by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 18 colleges for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Auburn University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Auburn, AL. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, and a 67% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 22%. The program generates about $1,476,055 in revenue per athlete, compared with $1,140,839 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $28,233 per athlete.
The University of Alabama landed the #2 spot for Men's Basketball. Located in Tuscaloosa, AL, The University of Alabama is a public institution. The University of Alabama records an NCAA APR of 975, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $1,220,348 per participant, compared with $761,502 spent per athlete. The school awards about $20,760 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Alabama at Birmingham ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Birmingham, AL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, alongside a GSR of 79%. The federal graduation rate stands at 25%. The program generates about $334,342 in revenue per athlete, compared with $312,726 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,655.
Samford University landed the #4 spot for Men's Basketball. Samford University is a private not-for-profit school based in Birmingham, AL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 972, alongside a GSR of 82%. The federal graduation rate stands at 29%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $166,907, compared with $160,582 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $20,864 per athlete.
University of South Alabama earned the #5 place for student athletes. University of South Alabama is a public school based in Mobile, AL. University of South Alabama records an NCAA APR of 975, alongside a GSR of 79%. Its federal graduation rate is 60%. Team revenue averages $205,494 per participant, with expenses of about $180,502 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,705.
University of Alabama in Huntsville came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in Huntsville, AL, University of Alabama in Huntsville is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,020, against $40,020 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,175.
Troy University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Troy, AL, Troy University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 970, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. About 30% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $138,787, against $133,640 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,487 per athlete.
Jacksonville State University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Jacksonville, AL, Jacksonville State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 938, with a Graduation Success Rate of 87%. Its federal graduation rate is 25%. The program generates about $137,575 in revenue per athlete, against $137,575 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,761.
Spring Hill College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Mobile, AL, Spring Hill College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $44,995, with expenses of about $42,845 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,824.
Tuskegee University placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Tuskegee, AL, Tuskegee University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $52,908 per participant, with expenses of about $52,908 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,470.
University of North Alabama placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Florence, AL, University of North Alabama is a public institution. University of North Alabama records an NCAA APR of 978, alongside a GSR of 60%. The federal graduation rate stands at 16%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $116,622, with expenses of about $116,622 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,402 per athlete.
Alabama State University placed #12 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Montgomery, AL, Alabama State University is a public institution. Alabama State University records an NCAA APR of 978, and a 72% Graduation Success Rate. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $75,410 in revenue per athlete, against $75,410 in expenses. The school awards about $8,418 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of West Alabama did well this year, earning the #13 position. Located in Livingston, AL, University of West Alabama is a public institution. Team revenue averages $42,456 per participant, with expenses of about $42,031 per participant. The school awards about $11,323 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Montevallo did well this year, earning the #14 position. Based in Montevallo, AL, University of Montevallo is a public institution. Team revenue averages $27,952 per participant, against $27,952 in expenses. The school awards about $4,698 in athletic aid per athlete.
Huntingdon College placed #15 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Montgomery, AL, Huntingdon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $26,678 per participant, with expenses of about $18,032 per participant. Athletic aid averages $1,932 per athlete.
Auburn University at Montgomery ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Auburn University at Montgomery is a public school based in Montgomery, AL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $37,968, compared with $37,968 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,718 in athletic aid per athlete.
Alabama A & M University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Located in Normal, AL, Alabama A & M University is a public institution. Alabama A & M University records an NCAA APR of 904, and a 78% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 17%. The program generates about $58,935 in revenue per athlete, compared with $45,742 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,274.
Miles College came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Miles College is a private not-for-profit school based in Fairfield, AL. Team revenue averages $34,282 per participant, against $34,282 in expenses. The school awards about $4,563 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
See our data sources and methodologies.