by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 31 schools for Men’s Basketball (Division III) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual weighs 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
New York University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY. Team revenue averages $31,812 per participant, compared with $31,555 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hamilton College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Clinton, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,544, compared with $25,544 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Rochester ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. The program generates about $25,642 in revenue per athlete, against $28,195 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Vassar College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division III). Based in Poughkeepsie, NY, Vassar College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $16,020 per participant, with expenses of about $15,378 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Union College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division III). Union College is a private not-for-profit school based in Schenectady, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,912, with expenses of about $15,655 per participant. Athletic aid averages $2,499 per athlete.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit school based in Troy, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,898, with expenses of about $12,275 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,263 per athlete.
Skidmore College ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III). Based in Saratoga Springs, NY, Skidmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,149 per participant, compared with $11,149 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ithaca College did well this year, earning the #8 position. Located in Ithaca, NY, Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,657, with expenses of about $17,657 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Yeshiva University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III). Based in New York, NY, Yeshiva University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,859, compared with $7,859 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rochester Institute of Technology came in at #10 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, with expenses of about $16,071 per participant. The school awards about $3,070 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hobart William Smith Colleges did well this year, earning the #11 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Geneva, NY. The program generates about $27,657 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $27,657 per participant. Athletic aid averages $50 per athlete.
St Lawrence University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Canton, NY. The program generates about $9,522 in revenue per athlete, against $9,522 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $3,126 per athlete.
Nazareth University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Located in Rochester, NY, Nazareth University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,475, with expenses of about $13,093 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Clarkson University landed the #14 spot this year. Based in Potsdam, NY, Clarkson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,506, with expenses of about $9,502 per participant. The school awards about $4,842 in athletic aid per athlete.
St. John Fisher University landed the #15 spot this year. Located in Rochester, NY, St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,535 per participant, compared with $7,203 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
State University of New York at Cortland came in at #16 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Cortland, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,521, compared with $16,521 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
State University of New York at New Paltz placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). Based in New Paltz, NY, State University of New York at New Paltz is a public institution. Team revenue averages $13,042 per participant, compared with $11,181 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bard College landed the #18 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Annandale-On-Hudson, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,622, with expenses of about $9,622 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Sarah Lawrence College placed #19 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). Sarah Lawrence College is a private not-for-profit school based in Bronxville, NY. The program generates about $6,175 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,175 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
State University of New York at Oswego landed the #20 spot this year. State University of New York at Oswego is a public school based in Oswego, NY. The program generates about $11,304 in revenue per athlete, compared with $10,704 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Russell Sage College did well this year, earning the #21 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Troy, NY. The program generates about $8,183 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,328 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Utica University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III). Utica University is a private not-for-profit school based in Utica, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,735, with expenses of about $9,524 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Houghton University placed #23 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). Houghton University is a private not-for-profit school based in Houghton, NY. The program generates about $6,518 in revenue per athlete, against $6,518 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Alfred University landed the #24 spot this year. Located in Alfred, NY, Alfred University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,043 per participant, against $8,093 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Farmingdale State College placed #25 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III). This public school is set in Farmingdale, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,115, with expenses of about $6,041 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.