by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 316 programs for Men’s Basketball (Division III) 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:
Johns Hopkins University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Baltimore, MD. The program generates about $29,857 in revenue per athlete, against $26,709 in expenses. The school awards about $2,612 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Chicago came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division III). Based in Chicago, IL, University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $34,632 per participant, compared with $34,632 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Washington University in St Louis came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in St. Louis, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $34,160, compared with $32,475 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
New York University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball (Division III), at #4. This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY. The program generates about $31,812 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $31,555 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Emory University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball (Division III), at #5. Located in Atlanta, GA, Emory University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $51,850 per participant, compared with $32,217 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Amherst College placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). Located in Amherst, MA, Amherst College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $25,886 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $25,886 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bowdoin College came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Brunswick, ME, Bowdoin College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $19,878 per participant, with expenses of about $18,873 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Carnegie Mellon University landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,452, against $17,627 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Tufts University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in Medford, MA, Tufts University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $16,727 per participant, compared with $15,706 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Middlebury College ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III). Based in Middlebury, VT, Middlebury College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $19,926 per participant, with expenses of about $19,926 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bates College placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). Based in Lewiston, ME, Bates College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $31,027 in revenue per athlete, compared with $25,370 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Colby College came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waterville, ME. Team revenue averages $21,853 per participant, with expenses of about $21,853 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Washington and Lee University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Located in Lexington, VA, Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $17,596 in revenue per athlete, against $15,451 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hamilton College came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in Clinton, NY, Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $25,544 in revenue per athlete, against $25,544 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Swarthmore College ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III). Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit school based in Swarthmore, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,051, compared with $15,351 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,024, compared with $19,024 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Williams College landed the #17 spot this year. Located in Williamstown, MA, Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $15,299 in revenue per athlete, against $15,299 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
California Institute of Technology ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III). Based in Pasadena, CA, California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $15,641 per participant, with expenses of about $15,641 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Babson College ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III). Based in Wellesley, MA, Babson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,030, with expenses of about $17,030 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Rochester landed the #20 spot this year. Based in Rochester, NY, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,642, with expenses of about $28,195 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Brandeis University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Waltham, MA. The program generates about $23,495 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $23,495 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Macalester College placed #22 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). Macalester College is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Paul, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,136, with expenses of about $22,713 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Stevens Institute of Technology ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Hoboken, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,792, compared with $14,792 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Chapman University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in Orange, CA, Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $15,624 per participant, against $15,624 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Colorado College landed the #25 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Colorado Springs, CO. The program generates about $18,746 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $22,394 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,478 per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
These schools also stood out this year:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Ithaca College | Ithaca, NY |
| 52 | Skidmore College | Saratoga Springs, NY |
| 53 | Rochester Institute of Technology | Rochester, NY |
| 54 | Oberlin College | Oberlin, OH |
| 55 | Ohio Northern University | Ada, OH |
| 56 | Hobart William Smith Colleges | Geneva, NY |
| 57 | Berry College | Mount Berry, GA |
| 58 | University of Wisconsin-La Crosse | La Crosse, WI |
| 59 | John Carroll University | University Heights, OH |
| 60 | Grinnell College | Grinnell, IA |
| 61 | Emerson College | Boston, MA |
| 62 | Rowan University | Glassboro, NJ |
| 63 | California Lutheran University | Thousand Oaks, CA |
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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.