by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 29 schools for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Brigham Young University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Provo, UT, Brigham Young University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, alongside a GSR of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,649,839, against $1,001,768 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,191.
Colorado State University-Fort Collins earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Fort Collins, CO, Colorado State University-Fort Collins is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 977, alongside a GSR of 90%. The federal graduation rate stands at 57%. Team revenue averages $464,404 per participant, against $464,404 in expenses. The school awards about $21,001 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Colorado Boulder is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #3. This public school is set in Boulder, CO. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 64% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 38%. The program generates about $701,105 in revenue per athlete, compared with $506,374 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $29,674.
Boise State University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Boise State University is a public school based in Boise, ID. Boise State University records an NCAA APR of 974, and a 83% Graduation Success Rate. About 40% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $437,480 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $378,280 per participant. The school awards about $29,790 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wyoming ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Laramie, WY, University of Wyoming is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. About 38% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $271,865, compared with $271,865 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $17,612 per athlete.
Colorado School of Mines did well this year, earning the #6 position. Colorado School of Mines is a public school based in Golden, CO. Team revenue averages $64,465 per participant, against $64,465 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,984 per athlete.
University of Denver came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Denver, CO, University of Denver is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 961, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 19%. The program generates about $252,238 in revenue per athlete, compared with $252,238 spent per athlete. The school awards about $42,890 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colorado College placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Colorado Springs, CO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,746, compared with $22,394 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,478.
Utah Valley University did well this year, earning the #9 position. This public school is set in Orem, UT. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, alongside a GSR of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 0%. The program generates about $137,200 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $137,200 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,013 per athlete.
Weber State University placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Ogden, UT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, alongside a GSR of 78%. The federal graduation rate stands at 22%. Team revenue averages $138,984 per participant, with expenses of about $138,984 per participant. Athletic aid averages $10,446 per athlete.
Utah State University landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Logan, UT, Utah State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 971, with a Graduation Success Rate of 67%. The federal graduation rate stands at 36%. The program generates about $381,200 in revenue per athlete, compared with $381,200 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,542 in athletic aid per athlete.
Idaho State University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Pocatello, ID. Idaho State University records an NCAA APR of 967, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $89,255, against $89,255 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $12,538 per athlete.
University of Utah came in at #13 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Salt Lake City, UT. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 961, with a Graduation Success Rate of 67%. About 15% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $943,426, compared with $497,473 spent per athlete. The school awards about $29,047 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northwest Nazarene University landed the #14 spot this year. Based in Nampa, ID, Northwest Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $47,218, compared with $47,218 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,381 per athlete.
University of Northern Colorado placed #15 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Greeley, CO. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 978, and a 78% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 33%. The program generates about $132,844 in revenue per athlete, compared with $132,844 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,220.
University of Idaho did well this year, earning the #16 position. Based in Moscow, ID, University of Idaho is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 963, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. About 15% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $101,715 per participant, against $101,715 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,739.
Montana State University ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Bozeman, MT. Montana State University records an NCAA APR of 941, alongside a GSR of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 33%. The program generates about $149,109 in revenue per athlete, compared with $173,642 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,472 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Montana did well this year, earning the #18 position. This public school is set in Missoula, MT. The University of Montana records an NCAA APR of 970, alongside a GSR of 70%. The federal graduation rate stands at 31%. Team revenue averages $190,185 per participant, compared with $218,655 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $12,798 per athlete.
Southern Utah University did well this year, earning the #19 position. This public school is set in Cedar City, UT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 930, alongside a GSR of 92%. About 40% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $79,728 in revenue per athlete, compared with $86,298 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $10,065 per athlete.
Utah Tech University did well this year, earning the #20 position. Located in Saint George, UT, Utah Tech University is a public institution. Utah Tech University records an NCAA APR of 935, alongside a GSR of 81%. About 43% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $136,367 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $135,305 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,796.
University of Colorado Colorado Springs placed #21 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. University of Colorado Colorado Springs is a public school based in Colorado Springs, CO. The program generates about $48,473 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $46,716 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,988 per athlete.
Colorado Christian University placed #22 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lakewood, CO. Team revenue averages $34,879 per participant, against $34,879 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,910.
Western Colorado University landed the #23 spot this year. This public school is set in Gunnison, CO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $38,060, against $38,060 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,480.
Colorado Mesa University placed #24 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Grand Junction, CO, Colorado Mesa University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $63,083 per participant, with expenses of about $64,181 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,175.
Fort Lewis College ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Durango, CO, Fort Lewis College is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $43,590, with expenses of about $43,590 per participant. The school awards about $5,356 in athletic aid per athlete.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*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.