by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 181 programs for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual weighs 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:
Leading the list is Johns Hopkins University, our #1 college for Men's Basketball. Located in Baltimore, MD, Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $29,857 per participant, against $26,709 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,612.
New York University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in New York, NY, New York University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $31,812 per participant, with expenses of about $31,555 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Carnegie Mellon University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $17,452 in revenue per athlete, against $17,627 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Fordham University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bronx, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $515,062, compared with $515,062 spent per athlete. The school awards about $32,443 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hamilton College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Clinton, NY. Team revenue averages $25,544 per participant, with expenses of about $25,544 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Swarthmore College ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Swarthmore, PA, Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $23,051 per participant, compared with $15,351 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hofstra University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Hempstead, NY, Hofstra University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 88%. Team revenue averages $309,642 per participant, compared with $309,642 spent per athlete. The school awards about $22,514 in athletic aid per athlete.
Temple University did well this year, earning the #8 position. Temple University is a public school based in Philadelphia, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. The program generates about $423,156 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $423,156 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $28,567.
Villanova University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in Villanova, PA, Villanova University is a private not-for-profit institution. Villanova University records an NCAA APR of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,103,619, against $1,060,674 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $25,480 per athlete.
Drexel University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Drexel University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $221,405 in revenue per athlete, against $221,405 in expenses. The school awards about $25,843 in athletic aid per athlete.
Monmouth University placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in West Long Branch, NJ. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $210,942 in revenue per athlete, compared with $210,942 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $20,376 per athlete.
University of Rochester came in at #12 in this year's ranking. University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,642, against $28,195 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Stevens Institute of Technology placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hoboken, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,792, against $14,792 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lehigh University landed the #14 spot this year. Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bethlehem, PA. Lehigh University records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. About 64% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $150,156 per participant, with expenses of about $150,156 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,391.
Lafayette College ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Easton, PA. Lafayette College records an NCAA APR of 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $176,579, compared with $176,579 spent per athlete. The school awards about $18,987 in athletic aid per athlete.
Franklin and Marshall College did well this year, earning the #16 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lancaster, PA. Team revenue averages $15,076 per participant, compared with $16,050 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53.
Colgate University ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hamilton, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 79%. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $199,916, compared with $199,916 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,658.
Bucknell University placed #18 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Bucknell University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lewisburg, PA. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, alongside a GSR of 82%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. The program generates about $196,320 in revenue per athlete, compared with $196,320 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,655.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit school based in Troy, NY. Team revenue averages $16,898 per participant, against $12,275 in expenses. The school awards about $3,263 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gettysburg College placed #20 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Gettysburg College is a private not-for-profit school based in Gettysburg, PA. The program generates about $18,527 in revenue per athlete, compared with $18,527 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Vassar College ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Poughkeepsie, NY. Team revenue averages $16,020 per participant, compared with $15,378 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Union College placed #22 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Union College is a private not-for-profit school based in Schenectady, NY. Team revenue averages $13,912 per participant, with expenses of about $15,655 per participant. Athletic aid averages $2,499 per athlete.
The College of New Jersey placed #23 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Ewing, NJ, The College of New Jersey is a public institution. The program generates about $11,375 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,375 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Scranton landed the #24 spot this year. University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit school based in Scranton, PA. Team revenue averages $20,288 per participant, with expenses of about $20,288 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus placed #25 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus is a public school based in Pittsburgh, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. About 8% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $867,131, compared with $714,861 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $30,613.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.