by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 142 colleges for Men’s Basketball 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:
Northwestern University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Located in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. The program generates about $1,030,850 in revenue per athlete, against $1,052,062 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53,919.
University of Chicago is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #2. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. The program generates about $34,632 in revenue per athlete, against $34,632 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Indiana University-Bloomington landed the #3 spot for Men's Basketball. Located in Bloomington, IN, Indiana University-Bloomington is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. Its federal graduation rate is 44%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,751,388, with expenses of about $1,674,654 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,161.
University of Notre Dame came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit school based in Notre Dame, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 982, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. Team revenue averages $779,135 per participant, against $779,135 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,391.
Michigan State University landed the #5 spot for Men's Basketball. Based in East Lansing, MI, Michigan State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 80%. The federal graduation rate stands at 57%. Team revenue averages $1,363,637 per participant, against $1,285,421 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $22,500 per athlete.
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Cincinnati, OH, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. About 42% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $770,065, against $770,065 in expenses. The school awards about $20,882 in athletic aid per athlete.
Case Western Reserve University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in Cleveland, OH, Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,593 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,593 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Ann Arbor, MI. The team's NCAA APR score is 962, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 54%. The program generates about $1,325,618 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $897,407 per participant. Athletic aid averages $28,650 per athlete.
Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in Bloomington, IL, Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $15,802 per participant, with expenses of about $15,802 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bradley University placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Peoria, IL, Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $241,882, against $241,882 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $16,583 per athlete.
Marquette University placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Milwaukee, WI, Marquette University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 82%. About 58% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $1,286,716 in revenue per athlete, against $1,002,674 in expenses. The school awards about $14,770 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Madison landed the #12 spot this year. Based in Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 979, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 58%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,168,781, against $733,184 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $21,586 per athlete.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology did well this year, earning the #13 position. Located in Terre Haute, IN, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $17,550 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,029 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Denison University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Granville, OH, Denison University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,798, against $15,798 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Dayton ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Dayton, OH, University of Dayton is a private not-for-profit institution. University of Dayton records an NCAA APR of 989, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. About 23% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $1,124,142 per participant, against $604,525 in expenses. The school awards about $13,913 in athletic aid per athlete.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Located in Carbondale, IL, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is a public institution. Southern Illinois University-Carbondale records an NCAA APR of 984, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $214,905, against $214,905 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,525.
Ohio University-Main Campus ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Athens, OH, Ohio University-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 83%. The federal graduation rate stands at 53%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $220,667, against $220,667 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,284.
Loyola University Chicago ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 977, alongside a GSR of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 36%. The program generates about $413,017 in revenue per athlete, compared with $413,017 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $23,325 per athlete.
University of Toledo came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Toledo, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 983, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 47% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $226,226 per participant, with expenses of about $226,226 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,660.
Michigan Technological University landed the #20 spot this year. Michigan Technological University is a public school based in Houghton, MI. The program generates about $54,335 in revenue per athlete, against $54,651 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,159.
Calvin University landed the #21 spot this year. Calvin University is a private not-for-profit school based in Grand Rapids, MI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,501, compared with $15,501 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois State University landed the #22 spot this year. Based in Normal, IL, Illinois State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 45%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $211,145, with expenses of about $211,145 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,477 per athlete.
Purdue University-Main Campus came in at #23 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in West Lafayette, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 974, alongside a GSR of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $1,164,833 per participant, with expenses of about $780,024 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,382.
DePauw University did well this year, earning the #24 position. Located in Greencastle, IN, DePauw University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $15,392 in revenue per athlete, compared with $15,392 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Cedarville University landed the #25 spot this year. Cedarville University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cedarville, OH. The program generates about $56,050 in revenue per athlete, against $56,050 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $5,791 per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
See our data sources and methodologies.