2021 Top Men's D1 Basketball Schools
324
Colleges
$46,354
Avg Tuition & Fees*
70%
Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
With all of the options student athletes have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for Division I Men's Basketball ranking is part of that endeavor.
Our analysis looked at 324 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for D1 Men's Basketball athletes. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as the athletic competitiveness of the school and the school's overall quality. This means that a school must provide students with a great education in addition to having a good sports team if it wants to rank well.
Get more details on our ranking methodology.
Custom Rankings
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.
We've created a tool called
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Top Colleges in the U.S. for D1 Men's Basketball athletes
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our analysis found Duke University to be the best school for D1 Men’s Basketball athletes in this year’s ranking. Durham, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,319 students in 2020-2021.
Duke brought in $33,382,946 while tallying up $19,949,246 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Basketball team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $13,433,700 for the sports team. The academic progress rate of the team is 958.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full sports report on Duke University
The excellent sports programs at Northwestern University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 Men’s Basketball athletes. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 2,722 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at Northwestern took home $9,116,097 in revenue. Sports aren’t the only thing that the team excels at - they had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Northwestern University Sports Report
The excellent sports programs at University of Kentucky helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 Men’s Basketball athletes. Located in Lexington, Kentucky, the large public school handed out 5,377 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UK brought in $29,307,070 while tallying up $18,347,857 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Basketball team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $10,959,213 for the sports team. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 994.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Full University of Kentucky Sports Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Kansas. It ranked #4 on our 2021 Best Colleges for D1 Men’s Basketball athletes list. KU is a public institution located in Lawrence, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,600 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The D1 Men’s Basketball team at KU made $16,454,643 in revenue, while incurring $10,968,619 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $5,486,024, which isn’t bad at all. The great academic progress rate of 984 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full sports report on University of Kansas
The excellent sports programs at University of Louisville helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 Men’s Basketball athletes. UofL is a public institution located in Louisville, Kentucky. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3,083 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UofL brought in $40,684,042 while tallying up $19,847,347 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Basketball team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $20,836,695. The great academic progress rate of 994 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Full University of Louisville Sports Report
Villanova University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball list. Located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,251 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The D1 Men’s Basketball team at Villanova made $17,156,399 in revenue, while incurring $13,021,970 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $4,134,429, which isn’t bad at all. With a perfect academic progress rate of 1000, the team is showing that they know how to hit the books, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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With a ranking of #7, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,365 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at Vanderbilt took home $14,072,415 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 989.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full sports report on Vanderbilt University
Southern Methodist University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. SMU is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2,105 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at SMU made $7,373,594 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 975.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball list. UNC Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6,496 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The team at UNC Chapel Hill took home $26,230,915 in revenue and paid out $9,156,512 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $17,074,403 for the sports team. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 971.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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University of Arizona did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Tucson, Arizona, the large public school awarded 8,117 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
University of Arizona brought in $16,890,955 while tallying up $10,371,308 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Basketball team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $6,519,647. The great academic progress rate of 980 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Full University of Arizona Sports Report
University of Miami came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. Coral Gables, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 3,348 students in 2020-2021.
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at U Miami took home $9,209,237 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full sports report on University of Miami
Baylor University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. Located in Waco, Texas, the large private not-for-profit school handed out 3,730 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at Baylor made $9,790,607 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 972.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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Gonzaga University landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. Gonzaga University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Spokane, Washington that handed out 1,435 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The team at Gonzaga took home $14,153,038 in revenue and paid out $9,888,823 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $4,264,215, which isn’t bad at all. The team has a great academic progress rate of 990, signifying that team members care about their grades.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
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With a ranking of #14, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large public school handed out 10,102 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at UCLA made $11,036,275 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 945.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read full sports report on University of California - Los Angeles
Syracuse University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #15. Syracuse, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 4,193 students in 2020-2021.
The team at Syracuse took home $22,665,104 in revenue and paid out $13,981,273 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $8,683,831, which isn’t bad at all. The academic progress rate of the team is 970.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Full Syracuse University Sports Report
University of Florida landed the #16 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. UF is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 9,775 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UF brought in $11,061,415 while tallying up $9,443,199 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Basketball team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $1,618,216 in profit. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 968.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #17 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the large public school handed out 9,144 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The D1 Men’s Basketball team at U-M made $17,759,785 in revenue, while incurring $7,469,435 in expenses. That boils down to a yearly profit of $10,290,350 for the sports team.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read full sports report on University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
University of Notre Dame ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball list. Notre Dame, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,848 students in 2020-2021.
The D1 Men’s Basketball team at Notre Dame brought home $3,926,701 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 989 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of Notre Dame Sports Report
With a ranking of #19, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. This large public school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 8,338 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Purdue brought in $15,155,248 while tallying up $8,286,755 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Basketball team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $6,868,493 for the sports team.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 9,926 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The team at UW - Madison took home $19,453,045 in revenue and paid out $8,584,987 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $10,868,058 for the sports team. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 990.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Sports Report
University of Southern California came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 5,745 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at USC took home $6,540,372 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 967.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
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Rice University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Houston, Texas, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1,364 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at Rice took home $3,277,980 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 959.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
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With a ranking of #23, Wake Forest University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. Wake Forest University is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,472 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Basketball team at Wake Forest University took home $9,062,420 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 959.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Full Wake Forest University Sports Report
Michigan State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball list. Michigan State is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 9,450 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Michigan State brought in $20,211,332 while tallying up $12,177,385 in expenses for its D1 Men’s Basketball team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $8,033,947. The great academic progress rate of 995 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full sports report on Michigan State University
Florida State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Basketball ranking. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, the large public school handed out 9,735 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The D1 Men’s Basketball team at Florida State made $13,061,863 in revenue, while incurring $10,502,886 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $2,558,977 in profit. The academic progress rate of the team is 920.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
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