by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 42 programs for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
No school ranked higher than University of Cincinnati-Main Campus this year for Men's Basketball. University of Cincinnati-Main Campus is a public school based in Cincinnati, OH. University of Cincinnati-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 994, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 42%. Team revenue averages $770,065 per participant, compared with $770,065 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $20,882 per athlete.
Case Western Reserve University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #2. Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cleveland, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,593, with expenses of about $13,593 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Denison University landed the #3 spot 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. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Toledo ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Toledo, OH. The team's NCAA APR score is 983, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 47%. Team revenue averages $226,226 per participant, compared with $226,226 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $21,660 per athlete.
University of Dayton earned the #5 place for student athletes. University of Dayton is a private not-for-profit school based in Dayton, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. About 23% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,124,142, with expenses of about $604,525 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,913.
Ohio University-Main Campus landed the #6 spot this year. This public school is set in Athens, OH. Ohio University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 83%. Its federal graduation rate is 53%. Team revenue averages $220,667 per participant, against $220,667 in expenses. The school awards about $17,284 in athletic aid per athlete.
Cedarville University placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Cedarville University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cedarville, OH. The program generates about $56,050 in revenue per athlete, compared with $56,050 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,791 per athlete.
Oberlin College placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Oberlin, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,785, against $14,785 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in Bowling Green, OH, Bowling Green State University-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 963, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. About 64% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $195,124 per participant, compared with $187,600 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,840 per athlete.
Kent State University at Kent did well this year, earning the #10 position. Kent State University at Kent is a public school based in Kent, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 87%. Its federal graduation rate is 44%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $202,405, compared with $202,405 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,976 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kenyon College landed the #11 spot this year. Based in Gambier, OH, Kenyon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,236, against $8,236 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ohio State University-Main Campus came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Columbus, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 978, and a 67% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 19%. Team revenue averages $1,459,690 per participant, with expenses of about $822,418 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,151.
Ohio Northern University placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Ohio Northern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Ada, OH. Team revenue averages $15,007 per participant, compared with $15,007 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Xavier University placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cincinnati, OH. The team's NCAA APR score is 976, and a 78% Graduation Success Rate. About 40% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $800,847 per participant, with expenses of about $587,117 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,280.
John Carroll University placed #15 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in University Heights, OH, John Carroll University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,559 per participant, against $12,559 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Miami University-Oxford ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Oxford, OH, Miami University-Oxford is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 941, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 47%. The program generates about $181,372 in revenue per athlete, against $181,372 in expenses. The school awards about $17,790 in athletic aid per athlete.
Franciscan University of Steubenville ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Steubenville, OH, Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,840, against $4,823 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Youngstown State University landed the #18 spot this year. Youngstown State University is a public school based in Youngstown, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 967, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. About 31% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $142,865 per participant, with expenses of about $142,865 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,634.
The College of Wooster ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wooster, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,180, with expenses of about $10,351 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Cleveland State University placed #20 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Cleveland, OH, Cleveland State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 953, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 21% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $190,511, with expenses of about $184,257 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,645 per athlete.
University of Akron Main Campus landed the #21 spot this year. University of Akron Main Campus is a public school based in Akron, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 77%. The federal graduation rate stands at 20%. Team revenue averages $181,025 per participant, with expenses of about $181,025 per participant. Athletic aid averages $12,189 per athlete.
University of Mount Union ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Alliance, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,238, with expenses of about $16,238 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ashland University landed the #23 spot this year. Ashland University is a private not-for-profit school based in Ashland, OH. The program generates about $36,675 in revenue per athlete, compared with $36,675 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,808.
Baldwin Wallace University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Based in Berea, OH, Baldwin Wallace University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $12,314 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,314 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Capital University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Columbus, OH. Team revenue averages $14,110 per participant, compared with $14,110 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.