by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 6 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 scores each program on 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 Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus this year for Men's Basketball (Division I). This public school is set in Atlanta, GA. The team's NCAA APR score is 967, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. About 42% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $969,103 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $800,930 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,289.
Georgia State University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball (Division I), at #2. This public school is set in Atlanta, GA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 75%. About 25% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $168,851 per participant, with expenses of about $168,851 per participant. Athletic aid averages $21,875 per athlete.
University of Georgia came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division I). Located in Athens, GA, University of Georgia is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 970, with a Graduation Success Rate of 50%. About 21% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $1,071,938 per participant, compared with $693,335 spent per athlete. The school awards about $18,925 in athletic aid per athlete.
Mercer University landed the #4 spot for Men's Basketball (Division I). Located in Macon, GA, Mercer University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 968, alongside a GSR of 80%. Its federal graduation rate is 31%. The program generates about $167,591 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $167,591 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,898.
Kennesaw State University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division I). Kennesaw State University is a public school based in Kennesaw, GA. The team's NCAA APR score is 979, with a Graduation Success Rate of 71%. About 27% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $233,844, against $233,844 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $12,283 per athlete.
Georgia Southern University landed the #6 spot this year. Georgia Southern University is a public school based in Statesboro, GA. The team's NCAA APR score is 983, alongside a GSR of 75%. Its federal graduation rate is 60%. Team revenue averages $159,823 per participant, with expenses of about $159,823 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,953.
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.