by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 32 programs 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.
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Jump to the options below.
Explore the leading programs below:
Our analysis found Washington and Lee University to be the best college for Men's Basketball in Virginia. Based in Lexington, VA, Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $17,596 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,451 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Virginia-Main Campus landed the #2 spot for Men's Basketball. Located in Charlottesville, VA, University of Virginia-Main Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, alongside a GSR of 83%. About 55% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $939,050, against $876,127 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $26,976 per athlete.
University of Richmond ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in University of Richmond, VA. University of Richmond records an NCAA APR of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Team revenue averages $440,461 per participant, with expenses of about $440,461 per participant. The school awards about $27,609 in athletic aid per athlete.
Christopher Newport University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #4. This public school is set in Newport News, VA. Team revenue averages $23,788 per participant, against $23,788 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #5. Based in Blacksburg, VA, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 958, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 58%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $565,694, compared with $633,618 spent per athlete. The school awards about $29,706 in athletic aid per athlete.
Liberty University landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Lynchburg, VA, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution. Liberty University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. The program generates about $371,118 in revenue per athlete, compared with $371,118 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,589.
Randolph-Macon College landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Ashland, VA, Randolph-Macon College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $27,326 in revenue per athlete, against $27,325 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
James Madison University placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Harrisonburg, VA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 20%. Team revenue averages $259,342 per participant, against $259,342 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,945.
Virginia Commonwealth University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Richmond, VA. The team's NCAA APR score is 983, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 38%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $602,223, against $602,223 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,187.
William & Mary landed the #10 spot this year. Located in Williamsburg, VA, William & Mary is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $162,729 per participant, compared with $177,212 spent per athlete. The school awards about $15,943 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mary Washington did well this year, earning the #11 position. University of Mary Washington is a public school based in Fredericksburg, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,601, against $18,812 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Shenandoah University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Winchester, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,775, against $13,775 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
George Mason University placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Fairfax, VA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 966, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 44%. Team revenue averages $361,011 per participant, against $361,011 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,956 per athlete.
Old Dominion University placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Norfolk, VA, Old Dominion University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 966, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 56%. The program generates about $222,005 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $222,005 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,728.
Longwood University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Longwood University is a public school based in Farmville, VA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 25% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $289,193 per participant, compared with $253,367 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,569.
University of Lynchburg did well this year, earning the #16 position. University of Lynchburg is a private not-for-profit school based in Lynchburg, VA. Team revenue averages $14,122 per participant, with expenses of about $14,122 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Roanoke College landed the #17 spot this year. Based in Salem, VA, Roanoke College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,624 in revenue per athlete, compared with $10,624 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Virginia Military Institute landed the #18 spot this year. Located in Lexington, VA, Virginia Military Institute is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 954, alongside a GSR of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 53%. Team revenue averages $124,523 per participant, against $124,523 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,028 per athlete.
Emory & Henry University did well this year, earning the #19 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Emory, VA. Team revenue averages $19,781 per participant, compared with $19,781 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,871 in athletic aid per athlete.
Radford University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Radford, VA. Radford University records an NCAA APR of 945, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 55%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $148,391, against $148,391 in expenses. The school awards about $8,467 in athletic aid per athlete.
Regent University did well this year, earning the #21 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Virginia Beach, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,954, with expenses of about $8,954 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Mary Baldwin University did well this year, earning the #22 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Staunton, VA. The program generates about $8,166 in revenue per athlete, against $8,166 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Virginia Wesleyan University landed the #23 spot this year. Based in Virginia Beach, VA, Virginia Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,908, against $17,908 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hampton University landed the #24 spot this year. Based in Hampton, VA, Hampton University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 941, and a 79% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 43%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $138,966, compared with $187,090 spent per athlete. The school awards about $18,394 in athletic aid per athlete.
Norfolk State University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Norfolk, VA. The team's NCAA APR score is 942, and a 79% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 29%. Team revenue averages $197,976 per participant, compared with $197,976 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,545 per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.