by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 25 colleges for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual evaluates each program using 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:
Clemson University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Clemson University is a public school based in Clemson, SC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $740,749 per participant, compared with $740,749 spent per athlete. The school awards about $21,730 in athletic aid per athlete.
Furman University landed the #2 spot for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Greenville, SC. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $270,199 per participant, compared with $270,199 spent per athlete. The school awards about $28,699 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wofford College is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #3. This private not-for-profit school is set in Spartanburg, SC. The team's NCAA APR score is 983, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $187,865, with expenses of about $187,865 per participant. The school awards about $26,368 in athletic aid per athlete.
College of Charleston ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. College of Charleston is a public school based in Charleston, SC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 976, alongside a GSR of 89%. Its federal graduation rate is 58%. The program generates about $338,461 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $338,461 per participant. The school awards about $11,551 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Greenville University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #5. Located in Tigerville, SC, North Greenville University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $24,647 per participant, with expenses of about $24,691 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,158.
University of South Carolina-Columbia came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Columbia, SC, University of South Carolina-Columbia is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 957, alongside a GSR of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 21%. Team revenue averages $1,103,290 per participant, against $791,011 in expenses. The school awards about $18,645 in athletic aid per athlete.
Charleston Southern University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Charleston, SC, Charleston Southern University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 974, and a 87% Graduation Success Rate. About 52% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $112,588, with expenses of about $112,588 per participant. Athletic aid averages $15,092 per athlete.
Coastal Carolina University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Coastal Carolina University is a public school based in Conway, SC. Coastal Carolina University records an NCAA APR of 952, alongside a GSR of 86%. Its federal graduation rate is 45%. The program generates about $203,066 in revenue per athlete, compared with $203,066 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,875.
University of South Carolina-Upstate landed the #9 spot this year. This public school is set in Spartanburg, SC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 962, alongside a GSR of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 40%. Team revenue averages $94,636 per participant, against $94,636 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,411.
Citadel Military College of South Carolina landed the #10 spot this year. Located in Charleston, SC, Citadel Military College of South Carolina is a public institution. Citadel Military College of South Carolina records an NCAA APR of 971, and a 60% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 35%. The program generates about $104,566 in revenue per athlete, against $96,196 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,439 per athlete.
Lander University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in Greenwood, SC, Lander University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $57,093 per participant, compared with $47,057 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,383.
Southern Wesleyan University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Based in Central, SC, Southern Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,599, against $13,599 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,609.
Claflin University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Located in Orangeburg, SC, Claflin University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $35,713, with expenses of about $35,713 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,337.
Winthrop University placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Rock Hill, SC, Winthrop University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 955, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. The federal graduation rate stands at 56%. Team revenue averages $121,501 per participant, compared with $121,501 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,244 in athletic aid per athlete.
Converse University did well this year, earning the #15 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Spartanburg, SC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,278, with expenses of about $26,933 per participant. The school awards about $7,241 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of South Carolina Aiken came in at #16 in this year's ranking. University of South Carolina Aiken is a public school based in Aiken, SC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $50,069, compared with $50,186 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,318.
Presbyterian College placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Presbyterian College is a private not-for-profit school based in Clinton, SC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 951, alongside a GSR of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 17%. Team revenue averages $113,749 per participant, compared with $113,749 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,454 per athlete.
Erskine College placed #18 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Due West, SC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,613, against $4,613 in expenses. The school awards about $3,924 in athletic aid per athlete.
Newberry College did well this year, earning the #19 position. Newberry College is a private not-for-profit school based in Newberry, SC. Team revenue averages $17,973 per participant, compared with $19,345 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,596.
Francis Marion University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Florence, SC. The program generates about $15,845 in revenue per athlete, against $15,845 in expenses. The school awards about $5,654 in athletic aid per athlete.
South Carolina State University did well this year, earning the #21 position. South Carolina State University is a public school based in Orangeburg, SC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 948, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. The program generates about $88,174 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $88,174 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,529 per athlete.
University of South Carolina Beaufort landed the #22 spot this year. University of South Carolina Beaufort is a public school based in Bluffton, SC. The program generates about $34,832 in revenue per athlete, compared with $34,937 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,478 in athletic aid per athlete.
Coker University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Based in Hartsville, SC, Coker University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $28,253 in revenue per athlete, against $27,442 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,938 per athlete.
Benedict College ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Columbia, SC. The program generates about $17,141 in revenue per athlete, against $31,764 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,098.
Allen University landed the #25 spot this year. Allen University is a private not-for-profit school based in Columbia, SC. The program generates about $14,854 in revenue per athlete, against $14,854 in expenses. The school awards about $3,826 in athletic aid per athlete.
*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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.