by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 24 schools for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual weighs 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:
Emory University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Atlanta, GA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $51,850, compared with $32,217 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus landed the #2 spot for Men's Basketball. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus is a public school based in Atlanta, GA. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 967, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 42%. Team revenue averages $969,103 per participant, against $800,930 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,289.
Georgia State University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Atlanta, GA, Georgia State University is a public institution. Georgia State University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 75%. Its federal graduation rate is 25%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $168,851, with expenses of about $168,851 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,875.
Berry College landed the #4 spot for Men's Basketball. Berry College is a private not-for-profit school based in Mount Berry, GA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,902, compared with $15,695 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Mercer University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #5. Based in Macon, GA, Mercer University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 968, alongside a GSR of 80%. Its federal graduation rate is 31%. Team revenue averages $167,591 per participant, with expenses of about $167,591 per participant. The school awards about $23,898 in athletic aid per athlete.
Georgia Southern University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Statesboro, GA, Georgia Southern University is a public institution. Georgia Southern University records an NCAA APR of 983, and a 75% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. The program generates about $159,823 in revenue per athlete, compared with $159,823 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,953 per athlete.
University of Georgia came in at #7 in this year's ranking. University of Georgia is a public school based in Athens, GA. The team's NCAA APR score is 970, and a 50% Graduation Success Rate. About 21% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,071,938, with expenses of about $693,335 per participant. Athletic aid averages $18,925 per athlete.
Kennesaw State University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Kennesaw, GA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 979, alongside a GSR of 71%. Its federal graduation rate is 27%. Team revenue averages $233,844 per participant, against $233,844 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,283.
Clark Atlanta University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Clark Atlanta University is a private not-for-profit school based in Atlanta, GA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $53,468, with expenses of about $51,082 per participant. The school awards about $11,630 in athletic aid per athlete.
Covenant College ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Covenant College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lookout Mountain, GA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,195, against $8,353 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Oglethorpe University placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Atlanta, GA, Oglethorpe University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,895 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,895 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Young Harris College ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Young Harris, GA, Young Harris College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,665, against $28,665 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $5,301 per athlete.
Valdosta State University landed the #13 spot this year. Based in Valdosta, GA, Valdosta State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $37,655, against $37,655 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,542.
University of West Georgia placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Carrollton, GA, University of West Georgia is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 958, alongside a GSR of 76%. Its federal graduation rate is 38%. Team revenue averages $79,904 per participant, compared with $79,904 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,051.
University of North Georgia did well this year, earning the #15 position. Located in Dahlonega, GA, University of North Georgia is a public institution. Team revenue averages $59,262 per participant, compared with $55,178 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,411 per athlete.
Columbus State University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Columbus, GA, Columbus State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $25,010 per participant, with expenses of about $25,010 per participant. The school awards about $4,670 in athletic aid per athlete.
LaGrange College landed the #17 spot this year. Based in Lagrange, GA, LaGrange College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,601, against $5,601 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fort Valley State University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Fort Valley, GA. Team revenue averages $24,628 per participant, compared with $24,628 spent per athlete. The school awards about $2,378 in athletic aid per athlete.
Shorter University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Rome, GA, Shorter University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $23,714 per participant, with expenses of about $23,714 per participant. The school awards about $7,563 in athletic aid per athlete.
Piedmont University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Demorest, GA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,272, with expenses of about $12,272 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Clayton State University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Based in Morrow, GA, Clayton State University is a public institution. The program generates about $26,550 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $22,722 per participant. The school awards about $3,906 in athletic aid per athlete.
Georgia Southwestern State University landed the #22 spot this year. This public school is set in Americus, GA. The program generates about $22,813 in revenue per athlete, against $22,813 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $4,453 per athlete.
Middle Georgia State University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Middle Georgia State University is a public school based in Macon, GA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,937, against $14,937 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,016.
Savannah State University ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Savannah, GA, Savannah State University is a public institution. The program generates about $14,497 in revenue per athlete, against $14,497 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,151.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.