by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 13 programs for Men’s Basketball (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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University of Miami tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division I). Based in Coral Gables, FL, University of Miami is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, alongside a GSR of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Team revenue averages $1,276,083 per participant, against $1,026,182 in expenses. The school awards about $38,474 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Florida landed the #2 spot for Men's Basketball (Division I). Located in Gainesville, FL, University of Florida is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 46%. The program generates about $958,778 in revenue per athlete, against $745,985 in expenses. The school awards about $23,180 in athletic aid per athlete.
Florida State University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division I). This public school is set in Tallahassee, FL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $909,849 per participant, with expenses of about $909,849 per participant. The school awards about $13,364 in athletic aid per athlete.
Florida Atlantic University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball (Division I), at #4. This public school is set in Boca Raton, FL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 33%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $321,975, compared with $321,975 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,971 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Central Florida landed the #5 spot for Men's Basketball (Division I). Located in Orlando, FL, University of Central Florida is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 977, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. Its federal graduation rate is 63%. The program generates about $488,251 in revenue per athlete, against $488,251 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,195.
University of South Florida placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division I). Based in Tampa, FL, University of South Florida is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 978, alongside a GSR of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 25%. Team revenue averages $535,462 per participant, with expenses of about $535,462 per participant. The school awards about $15,287 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Florida ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division I). Based in Jacksonville, FL, University of North Florida is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 54%. Team revenue averages $110,795 per participant, compared with $110,795 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,675 in athletic aid per athlete.
Florida International University did well this year, earning the #8 position. This public school is set in Miami, FL. The team's NCAA APR score is 967, alongside a GSR of 77%. Its federal graduation rate is 38%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $177,914, against $177,914 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $16,058 per athlete.
Jacksonville University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division I). Jacksonville University is a private not-for-profit school based in Jacksonville, FL. The team's NCAA APR score is 957, alongside a GSR of 93%. About 44% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $149,594 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $149,594 per participant. The school awards about $14,287 in athletic aid per athlete.
Florida Gulf Coast University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Based in Fort Myers, FL, Florida Gulf Coast University is a public institution. Florida Gulf Coast University records an NCAA APR of 951, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. About 25% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $148,181, with expenses of about $148,181 per participant. The school awards about $18,812 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stetson University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division I). Stetson University is a private not-for-profit school based in DeLand, FL. The team's NCAA APR score is 958, with a Graduation Success Rate of 67%. Its federal graduation rate is 27%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $139,069, against $139,069 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,035 per athlete.
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University landed the #12 spot this year. Located in Tallahassee, FL, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 902, with a Graduation Success Rate of 68%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. The program generates about $31,250 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $74,366 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,235 per athlete.
Bethune-Cookman University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Bethune-Cookman University is a private not-for-profit school based in Daytona Beach, FL. Bethune-Cookman University records an NCAA APR of 949, and a 75% Graduation Success Rate. About 17% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $123,175 in revenue per athlete, against $123,175 in expenses. The school awards about $6,940 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.