about $56,641 in revenue per athlete, against $56,641 in expenses. The school awards about $16,106 in athletic aid per athlete.
Tennessee Technological University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Cookeville, TN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 985, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 59%. The program generates about $27,834 in revenue per athlete, compared with $27,834 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,453 in athletic aid per athlete.
Middle Tennessee State University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Murfreesboro, TN. The team's NCAA APR score is 975, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 61%. Team revenue averages $32,739 per participant, against $32,739 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,110.
Lipscomb University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Lipscomb University is a private not-for-profit school based in Nashville, TN. Lipscomb University records an NCAA APR of 976, and a 86% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 42%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,364, compared with $48,364 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $18,176 per athlete.
East Tennessee State University did well this year, earning the #10 position. East Tennessee State University is a public school based in Johnson City, TN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, alongside a GSR of 83%. Its federal graduation rate is 65%. The program generates about $99,401 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $99,401 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,444 per athlete.
Lee University landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Cleveland, TN, Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $16,824 in revenue per athlete, against $16,824 in expenses. The school awards about $8,272 in athletic aid per athlete.
Austin Peay State University did well this year, earning the #12 position. Based in Clarksville, TN, Austin Peay State University is a public institution. Austin Peay State University records an NCAA APR of 984, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 57%. Team revenue averages $42,794 per participant, with expenses of about $42,794 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,483 per athlete.
Lincoln Memorial University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Lincoln Memorial University is a private not-for-profit school based in Harrogate, TN. Team revenue averages $17,583 per participant, compared with $17,911 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,449 in athletic aid per athlete.
Trevecca Nazarene University did well this year, earning the #14 position. Trevecca Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit school based in Nashville, TN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,891, with expenses of about $16,891 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,766.
Christian Brothers University placed #15 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. Based in Memphis, TN, Christian Brothers University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,187, compared with $14,163 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,833.
Carson-Newman University placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Jefferson City, TN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,392, compared with $11,392 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $10,904 per athlete.
The University of Tennessee-Martin landed the #17 spot this year. This public school is set in Martin, TN. The team's NCAA APR score is 967, and a 79% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 37%. Team revenue averages $27,973 per participant, with expenses of about $27,679 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,021.
King University did well this year, earning the #18 position. Based in Bristol, TN, King University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,806 per participant, with expenses of about $6,672 per participant. The school awards about $7,932 in athletic aid per athlete.
Tusculum University placed #19 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. Tusculum University is a private not-for-profit school based in Greeneville, TN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,833, against $9,867 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,457.
Lane College placed #20 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Jackson, TN. Team revenue averages $9,109 per participant, against $9,109 in expenses. The school awards about $3,306 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on 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.