by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 42 colleges for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Jump to the options below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Leading the list is Amherst College, our #1 college for Men's Basketball. Amherst College is a private not-for-profit school based in Amherst, MA. The program generates about $25,886 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $25,886 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Williams College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Williamstown, MA, Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $15,299 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,299 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Tufts University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Located in Medford, MA, Tufts University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $16,727 per participant, against $15,706 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Boston University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #4. Located in Boston, MA, Boston University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, alongside a GSR of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 85%. Team revenue averages $214,024 per participant, compared with $214,024 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,954.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute earned the #5 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. Team revenue averages $19,024 per participant, compared with $19,024 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology did well this year, earning the #6 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cambridge, MA. Team revenue averages $9,058 per participant, with expenses of about $9,058 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Babson College landed the #7 spot this year. Babson College is a private not-for-profit school based in Wellesley, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,030, with expenses of about $17,030 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bentley University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waltham, MA. Team revenue averages $90,258 per participant, against $87,006 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,029.
Boston College came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in Chestnut Hill, MA, Boston College is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. About 29% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $664,754 per participant, compared with $720,369 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $29,391 per athlete.
Brandeis University landed the #10 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waltham, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,495, compared with $23,495 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northeastern University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in Boston, MA, Northeastern University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, alongside a GSR of 92%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $284,724 in revenue per athlete, against $284,724 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $24,558 per athlete.
College of the Holy Cross placed #12 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 978, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. The program generates about $174,981 in revenue per athlete, against $174,981 in expenses. The school awards about $17,801 in athletic aid per athlete.
Emerson College ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boston, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,248, compared with $10,326 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Assumption University landed the #14 spot this year. Based in Worcester, MA, Assumption University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $42,310 in revenue per athlete, against $40,497 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $4,778 per athlete.
Merrimack College did well this year, earning the #15 position. Based in North Andover, MA, Merrimack College is a private not-for-profit institution. Merrimack College records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. About 64% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $135,845, against $135,845 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,394.
Harvard University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cambridge, MA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Team revenue averages $110,773 per participant, against $110,773 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Stonehill College landed the #17 spot this year. Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit school based in Easton, MA. The team's NCAA APR score is 962, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 78%. Team revenue averages $112,472 per participant, compared with $112,472 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,278 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wheaton College (Massachusetts) did well this year, earning the #18 position. Wheaton College (Massachusetts) is a private not-for-profit school based in Norton, MA. Team revenue averages $11,292 per participant, against $11,292 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wentworth Institute of Technology came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boston, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,098, with expenses of about $10,400 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. University of Massachusetts-Amherst is a public school based in Amherst, MA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 967, alongside a GSR of 82%. The federal graduation rate stands at 36%. The program generates about $365,968 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $365,968 per participant. The school awards about $17,175 in athletic aid per athlete.
Endicott College ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Endicott College is a private not-for-profit school based in Beverly, MA. The program generates about $8,434 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,434 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Springfield College ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Springfield, MA, Springfield College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,969 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,969 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Western New England University placed #23 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Western New England University is a private not-for-profit school based in Springfield, MA. Team revenue averages $8,679 per participant, with expenses of about $8,679 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Suffolk University placed #24 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Boston, MA, Suffolk University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,370, with expenses of about $10,370 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Gordon College ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wenham, MA. Team revenue averages $9,555 per participant, compared with $9,021 spent per athlete. 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. Programs are scored on 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.