by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 21 colleges 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Monmouth University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in West Long Branch, NJ. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $210,942 per participant, against $210,942 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,376.
Stevens Institute of Technology landed the #2 spot for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hoboken, NJ. The program generates about $14,792 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $14,792 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
The College of New Jersey earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Ewing, NJ, The College of New Jersey is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,375, against $11,375 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Seton Hall University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in South Orange, NJ, Seton Hall University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 970, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 36% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $575,819 in revenue per athlete, compared with $575,819 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $32,496.
Saint Peter's University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Located in Jersey City, NJ, Saint Peter's University is a private not-for-profit institution. Saint Peter's University records an NCAA APR of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 44%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $171,531, compared with $171,531 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,025.
Rutgers University-New Brunswick did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers University-New Brunswick is a public institution. Rutgers University-New Brunswick records an NCAA APR of 951, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 45%. Team revenue averages $1,071,793 per participant, against $1,071,793 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,379.
New Jersey Institute of Technology ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Newark, NJ. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 970, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. Team revenue averages $162,485 per participant, compared with $160,172 spent per athlete. The school awards about $15,477 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rowan University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Glassboro, NJ, Rowan University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,340, compared with $16,170 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Stockton University placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Galloway, NJ, Stockton University is a public institution. The program generates about $12,864 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,864 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Drew University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in Madison, NJ, Drew University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,911, compared with $6,911 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Princeton University landed the #11 spot this year. Princeton University is a private not-for-profit school based in Princeton, NJ. Princeton University records an NCAA APR of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $143,844, with expenses of about $143,844 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Montclair State University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Montclair State University is a public school based in Montclair, NJ. The program generates about $10,773 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,429 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Rider University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Based in Lawrenceville, NJ, Rider University is a private not-for-profit institution. Rider University records an NCAA APR of 950, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 42% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $149,687 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $149,687 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,540 per athlete.
Caldwell University landed the #14 spot this year. Based in Caldwell, NJ, Caldwell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,921, with expenses of about $24,877 per participant. The school awards about $6,698 in athletic aid per athlete.
Georgian Court University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Georgian Court University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lakewood, NJ. Team revenue averages $26,136 per participant, against $25,184 in expenses. The school awards about $5,874 in athletic aid per athlete.
Felician University came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Based in Lodi, NJ, Felician University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $36,064 in revenue per athlete, compared with $36,064 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,189 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Teaneck, NJ, Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 945, alongside a GSR of 89%. About 36% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $124,811, against $124,811 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $12,185 per athlete.
William Paterson University of New Jersey landed the #18 spot this year. Located in Wayne, NJ, William Paterson University of New Jersey is a public institution. Team revenue averages $12,097 per participant, compared with $11,992 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kean University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Union, NJ. Team revenue averages $14,550 per participant, against $14,550 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Elizabeth University landed the #20 spot this year. Located in Morristown, NJ, Saint Elizabeth University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,498, against $5,498 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
New Jersey City University did well this year, earning the #21 position. New Jersey City University is a public school based in Jersey City, NJ. Team revenue averages $9,443 per participant, with expenses of about $9,800 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
