by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 24 schools for Men’s Basketball (Division III) in Plains States by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Washington University in St Louis tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III) in Plains States. Based in St. Louis, MO, Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $34,160 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $32,475 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Macalester College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,136, against $22,713 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Carleton College landed the #3 spot for Men's Basketball (Division III) in Plains States. Located in Northfield, MN, Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,608, with expenses of about $9,350 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Olaf College earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,777, against $16,540 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Grinnell College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball (Division III) in Plains States. Grinnell College is a private not-for-profit school based in Grinnell, IA. The program generates about $8,516 in revenue per athlete, against $8,516 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota did well this year, earning the #6 position. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is a private not-for-profit school based in Winona, MN. The program generates about $12,625 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,625 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Gustavus Adolphus College did well this year, earning the #7 position. Located in Saint Peter, MN, Gustavus Adolphus College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,242 per participant, compared with $6,242 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Nebraska Wesleyan University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Lincoln, NE, Nebraska Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,922 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,310 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loras College landed the #9 spot this year. Located in Dubuque, IA, Loras College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,931 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,931 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Cornell College landed the #10 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Mount Vernon, IA. The program generates about $7,064 in revenue per athlete, against $6,404 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Luther College placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III) in Plains States. Luther College is a private not-for-profit school based in Decorah, IA. The program generates about $4,069 in revenue per athlete, against $4,070 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Martin Luther College landed the #12 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in New Ulm, MN. Team revenue averages $5,316 per participant, compared with $5,316 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Wartburg College landed the #13 spot this year. Wartburg College is a private not-for-profit school based in Waverly, IA. The program generates about $9,055 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,055 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Simpson College came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in Indianola, IA, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,706, with expenses of about $7,703 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Augsburg University landed the #15 spot this year. Augsburg University is a private not-for-profit school based in Minneapolis, MN. The program generates about $14,218 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $14,218 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Northwestern-St Paul placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Paul, MN. The program generates about $4,912 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,612 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hamline University ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III) in Plains States. Located in Saint Paul, MN, Hamline University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,346 in revenue per athlete, against $10,346 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Minnesota-Morris landed the #18 spot this year. University of Minnesota-Morris is a public school based in Morris, MN. The program generates about $7,915 in revenue per athlete, against $7,824 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Buena Vista University did well this year, earning the #19 position. Buena Vista University is a private not-for-profit school based in Storm Lake, IA. The program generates about $10,798 in revenue per athlete, compared with $10,798 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Central University did well this year, earning the #20 position. Located in Minneapolis, MN, North Central University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,110 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,110 spent per athlete. The school awards about $49 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bethany Lutheran College landed the #21 spot this year. Located in Mankato, MN, Bethany Lutheran College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,210, compared with $9,707 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Webster University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III) in Plains States. Based in Saint Louis, MO, Webster University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,357 per participant, against $7,630 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Dubuque ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball (Division III) in Plains States. Located in Dubuque, IA, University of Dubuque is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $15,218 in revenue per athlete, against $13,274 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Coe College did well this year, earning the #24 position. Based in Cedar Rapids, IA, Coe College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,298 per participant, with expenses of about $6,298 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
*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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.