by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 96 schools for Men’s Basketball (Division III) 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Leading the list is Johns Hopkins University, our #1 college for Men's Basketball (Division III). Based in Baltimore, MD, Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $29,857 in revenue per athlete, compared with $26,709 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $2,612 per athlete.
New York University earned the #2 place for student athletes. New York University is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY. The program generates about $31,812 in revenue per athlete, compared with $31,555 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Carnegie Mellon University earned the #3 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Pittsburgh, PA. The program generates about $17,452 in revenue per athlete, compared with $17,627 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Hamilton College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division III). Located in Clinton, NY, Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $25,544 in revenue per athlete, compared with $25,544 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Swarthmore College is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball (Division III), at #5. Based in Swarthmore, PA, Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,051, with expenses of about $15,351 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Rochester came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Rochester, NY, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $25,642 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $28,195 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Stevens Institute of Technology ranked #7 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, against $14,792 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Franklin and Marshall College placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). Located in Lancaster, PA, Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $15,076 in revenue per athlete, compared with $16,050 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $53 per athlete.
Vassar College placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). Based in Poughkeepsie, NY, Vassar College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,020, compared with $15,378 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Gettysburg College ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III). Located in Gettysburg, PA, Gettysburg College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $18,527 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $18,527 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute landed the #11 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Troy, NY. The program generates about $16,898 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $12,275 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,263.
Union College ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III). Based in Schenectady, NY, Union College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,912 per participant, against $15,655 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $2,499 per athlete.
University of Scranton came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Scranton, PA, University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,288, compared with $20,288 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
The College of New Jersey placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). Located in Ewing, NJ, The College of New Jersey is a public institution. The program generates about $11,375 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,375 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Dickinson College did well this year, earning the #15 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Carlisle, PA. The program generates about $12,015 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,064 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ursinus College came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Ursinus College is a private not-for-profit school based in Collegeville, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,541, against $23,541 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ithaca College placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Ithaca, NY. Team revenue averages $17,657 per participant, against $17,657 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Skidmore College did well this year, earning the #18 position. Skidmore College is a private not-for-profit school based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Team revenue averages $11,149 per participant, compared with $11,149 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Haverford College placed #19 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Haverford, PA. Team revenue averages $7,980 per participant, with expenses of about $8,450 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hobart William Smith Colleges did well this year, earning the #20 position. Hobart William Smith Colleges is a private not-for-profit school based in Geneva, NY. The program generates about $27,657 in revenue per athlete, compared with $27,657 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $50.
Rochester Institute of Technology came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Rochester Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. Team revenue averages $17,102 per participant, compared with $16,071 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,070.
Susquehanna University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Selinsgrove, PA. Team revenue averages $14,909 per participant, against $14,909 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Yeshiva University placed #23 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). Based in New York, NY, Yeshiva University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,859 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,859 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Messiah University placed #24 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). Messiah University is a private not-for-profit school based in Mechanicsburg, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,807, with expenses of about $11,140 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Nazareth University ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY. The program generates about $16,475 in revenue per athlete, against $13,093 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*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.