by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 9 colleges for Men’s Basketball (Division I) 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Jump to the options below.
Learn more about these schools below:
No school ranked higher than Boston College this year for Men's Basketball (Division I). Boston College is a private not-for-profit school based in Chestnut Hill, MA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 89%. The federal graduation rate stands at 29%. The program generates about $664,754 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $720,369 per participant. The school awards about $29,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
Boston University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball (Division I), at #2. Boston University is a private not-for-profit school based in Boston, MA. Boston University records an NCAA APR of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 85%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $214,024, with expenses of about $214,024 per participant. The school awards about $27,954 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northeastern University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division I). Located in Boston, MA, Northeastern University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $284,724 per participant, against $284,724 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,558.
College of the Holy Cross came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division I). Based in Worcester, MA, College of the Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit institution. College of the Holy Cross records an NCAA APR of 978, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $174,981 per participant, against $174,981 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,801 per athlete.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division I). This public school is set in Amherst, MA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 967, alongside a GSR of 82%. The federal graduation rate stands at 36%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $365,968, compared with $365,968 spent per athlete. The school awards about $17,175 in athletic aid per athlete.
Merrimack College landed the #6 spot this year. Based in North Andover, MA, Merrimack College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 80%. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. Team revenue averages $135,845 per participant, against $135,845 in expenses. The school awards about $20,394 in athletic aid per athlete.
Harvard University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cambridge, MA. Harvard University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $110,773, against $110,773 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Stonehill College placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division I). Based in Easton, MA, Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 962, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 78% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $112,472 in revenue per athlete, against $112,472 in expenses. The school awards about $14,278 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Massachusetts-Lowell ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division I). Located in Lowell, MA, University of Massachusetts-Lowell is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 947, alongside a GSR of 86%. Its federal graduation rate is 29%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $156,203, compared with $156,203 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,361 per athlete.
*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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.