by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 84 programs for Men’s Basketball 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best college for Men's Basketball in the Far Western Region. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit school based in Stanford, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Team revenue averages $672,836 per participant, with expenses of about $672,836 per participant. Athletic aid averages $42,012 per athlete.
University of Southern California landed the #2 spot for Men's Basketball. Located in Los Angeles, CA, University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 33%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $769,105, with expenses of about $769,105 per participant. The school awards about $40,006 in athletic aid per athlete.
San Diego State University landed the #3 spot for Men's Basketball. San Diego State University is a public school based in San Diego, CA. San Diego State University records an NCAA APR of 994, alongside a GSR of 91%. About 70% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $898,229, with expenses of about $535,923 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,450.
University of San Francisco landed the #4 spot for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Francisco, CA. University of San Francisco records an NCAA APR of 989, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $428,846, with expenses of about $428,846 per participant. The school awards about $31,788 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Based in Seattle, WA, University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a public institution. University of Washington-Seattle Campus records an NCAA APR of 976, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Team revenue averages $841,053 per participant, compared with $732,830 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,539.
Loyola Marymount University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Los Angeles, CA. Loyola Marymount University records an NCAA APR of 978, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $577,037, against $577,037 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $40,056.
University of Nevada-Reno did well this year, earning the #7 position. University of Nevada-Reno is a public school based in Reno, NV. University of Nevada-Reno records an NCAA APR of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 29%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $640,435, compared with $360,988 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $21,799 per athlete.
Seattle University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Seattle, WA. Seattle University records an NCAA APR of 992, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $210,985, compared with $210,985 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,482.
University of California-Irvine placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Irvine, CA, University of California-Irvine is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 58%. The program generates about $265,501 in revenue per athlete, against $265,501 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,955 per athlete.
California Institute of Technology came in at #10 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Pasadena, CA. The program generates about $15,641 in revenue per athlete, compared with $15,641 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Gonzaga University landed the #11 spot this year. Gonzaga University is a private not-for-profit school based in Spokane, WA. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, alongside a GSR of 86%. About 40% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $1,026,871 in revenue per athlete, against $715,193 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,963 per athlete.
Point Loma Nazarene University placed #12 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Point Loma Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit school based in San Diego, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $69,620, with expenses of about $69,620 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,927.
Chapman University did well this year, earning the #13 position. 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. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Washington State University placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Pullman, WA. The team's NCAA APR score is 984, alongside a GSR of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 40%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $474,313, with expenses of about $309,716 per participant. Athletic aid averages $20,338 per athlete.
Occidental College ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Los Angeles, CA, Occidental College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $15,953 per participant, against $15,019 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of California-San Diego placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in La Jolla, CA, University of California-San Diego is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 979, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $227,102, with expenses of about $227,102 per participant. The school awards about $9,847 in athletic aid per athlete.
California Baptist University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Based in Riverside, CA, California Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 973, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 63%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $306,256, against $255,798 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,790.
Whitman College landed the #18 spot this year. Located in Walla Walla, WA, Whitman College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $19,115 per participant, against $18,443 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of California-Santa Cruz landed the #19 spot this year. Based in Santa Cruz, CA, University of California-Santa Cruz is a public institution. Team revenue averages $22,166 per participant, compared with $22,166 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Santa Clara University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Based in Santa Clara, CA, Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, and a 67% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 36%. The program generates about $373,590 in revenue per athlete, against $373,590 in expenses. The school awards about $19,355 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Mary's College of California placed #21 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Moraga, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 973, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $553,210, against $553,210 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,999.
University of California-Los Angeles came in at #22 in this year's ranking. University of California-Los Angeles is a public school based in Los Angeles, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 974, alongside a GSR of 63%. Its federal graduation rate is 29%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,047,044, against $1,047,044 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $24,306 per athlete.
University of California-Santa Barbara came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, CA, University of California-Santa Barbara is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 40%. Team revenue averages $218,285 per participant, against $218,285 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,355.
University of California-Riverside came in at #24 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Riverside, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, and a 82% Graduation Success Rate. About 64% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $194,485, compared with $194,485 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,154.
Dominican University of California ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in San Rafael, CA, Dominican University of California is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $41,348 in revenue per athlete, against $41,348 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,270.
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. The methodology weighs 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.
