by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 10 colleges for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual evaluates each program using 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Bowdoin College earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Based in Brunswick, ME, Bowdoin College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $19,878 per participant, with expenses of about $18,873 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bates College ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Bates College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lewiston, ME. The program generates about $31,027 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $25,370 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colby College earned the #3 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waterville, ME. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,853, compared with $21,853 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Maine landed the #4 spot for Men's Basketball. University of Maine is a public school based in Orono, ME. The team's NCAA APR score is 965, and a 87% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. The program generates about $124,660 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $124,660 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,613.
Maine Maritime Academy is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #5. This public school is set in Castine, ME. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,346, with expenses of about $9,346 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of New England landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Biddeford, ME. Team revenue averages $13,802 per participant, with expenses of about $9,501 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Husson University placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Husson University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bangor, ME. The program generates about $14,628 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $12,903 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Southern Maine landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Portland, ME, University of Southern Maine is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,769, against $7,631 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Thomas College placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Waterville, ME, Thomas College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,916 in revenue per athlete, against $5,354 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $244 per athlete.
University of Maine at Presque Isle came in at #10 in this year's ranking. University of Maine at Presque Isle is a public school based in Presque Isle, ME. The program generates about $3,870 in revenue per athlete, against $3,870 in expenses. 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.