by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 13 programs for Men’s Basketball (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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:
Northwestern University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division I). Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Evanston, IL. Northwestern University records an NCAA APR of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. Team revenue averages $1,030,850 per participant, against $1,052,062 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53,919.
Bradley University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division I). Based in Peoria, IL, Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $241,882 per participant, with expenses of about $241,882 per participant. The school awards about $16,583 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola University Chicago landed the #3 spot for Men's Basketball (Division I). Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL. Loyola University Chicago records an NCAA APR of 977, alongside a GSR of 90%. About 36% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $413,017 in revenue per athlete, against $413,017 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $23,325 per athlete.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division I). Based in Champaign, IL, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public institution. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign records an NCAA APR of 962, and a 55% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 13%. Team revenue averages $2,483,174 per participant, compared with $1,468,998 spent per athlete. The school awards about $25,398 in athletic aid per athlete.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale earned the #5 place for student athletes. Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is a public school based in Carbondale, IL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $214,905, compared with $214,905 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,525 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois State University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Normal, IL, Illinois State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 984, alongside a GSR of 88%. About 45% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $211,145 per participant, with expenses of about $211,145 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,477.
University of Illinois Chicago ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division I). Located in Chicago, IL, University of Illinois Chicago is a public institution. University of Illinois Chicago records an NCAA APR of 956, and a 82% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 44%. The program generates about $267,364 in revenue per athlete, against $267,364 in expenses. The school awards about $15,167 in athletic aid per athlete.
DePaul University did well this year, earning the #8 position. Based in Chicago, IL, DePaul University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 931, with a Graduation Success Rate of 60%. The federal graduation rate stands at 27%. Team revenue averages $910,467 per participant, compared with $910,467 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $23,928 per athlete.
Northern Illinois University landed the #9 spot this year. Northern Illinois University is a public school based in Dekalb, IL. Northern Illinois University records an NCAA APR of 978, alongside a GSR of 71%. Its federal graduation rate is 20%. Team revenue averages $205,970 per participant, against $205,382 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $16,138 per athlete.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did well this year, earning the #10 position. Located in Edwardsville, IL, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 973, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. About 44% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $113,204, compared with $113,204 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,334 in athletic aid per athlete.
Western Illinois University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Located in Macomb, IL, Western Illinois University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 944, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 70%. Team revenue averages $98,267 per participant, compared with $98,267 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $10,303 per athlete.
Eastern Illinois University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division I). Based in Charleston, IL, Eastern Illinois University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 955, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. About 40% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $99,448, against $99,448 in expenses. The school awards about $7,653 in athletic aid per athlete.
Chicago State University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division I). Located in Chicago, IL, Chicago State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 909, with a Graduation Success Rate of 59%. The federal graduation rate stands at 33%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $71,366, against $71,366 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,877 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.