by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 35 schools for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Northwestern University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Evanston, IL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 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. Athletic aid averages $53,919 per athlete.
University of Chicago earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Chicago, IL, University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $34,632 per participant, with expenses of about $34,632 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bradley University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Peoria, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $241,882, with expenses of about $241,882 per participant. Athletic aid averages $16,583 per athlete.
Illinois Wesleyan University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bloomington, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,802, compared with $15,802 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Carbondale, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 984, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $214,905, against $214,905 in expenses. The school awards about $11,525 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola University Chicago came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 977, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 36%. Team revenue averages $413,017 per participant, with expenses of about $413,017 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,325.
Illinois State University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Normal, IL, Illinois State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 984, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 45%. Team revenue averages $211,145 per participant, with expenses of about $211,145 per participant. The school awards about $13,477 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Central College placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,480 per participant, with expenses of about $11,770 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #9 spot this year. Based in Chicago, IL, Illinois Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,684 per participant, compared with $8,684 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Champaign, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 962, with a Graduation Success Rate of 55%. About 13% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,483,174, with expenses of about $1,468,998 per participant. The school awards about $25,398 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lewis University landed the #11 spot this year. Lewis University is a private not-for-profit school based in Romeoville, IL. Team revenue averages $40,584 per participant, with expenses of about $40,584 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,669.
University of Illinois Chicago came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Chicago, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 956, with a Graduation Success Rate of 82%. Its federal graduation rate is 44%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $267,364, with expenses of about $267,364 per participant. Athletic aid averages $15,167 per athlete.
Northern Illinois University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Based in Dekalb, IL, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 978, alongside a GSR of 71%. About 20% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $205,970, with expenses of about $205,382 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,138.
Elmhurst University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Located in Elmhurst, IL, Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $14,830 per participant, against $13,975 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lake Forest College landed the #15 spot this year. Located in Lake Forest, IL, Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $10,203 per participant, with expenses of about $10,203 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Edwardsville, IL. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville records an NCAA APR of 973, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. About 44% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $113,204 in revenue per athlete, against $113,204 in expenses. The school awards about $8,334 in athletic aid per athlete.
Knox College came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Based in Galesburg, IL, Knox College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,419 per participant, against $12,709 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
DePaul University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. DePaul University is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 931, with a Graduation Success Rate of 60%. About 27% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $910,467 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $910,467 per participant. Athletic aid averages $23,928 per athlete.
Western Illinois University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Western Illinois University is a public school based in Macomb, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 944, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. About 70% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $98,267 per participant, with expenses of about $98,267 per participant. Athletic aid averages $10,303 per athlete.
Eastern Illinois University landed the #20 spot this year. Located in Charleston, IL, Eastern Illinois University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 955, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. About 40% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $99,448 per participant, against $99,448 in expenses. The school awards about $7,653 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Illinois Springfield did well this year, earning the #21 position. Located in Springfield, IL, University of Illinois Springfield is a public institution. Team revenue averages $36,656 per participant, against $36,656 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $4,768 per athlete.
McKendree University landed the #22 spot this year. Located in Lebanon, IL, McKendree University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,193, with expenses of about $39,193 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,695.
Illinois College did well this year, earning the #23 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Jacksonville, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,065, against $10,065 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Aurora University landed the #24 spot this year. Based in Aurora, IL, Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,918 in revenue per athlete, against $9,918 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
North Park University did well this year, earning the #25 position. Based in Chicago, IL, North Park University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $10,803 per participant, with expenses of about $10,803 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $32.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*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.