by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 13 colleges for Men’s Basketball (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Learn more about these schools below:
No school ranked higher than University of Cincinnati-Main Campus this year for Men's Basketball (Division I). Based in Cincinnati, OH, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, alongside a GSR of 90%. The federal graduation rate stands at 42%. Team revenue averages $770,065 per participant, against $770,065 in expenses. The school awards about $20,882 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Toledo earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Toledo, OH, University of Toledo is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 983, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 47% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $226,226 in revenue per athlete, compared with $226,226 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,660.
Ohio State University-Main Campus ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division I). Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public school based in Columbus, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 978, and a 67% Graduation Success Rate. About 19% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $1,459,690 in revenue per athlete, compared with $822,418 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,151.
University of Dayton earned the #4 place for student athletes. University of Dayton is a private not-for-profit school based in Dayton, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, alongside a GSR of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 23%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,124,142, with expenses of about $604,525 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,913.
Ohio University-Main Campus landed the #5 spot for Men's Basketball (Division I). Located in Athens, OH, Ohio University-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, alongside a GSR of 83%. Its federal graduation rate is 53%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $220,667, compared with $220,667 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $17,284 per athlete.
Xavier University placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division I). Located in Cincinnati, OH, Xavier University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 976, with a Graduation Success Rate of 78%. Its federal graduation rate is 40%. The program generates about $800,847 in revenue per athlete, compared with $587,117 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,280.
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Bowling Green, OH, Bowling Green State University-Main Campus is a public institution. Bowling Green State University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 963, alongside a GSR of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 64%. Team revenue averages $195,124 per participant, compared with $187,600 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,840 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kent State University at Kent did well this year, earning the #8 position. Located in Kent, OH, Kent State University at Kent is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 985, and a 87% Graduation Success Rate. About 44% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $202,405 per participant, compared with $202,405 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,976 per athlete.
Miami University-Oxford placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division I). Located in Oxford, OH, Miami University-Oxford is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 941, alongside a GSR of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 47%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $181,372, with expenses of about $181,372 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,790.
Cleveland State University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Cleveland, OH, Cleveland State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 953, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 21%. The program generates about $190,511 in revenue per athlete, against $184,257 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,645 per athlete.
University of Akron Main Campus did well this year, earning the #11 position. University of Akron Main Campus is a public school based in Akron, OH. The team's NCAA APR score is 984, and a 77% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 20%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $181,025, compared with $181,025 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,189.
Youngstown State University did well this year, earning the #12 position. Based in Youngstown, OH, Youngstown State University is a public institution. Youngstown State University records an NCAA APR of 967, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 31%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $142,865, against $142,865 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,634 per athlete.
Wright State University-Main Campus placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division I). Based in Dayton, OH, Wright State University-Main Campus is a public institution. Wright State University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 960, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 45%. The program generates about $184,522 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $184,522 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,387 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.