by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 46 colleges 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Our analysis found Abilene Christian University to be the best college for Men's Basketball in Texas. Abilene Christian University is a private not-for-profit school based in Abilene, TX. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 77%. Team revenue averages $210,483 per participant, compared with $173,583 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $26,012 per athlete.
The University of Texas at Austin earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Austin, TX, The University of Texas at Austin is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 988, and a 73% Graduation Success Rate. About 47% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $1,086,096 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $1,388,080 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,650.
University of Houston ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Houston, TX, University of Houston is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 33% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $1,041,257 per participant, against $1,041,257 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,948.
Rice University landed the #4 spot for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Houston, TX. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 33%. The program generates about $313,822 in revenue per athlete, against $313,822 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $41,166 per athlete.
Southern Methodist University is one of the top schools for Men's Basketball, at #5. This private not-for-profit school is set in Dallas, TX. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 978, with a Graduation Success Rate of 77%. Its federal graduation rate is 38%. Team revenue averages $1,045,955 per participant, compared with $1,045,955 spent per athlete. The school awards about $56,388 in athletic aid per athlete.
Baylor University placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Located in Waco, TX, Baylor University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 950, alongside a GSR of 80%. The federal graduation rate stands at 78%. The program generates about $1,316,070 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $1,316,070 per participant. The school awards about $30,455 in athletic aid per athlete.
Texas State University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in San Marcos, TX, Texas State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 978, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 42%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $227,728, with expenses of about $227,728 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,371.
Dallas Baptist University landed the #8 spot this year. Located in Dallas, TX, Dallas Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $75,550 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $74,583 per participant. The school awards about $9,215 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Dallas did well this year, earning the #9 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Irving, TX. Team revenue averages $9,392 per participant, against $9,392 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Austin College ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Sherman, TX, Austin College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,609, with expenses of about $11,407 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
East Texas A&M University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Based in Commerce, TX, East Texas A&M University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 38%. The program generates about $109,843 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $109,807 per participant. Athletic aid averages $12,747 per athlete.
Texas Christian University landed the #12 spot this year. Texas Christian University is a private not-for-profit school based in Fort Worth, TX. Texas Christian University records an NCAA APR of 966, with a Graduation Success Rate of 50%. About 17% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $918,851 in revenue per athlete, against $918,851 in expenses. The school awards about $37,174 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Texas at El Paso placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in El Paso, TX. The team's NCAA APR score is 978, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 7%. The program generates about $477,804 in revenue per athlete, compared with $234,235 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $18,754 per athlete.
Texas A&M University-College Station placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in College Station, TX, Texas A&M University-College Station is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 966, with a Graduation Success Rate of 58%. About 23% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $983,416, against $894,559 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,123 per athlete.
LeTourneau University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Based in Longview, TX, LeTourneau University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,724, against $13,724 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Sam Houston State University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Sam Houston State University is a public school based in Huntsville, TX. Sam Houston State University records an NCAA APR of 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 0%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $141,828, compared with $141,828 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,743 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Texas at Arlington landed the #17 spot this year. Located in Arlington, TX, The University of Texas at Arlington is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 950, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. The program generates about $138,032 in revenue per athlete, compared with $138,032 spent per athlete. The school awards about $12,666 in athletic aid per athlete.
Houston Christian University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Houston, TX. Houston Christian University records an NCAA APR of 984, and a 77% Graduation Success Rate. About 25% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $97,595 in revenue per athlete, compared with $97,595 spent per athlete. The school awards about $20,924 in athletic aid per athlete.
Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi placed #19 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Corpus Christi, TX, Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 75% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 36%. Team revenue averages $129,128 per participant, with expenses of about $129,128 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,202.
University of the Incarnate Word did well this year, earning the #20 position. Located in San Antonio, TX, University of the Incarnate Word is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 982, and a 86% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 23%. The program generates about $68,887 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $68,887 per participant. The school awards about $18,744 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Texas did well this year, earning the #21 position. University of North Texas is a public school based in Denton, TX. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 954, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. About 10% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $296,576 per participant, against $296,576 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,504 per athlete.
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor placed #22 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Belton, TX, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,157, compared with $18,157 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Texas Tech University landed the #23 spot this year. This public school is set in Lubbock, TX. Texas Tech University records an NCAA APR of 963, and a 33% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 10%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,065,079, against $1,042,489 in expenses. The school awards about $13,662 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Texas at San Antonio did well this year, earning the #24 position. Located in San Antonio, TX, The University of Texas at San Antonio is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 945, alongside a GSR of 83%. Its federal graduation rate is 38%. Team revenue averages $181,108 per participant, with expenses of about $181,108 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,155.
Texas Lutheran University landed the #25 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Seguin, TX. The program generates about $7,759 in revenue per athlete, against $7,932 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.