by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 16 schools for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
No school ranked higher than University of Louisville this year for Men's Basketball. University of Louisville is a public school based in Louisville, KY. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 40%. Team revenue averages $1,340,728 per participant, compared with $873,769 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $21,083 per athlete.
University of Kentucky landed the #2 spot for Men's Basketball. Based in Lexington, KY, University of Kentucky is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 0%. The program generates about $1,424,716 in revenue per athlete, compared with $1,424,716 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $23,921 per athlete.
Centre College came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Based in Danville, KY, Centre College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,979, with expenses of about $8,979 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bellarmine University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Located in Louisville, KY, Bellarmine University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 973, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $157,716, compared with $157,716 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,105.
Transylvania University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lexington, KY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,621, with expenses of about $16,621 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northern Kentucky University placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Highland Heights, KY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 972, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 54%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $181,269, against $181,269 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,809.
Eastern Kentucky University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Richmond, KY, Eastern Kentucky University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, with a Graduation Success Rate of 87%. About 40% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $137,639, against $137,639 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,644.
Asbury University placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Wilmore, KY, Asbury University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,536 per participant, compared with $5,536 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Berea College did well this year, earning the #9 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Berea, KY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,053, against $7,646 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Murray State University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Murray, KY. Murray State University records an NCAA APR of 960, alongside a GSR of 89%. The federal graduation rate stands at 21%. The program generates about $269,533 in revenue per athlete, against $174,098 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,774 per athlete.
Western Kentucky University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Western Kentucky University is a public school based in Bowling Green, KY. The team's NCAA APR score is 971, and a 67% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 13%. The program generates about $165,374 in revenue per athlete, against $165,374 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,243.
Morehead State University did well this year, earning the #12 position. Morehead State University is a public school based in Morehead, KY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 971, alongside a GSR of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. The program generates about $118,032 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $122,954 per participant. The school awards about $4,170 in athletic aid per athlete.
Spalding University placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Louisville, KY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,656, against $6,656 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Kentucky Wesleyan College landed the #14 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Owensboro, KY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $51,973, against $53,417 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,522.
Thomas More University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Crestview Hills, KY, Thomas More University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $27,959 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $25,938 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,453.
Kentucky State University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Based in Frankfort, KY, Kentucky State University is a public institution. The program generates about $27,495 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $27,495 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $1,939.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology weighs 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.