by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 44 colleges 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Elon University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Based in Elon, NC, Elon University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 85% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $203,923, compared with $203,923 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $25,795 per athlete.
High Point University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in High Point, NC, High Point University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 55%. Team revenue averages $274,154 per participant, against $233,804 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $18,469 per athlete.
Campbell University landed the #3 spot for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Buies Creek, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 47% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $132,935 per participant, against $132,935 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,433 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earned the #4 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Chapel Hill, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 976, and a 70% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 54%. The program generates about $2,483,880 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $1,046,163 per participant. Athletic aid averages $17,771 per athlete.
Wake Forest University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Based in Winston-Salem, NC, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution. Wake Forest University records an NCAA APR of 965, alongside a GSR of 80%. The federal graduation rate stands at 19%. The program generates about $767,947 in revenue per athlete, compared with $767,947 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $38,933.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh did well this year, earning the #6 position. Based in Raleigh, NC, North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 981, with a Graduation Success Rate of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 18%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,266,239, with expenses of about $790,594 per participant. The school awards about $18,384 in athletic aid per athlete.
Duke University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 963, alongside a GSR of 60%. The federal graduation rate stands at 25%. Team revenue averages $3,515,300 per participant, with expenses of about $2,124,574 per participant. Athletic aid averages $34,321 per athlete.
Davidson College placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Davidson, NC, Davidson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 958, alongside a GSR of 90%. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $343,790 per participant, compared with $273,374 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,830.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte did well this year, earning the #9 position. This public school is set in Charlotte, NC. University of North Carolina at Charlotte records an NCAA APR of 982, alongside a GSR of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 25%. The program generates about $334,024 in revenue per athlete, against $253,269 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,522 per athlete.
University of North Carolina Wilmington landed the #10 spot this year. University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public school based in Wilmington, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. Its federal graduation rate is 30%. The program generates about $179,608 in revenue per athlete, against $179,608 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,667 per athlete.
Catawba College came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Catawba College is a private not-for-profit school based in Salisbury, NC. Team revenue averages $20,444 per participant, with expenses of about $23,618 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,164.
Lenoir-Rhyne University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Hickory, NC, Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,343, against $40,343 in expenses. The school awards about $7,094 in athletic aid per athlete.
Appalachian State University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Boone, NC, Appalachian State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 953, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 55% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $144,165 per participant, with expenses of about $144,165 per participant. The school awards about $14,299 in athletic aid per athlete.
Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte landed the #14 spot this year. Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte is a private not-for-profit school based in Charlotte, NC. Team revenue averages $8,245 per participant, compared with $8,245 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Gardner-Webb University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boiling Springs, NC. Gardner-Webb University records an NCAA APR of 968, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 46% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $46,749, with expenses of about $46,749 per participant. The school awards about $14,936 in athletic aid per athlete.
Winston-Salem State University landed the #16 spot this year. Located in Winston-Salem, NC, Winston-Salem State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $42,624 per participant, with expenses of about $42,624 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,441 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Greensboro, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 950, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 82% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $165,342 per participant, with expenses of about $165,342 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,162 per athlete.
Barton College landed the #18 spot this year. Located in Wilson, NC, Barton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $15,219 in revenue per athlete, compared with $15,219 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,654 in athletic aid per athlete.
East Carolina University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Greenville, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 962, alongside a GSR of 70%. The federal graduation rate stands at 0%. Team revenue averages $268,688 per participant, with expenses of about $268,014 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,584.
Wingate University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Wingate, NC, Wingate University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $23,977 in revenue per athlete, compared with $23,365 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,748 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mount Olive ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Mount Olive, NC, University of Mount Olive is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,240 per participant, against $12,871 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,775.
Guilford College came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Based in Greensboro, NC, Guilford College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,709 per participant, against $12,172 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina Asheville ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Asheville, NC, University of North Carolina Asheville is a public institution. University of North Carolina Asheville records an NCAA APR of 983, with a Graduation Success Rate of 67%. Its federal graduation rate is 26%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $92,051, against $92,051 in expenses. The school awards about $5,593 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Carolina Central University did well this year, earning the #24 position. North Carolina Central University is a public school based in Durham, NC. North Carolina Central University records an NCAA APR of 942, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 33% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $88,503 in revenue per athlete, against $88,503 in expenses. The school awards about $14,804 in athletic aid per athlete.
Elizabeth City State University ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Elizabeth City, NC. The program generates about $26,698 in revenue per athlete, against $26,698 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,147.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.