by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 59 programs 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:
New York University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY. The program generates about $31,812 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $31,555 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Fordham University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Based in Bronx, NY, Fordham 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%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $515,062 per participant, with expenses of about $515,062 per participant. Athletic aid averages $32,443 per athlete.
Hamilton College is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #3. Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Clinton, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,544, with expenses of about $25,544 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Hofstra University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Hempstead, NY, Hofstra University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 88%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $309,642, against $309,642 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,514.
University of Rochester came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Located in Rochester, NY, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,642, against $28,195 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Colgate University landed the #6 spot this year. Colgate University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hamilton, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 79%. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. The program generates about $199,916 in revenue per athlete, against $199,916 in expenses. The school awards about $22,658 in athletic aid per athlete.
Vassar College landed the #7 spot this year. Vassar College is a private not-for-profit school based in Poughkeepsie, NY. The program generates about $16,020 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,378 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Marist University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Poughkeepsie, NY, Marist University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $175,292 per participant, against $175,292 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,661 per athlete.
Union College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Schenectady, NY, Union College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,912 per participant, with expenses of about $15,655 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,499.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute landed the #10 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Troy, NY. Team revenue averages $16,898 per participant, with expenses of about $12,275 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,263 per athlete.
University at Buffalo did well this year, earning the #11 position. University at Buffalo is a public school based in Buffalo, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 972, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $284,235 in revenue per athlete, against $284,235 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,340.
St. John's University-New York came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Located in Queens, NY, St. John's University-New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 982, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 17%. The program generates about $2,461,107 in revenue per athlete, against $2,461,107 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $29,040 per athlete.
Skidmore College ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Skidmore College is a private not-for-profit school based in Saratoga Springs, NY. The program generates about $11,149 in revenue per athlete, against $11,149 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Yeshiva University placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,859, compared with $7,859 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Syracuse University placed #15 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Syracuse, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 978, alongside a GSR of 57%. The federal graduation rate stands at 23%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,858,100, with expenses of about $937,429 per participant. Athletic aid averages $33,068 per athlete.
Wagner College placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Staten Island, NY, Wagner College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 979, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 33%. The program generates about $155,390 in revenue per athlete, compared with $155,390 spent per athlete. The school awards about $15,661 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ithaca College placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Ithaca, NY, Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $17,657 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $17,657 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University at Albany placed #18 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. University at Albany is a public school based in Albany, NY. University at Albany records an NCAA APR of 977, with a Graduation Success Rate of 81%. About 56% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $165,009, compared with $137,784 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,856.
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The program generates about $120,532 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $120,532 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
St Lawrence University did well this year, earning the #20 position. Located in Canton, NY, St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,522 per participant, against $9,522 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,126.
Adelphi University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Garden City, NY, Adelphi University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $61,067 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $61,067 per participant. The school awards about $7,963 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rochester Institute of Technology landed the #22 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,102, with expenses of about $16,071 per participant. The school awards about $3,070 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stony Brook University landed the #23 spot this year. Located in Stony Brook, NY, Stony Brook University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 948, alongside a GSR of 86%. Its federal graduation rate is 33%. The program generates about $264,371 in revenue per athlete, compared with $264,371 spent per athlete. The school awards about $15,341 in athletic aid per athlete.
Cornell University did well this year, earning the #24 position. Located in Ithaca, NY, Cornell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The program generates about $80,447 in revenue per athlete, compared with $76,155 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hobart William Smith Colleges placed #25 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Geneva, NY. The program generates about $27,657 in revenue per athlete, compared with $27,657 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $50 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. 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.