by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 5 colleges for Men’s Basketball (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual scores each program on 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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Explore the leading programs below:
University of Washington-Seattle Campus earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division I). This public school is set in Seattle, WA. University of Washington-Seattle Campus records an NCAA APR of 976, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. The program generates about $841,053 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $732,830 per participant. The school awards about $26,539 in athletic aid per athlete.
Seattle University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division I). Seattle University is a private not-for-profit school based in Seattle, WA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Team revenue averages $210,985 per participant, with expenses of about $210,985 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,482.
Gonzaga University landed the #3 spot for Men's Basketball (Division I). Located in Spokane, WA, Gonzaga University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, and a 86% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 40%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,026,871, with expenses of about $715,193 per participant. The school awards about $14,963 in athletic aid per athlete.
Washington State University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball (Division I), at #4. This public school is set in Pullman, WA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 984, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 40%. The program generates about $474,313 in revenue per athlete, against $309,716 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $20,338 per athlete.
Eastern Washington University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball (Division I), at #5. Eastern Washington University is a public school based in Cheney, WA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 980, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. Team revenue averages $139,593 per participant, with expenses of about $139,593 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,120 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
See our data sources and methodologies.