by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 68 colleges for Men’s Baseball in Plains States 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Our analysis found Washington University in St Louis to be the best college for Men's Baseball in Plains States in the The Plains States Region. Based in St. Louis, MO, Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,316, compared with $11,335 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is one of the top schools for Men's Baseball in Plains States, at #2. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public school based in Minneapolis, MN. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 76%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,112, compared with $71,877 spent per athlete. The school awards about $27,174 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Dakota State University-Main Campus ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball in Plains States. North Dakota State University-Main Campus is a public school based in Fargo, ND. The team's NCAA APR score is 998, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. About 81% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $33,108 per participant, compared with $33,108 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,886.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Baseball in Plains States. This public school is set in Lincoln, NE. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 62%. The program generates about $42,741 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $124,196 per participant. Athletic aid averages $16,793 per athlete.
Southeast Missouri State University is one of the top schools for Men's Baseball in Plains States, at #5. Southeast Missouri State University is a public school based in Cape Girardeau, MO. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,231, compared with $27,231 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,582 in athletic aid per athlete.
Macalester College ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Baseball in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Paul, MN. Team revenue averages $9,784 per participant, with expenses of about $9,101 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rockhurst University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Rockhurst University is a private not-for-profit school based in Kansas City, MO. Team revenue averages $13,818 per participant, compared with $13,818 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $8,130 per athlete.
Maryville University of Saint Louis ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Baseball in Plains States. Based in Saint Louis, MO, Maryville University of Saint Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $17,257 in revenue per athlete, compared with $14,869 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,338 per athlete.
Grinnell College placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Grinnell, IA. Team revenue averages $6,407 per participant, with expenses of about $6,407 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Missouri-Columbia came in at #10 in this year's ranking. University of Missouri-Columbia is a public school based in Columbia, MO. The team's NCAA APR score is 988, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 32%. The program generates about $93,714 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $93,714 per participant. Athletic aid averages $16,637 per athlete.
Carleton College came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Based in Northfield, MN, Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $3,649 per participant, compared with $3,649 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Olaf College did well this year, earning the #12 position. Based in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,408, with expenses of about $6,842 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Creighton University landed the #13 spot this year. Located in Omaha, NE, Creighton University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 981, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 48%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $41,422, with expenses of about $73,081 per participant. Athletic aid averages $17,224 per athlete.
Saint Louis University placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball in Plains States. Based in Saint Louis, MO, Saint Louis University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 973, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. Its federal graduation rate is 46%. The program generates about $50,623 in revenue per athlete, compared with $50,623 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,446 per athlete.
Wichita State University did well this year, earning the #15 position. This public school is set in Wichita, KS. Wichita State University records an NCAA APR of 986, alongside a GSR of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 39%. The program generates about $64,384 in revenue per athlete, compared with $64,384 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,114 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Kansas landed the #16 spot this year. Based in Lawrence, KS, University of Kansas is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 978, alongside a GSR of 87%. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $56,905 in revenue per athlete, against $116,131 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,506.
Missouri University of Science and Technology came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public school based in Rolla, MO. Team revenue averages $16,061 per participant, with expenses of about $13,303 per participant. The school awards about $5,772 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Nebraska at Omaha did well this year, earning the #18 position. University of Nebraska at Omaha is a public school based in Omaha, NE. The team's NCAA APR score is 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. About 40% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $8,772 per participant, against $27,538 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,713.
Gustavus Adolphus College placed #19 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Peter, MN. Team revenue averages $4,534 per participant, against $4,534 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Iowa did well this year, earning the #20 position. University of Iowa is a public school based in Iowa City, IA. The team's NCAA APR score is 981, and a 87% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 57%. The program generates about $13,776 in revenue per athlete, against $74,422 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $21,176 per athlete.
University of Mary placed #21 among the best colleges for Men's Baseball in Plains States. Based in Bismarck, ND, University of Mary is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,396 per participant, against $8,396 in expenses. The school awards about $6,321 in athletic aid per athlete.
Luther College came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Located in Decorah, IA, Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,374 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,300 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Based in Winona, MN, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,132 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,132 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Drury University landed the #24 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Springfield, MO. The program generates about $17,080 in revenue per athlete, against $17,080 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,859 per athlete.
Missouri State University-Springfield came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Springfield, MO, Missouri State University-Springfield is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 983, with a Graduation Success Rate of 84%. Its federal graduation rate is 48%. Team revenue averages $60,536 per participant, with expenses of about $60,536 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,364.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
