by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 74 schools for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Carnegie Mellon University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit school based in Pittsburgh, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,452, compared with $17,627 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Swarthmore College came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Based 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. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Franklin and Marshall College earned the #3 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lancaster, PA. Team revenue averages $15,076 per participant, against $16,050 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $53 per athlete.
Gettysburg College is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #4. Gettysburg College is a private not-for-profit school based in Gettysburg, PA. Team revenue averages $18,527 per participant, compared with $18,527 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Temple University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #5. This public school is set in Philadelphia, PA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 92% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $423,156 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $423,156 per participant. Athletic aid averages $28,567 per athlete.
University of Scranton ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit school based in Scranton, PA. Team revenue averages $20,288 per participant, against $20,288 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Drexel University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Drexel University is a private not-for-profit school based in Philadelphia, PA. Drexel University records an NCAA APR of 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. Team revenue averages $221,405 per participant, with expenses of about $221,405 per participant. The school awards about $25,843 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lehigh University landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Bethlehem, PA, Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. About 64% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $150,156 per participant, compared with $150,156 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,391.
Dickinson College came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in Carlisle, PA, Dickinson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,015 per participant, with expenses of about $13,064 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bucknell University placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Bucknell University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lewisburg, PA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, alongside a GSR of 82%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. Team revenue averages $196,320 per participant, compared with $196,320 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $19,655 per athlete.
Ursinus College placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Collegeville, PA, Ursinus College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,541, with expenses of about $23,541 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Haverford College came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Located in Haverford, PA, Haverford College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,980 per participant, against $8,450 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Villanova University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Located in Villanova, PA, Villanova University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. The program generates about $1,103,619 in revenue per athlete, compared with $1,060,674 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $25,480 per athlete.
Thomas Jefferson University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,319, with expenses of about $48,319 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,341.
Messiah University placed #15 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Mechanicsburg, PA, Messiah University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $10,807 per participant, against $11,140 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Gannon University came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Located in Erie, PA, Gannon University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $74,127, compared with $69,918 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,313.
Susquehanna University ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Selinsgrove, PA, Susquehanna University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,909, with expenses of about $14,909 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus came in at #18 in this year's ranking. University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus is a public school based in Pittsburgh, PA. University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus records an NCAA APR of 989, alongside a GSR of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 8%. The program generates about $867,131 in revenue per athlete, compared with $714,861 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $30,613 per athlete.
West Chester University of Pennsylvania ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in West Chester, PA. Team revenue averages $40,729 per participant, compared with $38,793 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $2,168 per athlete.
Lafayette College did well this year, earning the #20 position. Lafayette College is a private not-for-profit school based in Easton, PA. 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 73%. The program generates about $176,579 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $176,579 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,987.
Duquesne University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Duquesne University is a private not-for-profit school based in Pittsburgh, PA. Duquesne University records an NCAA APR of 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 13%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $334,008, compared with $334,008 spent per athlete. The school awards about $17,755 in athletic aid per athlete.
Moravian University did well this year, earning the #22 position. Moravian University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bethlehem, PA. The program generates about $12,045 in revenue per athlete, against $10,802 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Muhlenberg College came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Located in Allentown, PA, Muhlenberg College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,471 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,471 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Elizabethtown College landed the #24 spot this year. Located in Elizabethtown, PA, Elizabethtown College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,290, with expenses of about $6,290 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lebanon Valley College came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Annville, PA, Lebanon Valley College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,601 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,772 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.