With all of the options student athletes have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Colleges for Division III Men's Basketball ranking - to help you make that decision.
We analyzed 382 colleges and universities across the United States to determine which were the best for D3 Men's Basketball athletes. To come up with this ranking, we look at a number of factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include the school's overall quality as determined by our Best Colleges ranking and the athletic competitiveness of the school. Thus, in order to rank well, the school must offer a quality education in addition to having a great sports team.
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.
We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don't have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Get Recruited to Play Sports in College
Gain Exposure & Get Discovered by College Coaches
Top Colleges in the U.S. for D3 Men's Basketball athletes
Our analysis found Whitman College to be the best school for D3 Men’s Basketball athletes in this year’s ranking. Whitman College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Walla Walla, Washington that handed out 389 bachelor’s degrees in .
Whitman brought in $275,104 while tallying up $261,086 in expenses for its D3 Men’s Basketball team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $14,018 for the sports team.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Whitman excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Whitman College Sports Report
The excellent sports programs at Babson College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D3 Men’s Basketball athletes. Babson College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Wellesley, Massachusetts that handed out 564 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Men’s Basketball team at Babson College took home $305,544 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Babson College also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
Read More…
A rank of #3 on our list means Middlebury College is a great place for D3 Men’s Basketball athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Middlebury is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Middlebury, Vermont. It awarded 832 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Men’s Basketball team at Middlebury made $191,587 in revenue.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. In addition to its great ranking here, Middlebury is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Middlebury College
The excellent sports programs at University of Rochester helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D3 Men’s Basketball athletes. Located in Rochester, New York, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,090 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D3 Men’s Basketball team at University of Rochester brought home $283,047 in revenue in a single year.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, University of Rochester is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on University of Rochester
A rank of #5 on our list means Swarthmore College is a great place for D3 Men’s Basketball athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 567 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Swarthmore took home $223,880 in revenue and paid out $177,000 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $46,880 in profit.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. On top of its placing in this ranking, Swarthmore also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read More…
Washington University in St Louis landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking. WUSTL is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,428 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at WUSTL took home $451,455 in revenue and paid out $420,890 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $30,565 for the sports team.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. WUSTL also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Full Washington University in St Louis Sports Report
Denison University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Granville, Ohio, and it awarded 685 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Men’s Basketball team at Denison took home $264,522 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 950.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, Denison is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Denison University Sports Report
Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking. MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 1,361 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Men’s Basketball team at MIT brought home $147,189 in revenue in a single year.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. MIT not only placed well in this ranking, but it is also #5 on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Christopher Newport University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking. Christopher Newport University is a small public school located in Newport News, Virginia that handed out 1,144 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Men’s Basketball team at CNU took home $397,713 in revenue.
In addition to its great ranking here, CNU is in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Christopher Newport University Sports Report
Tufts University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking. Located in Medford, Massachusetts, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 1,915 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Men’s Basketball team at Tufts made $255,162 in revenue.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Tufts also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Read full sports report on Tufts University
With a ranking of #11, Williams College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking. Williams is located in Williamstown, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 737 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Speaking financially, the D3 Men’s Basketball team at Williams took home $211,167 in revenue.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, Williams is in the top 1% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Williams College
Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #12. Wesleyan U is located in Middletown, Connecticut and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 1,206 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Wesleyan U brought in $385,640 while tallying up $283,596 in expenses for its D3 Men’s Basketball team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $102,044 for the sports team.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. In addition to its great ranking here, Wesleyan U is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read More…
With a ranking of #13, Emory University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking. Emory University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 2,663 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Emory took home $719,133 in revenue and paid out $426,740 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $292,393 for the sports team.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, Emory is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Emory University Sports Report
Ramapo College of New Jersey landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking. Ramapo College is a public institution located in Mahwah, New Jersey. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,156 bachelor’s degrees in .
Ramapo College brought in $269,698 while tallying up $233,317 in expenses for its D3 Men’s Basketball team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $36,381 in profit.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full Ramapo College of New Jersey Sports Report
St Lawrence University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Canton, New York, and it awarded 713 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Men’s Basketball team at St. Lawrence took home $156,788 in revenue.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, St. Lawrence also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read More…
Amherst College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 759 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D3 Men’s Basketball team at Amherst brought home $331,697 in revenue in a single year.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, Amherst also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 1% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Amherst College
Hanover College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #17. Hanover College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Hanover, Indiana that handed out 300 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Men’s Basketball team at Hanover made $233,737 in revenue.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Hanover also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Hanover College
With a ranking of #18, University of Scranton did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking. University of Scranton is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It awarded 906 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Men’s Basketball team at University of Scranton brought home $288,317 in revenue in a single year.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. University of Scranton also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Full University of Scranton Sports Report
Hope College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #19. Holland, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 837 students in .
Hope brought in $209,727 while tallying up $206,448 in expenses for its D3 Men’s Basketball team. Thus, the team actually made $3,279, which isn’t bad at all.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, Hope also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Hope College
Skidmore College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking. Skidmore is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saratoga Springs, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 688 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Men’s Basketball team at Skidmore took home $138,475 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. Skidmore also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Read full sports report on Skidmore College
With a ranking of #21, Whitworth University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking. Located in Spokane, Washington, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 643 bachelor’s degrees in .
Whitworth brought in $310,067 while tallying up $262,591 in expenses for its D3 Men’s Basketball team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $47,476.
In addition to its great ranking here, Whitworth is in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Whitworth University Sports Report
Carleton College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Northfield, Minnesota, and it awarded 555 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Carleton took home $189,146 in revenue and paid out $181,598 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $7,548, which isn’t bad at all.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Carleton also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Full Carleton College Sports Report
St. John Fisher College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking. Located in Rochester, New York, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 683 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D3 Men’s Basketball team at Fisher made $218,911 in revenue, while incurring $201,092 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $17,819 in profit.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, Fisher is in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read More…
Grinnell College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Grinnell, Iowa, and it awarded 558 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Men’s Basketball team at Grinnell took home $130,999 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. Grinnell excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read More…
With a ranking of #25, Saint Norbert College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Basketball ranking. De Pere, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 578 students in .
The D3 Men’s Basketball team at SNC brought home $292,026 in revenue in a single year.
In addition to its great ranking here, SNC is in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read More…
Rest of the Top 50 Best Colleges for D3 Men's Basketball athletes
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Get your FREE recruiting profile, assessment & game plan!
Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.
References
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
The academic progress rate (APR) of each team was made available by the NCAA.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
With all of the options student athletes have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Colleges for Division III Men's Basketball ranking - to help you make that decision.
