by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 10 schools 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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Learn more about these schools below:
No school ranked higher than Auburn University this year for Men's Basketball (Division I). This public school is set in Auburn, AL. Auburn University records an NCAA APR of 994, and a 67% Graduation Success Rate. About 22% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $1,476,055 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $1,140,839 per participant. The school awards about $28,233 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Alabama came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division I). The University of Alabama is a public school based in Tuscaloosa, AL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 975, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $1,220,348 per participant, with expenses of about $761,502 per participant. Athletic aid averages $20,760 per athlete.
University of Alabama at Birmingham earned the #3 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Birmingham, AL. University of Alabama at Birmingham records an NCAA APR of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 79%. About 25% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $334,342 per participant, compared with $312,726 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,655.
Samford University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Birmingham, AL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 972, and a 82% Graduation Success Rate. About 29% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $166,907 in revenue per athlete, against $160,582 in expenses. The school awards about $20,864 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of South Alabama ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division I). Based in Mobile, AL, University of South Alabama is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 975, with a Graduation Success Rate of 79%. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. Team revenue averages $205,494 per participant, against $180,502 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,705.
Troy University placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division I). Troy University is a public school based in Troy, AL. The team's NCAA APR score is 970, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. About 30% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $138,787 per participant, against $133,640 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,487.
Jacksonville State University placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division I). This public school is set in Jacksonville, AL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 938, and a 87% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 25%. The program generates about $137,575 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $137,575 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,761 per athlete.
University of North Alabama landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Florence, AL, University of North Alabama is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 978, with a Graduation Success Rate of 60%. Its federal graduation rate is 16%. Team revenue averages $116,622 per participant, compared with $116,622 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,402 in athletic aid per athlete.
Alabama State University placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division I). Based in Montgomery, AL, Alabama State University is a public institution. Alabama State University records an NCAA APR of 978, alongside a GSR of 72%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $75,410, compared with $75,410 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,418 in athletic aid per athlete.
Alabama A & M University placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division I). Alabama A & M University is a public school based in Normal, AL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 904, and a 78% Graduation Success Rate. About 17% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $58,935, against $45,742 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,274.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.