by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 14 schools for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Colorado School of Mines tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Golden, CO, Colorado School of Mines is a public institution. Team revenue averages $64,465 per participant, with expenses of about $64,465 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,984.
University of Colorado Boulder is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #2. Based in Boulder, CO, University of Colorado Boulder is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 64% Graduation Success Rate. About 38% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $701,105 in revenue per athlete, against $506,374 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $29,674 per athlete.
Colorado State University-Fort Collins came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Colorado State University-Fort Collins is a public school based in Fort Collins, CO. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 977, alongside a GSR of 90%. About 57% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $464,404 in revenue per athlete, against $464,404 in expenses. The school awards about $21,001 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colorado College landed the #4 spot for Men's Basketball. Colorado College is a private not-for-profit school based in Colorado Springs, CO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,746, compared with $22,394 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,478 per athlete.
University of Denver ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Denver, CO, University of Denver is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 961, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 19%. Team revenue averages $252,238 per participant, with expenses of about $252,238 per participant. Athletic aid averages $42,890 per athlete.
University of Northern Colorado ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Greeley, CO, University of Northern Colorado is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 978, alongside a GSR of 78%. The federal graduation rate stands at 33%. The program generates about $132,844 in revenue per athlete, against $132,844 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,220.
University of Colorado Colorado Springs landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Colorado Springs, CO, University of Colorado Colorado Springs is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,473, with expenses of about $46,716 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,988 per athlete.
Colorado Christian University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Lakewood, CO, Colorado Christian University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $34,879, compared with $34,879 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,910 per athlete.
Western Colorado University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Gunnison, CO, Western Colorado University is a public institution. The program generates about $38,060 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $38,060 per participant. The school awards about $3,480 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colorado Mesa University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Grand Junction, CO, Colorado Mesa University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $63,083, with expenses of about $64,181 per participant. Athletic aid averages $4,175 per athlete.
Fort Lewis College did well this year, earning the #11 position. Located in Durango, CO, Fort Lewis College is a public institution. The program generates about $43,590 in revenue per athlete, compared with $43,590 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,356 in athletic aid per athlete.
Metropolitan State University of Denver did well this year, earning the #12 position. Based in Denver, CO, Metropolitan State University of Denver is a public institution. The program generates about $73,429 in revenue per athlete, compared with $73,396 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,924.
Colorado State University Pueblo placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Pueblo, CO, Colorado State University Pueblo is a public institution. Team revenue averages $34,924 per participant, compared with $34,924 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,320 in athletic aid per athlete.
Adams State University did well this year, earning the #14 position. Adams State University is a public school based in Alamosa, CO. The program generates about $34,370 in revenue per athlete, compared with $34,370 spent per athlete. The school awards about $3,419 in athletic aid per athlete.
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.