by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 78 programs for Men’s Basketball in Plains States 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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Leading the list is University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, our #1 college for Men's Basketball in Plains States. Located in Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 38%. Team revenue averages $999,871 per participant, compared with $976,491 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $27,174 per athlete.
Washington University in St Louis ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball in Plains States. Based in St. Louis, MO, Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $34,160, with expenses of about $32,475 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Iowa earned the #3 place for student athletes. Located in Iowa City, IA, University of Iowa is a public institution. University of Iowa records an NCAA APR of 994, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $982,495, with expenses of about $781,897 per participant. The school awards about $21,176 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Kansas ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball in Plains States. Located in Lawrence, KS, University of Kansas is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, and a 82% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 46%. The program generates about $1,153,629 in revenue per athlete, against $1,038,530 in expenses. The school awards about $21,506 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rockhurst University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball in Plains States. Rockhurst University is a private not-for-profit school based in Kansas City, MO. The program generates about $45,476 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $45,476 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,130.
Carleton College landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Northfield, MN, Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,608 per participant, with expenses of about $9,350 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Nebraska at Omaha placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball in Plains States. Based in Omaha, NE, University of Nebraska at Omaha is a public institution. University of Nebraska at Omaha records an NCAA APR of 984, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. The program generates about $153,646 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $223,359 per participant. The school awards about $10,713 in athletic aid per athlete.
Macalester College ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball in Plains States. Based in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,136, with expenses of about $22,713 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Iowa State University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Ames, IA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, alongside a GSR of 82%. Its federal graduation rate is 20%. The program generates about $962,514 in revenue per athlete, compared with $692,184 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,185.
University of Northern Iowa placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball in Plains States. Located in Cedar Falls, IA, University of Northern Iowa is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 78% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $209,683, against $209,683 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,720.
Creighton University landed the #11 spot this year. Creighton University is a private not-for-profit school based in Omaha, NE. Creighton University records an NCAA APR of 989, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. About 42% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,235,476, against $876,226 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,224.
Maryville University of Saint Louis came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Based in Saint Louis, MO, Maryville University of Saint Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $51,563 per participant, compared with $49,444 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,338 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Dakota placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball in Plains States. Based in Grand Forks, ND, University of North Dakota is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 38%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $160,396, with expenses of about $160,396 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,250 per athlete.
University of Missouri-Columbia landed the #14 spot this year. This public school is set in Columbia, MO. University of Missouri-Columbia records an NCAA APR of 994, and a 73% Graduation Success Rate. About 29% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $1,047,659 per participant, compared with $797,444 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,637.
Grinnell College ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball in Plains States. Based in Grinnell, IA, Grinnell College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,516 per participant, compared with $8,516 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Olaf College landed the #16 spot this year. Based in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $17,777 per participant, with expenses of about $16,540 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball in Plains States. Based in Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 983, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. About 27% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $1,024,852 per participant, with expenses of about $733,122 per participant. The school awards about $16,793 in athletic aid per athlete.
Drake University did well this year, earning the #18 position. Drake University is a private not-for-profit school based in Des Moines, IA. Drake University records an NCAA APR of 969, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 33%. Team revenue averages $356,265 per participant, against $356,265 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,413.
Missouri State University-Springfield landed the #19 spot this year. Based in Springfield, MO, Missouri State University-Springfield is a public institution. Missouri State University-Springfield records an NCAA APR of 961, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. About 56% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $220,704, against $220,704 in expenses. The school awards about $12,364 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Dakota State University-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #20 position. Based in Fargo, ND, North Dakota State University-Main Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, and a 83% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 58%. The program generates about $131,400 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $131,400 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,886 per athlete.
University of Mary came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Located in Bismarck, ND, University of Mary is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $38,726, with expenses of about $38,726 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,321.
Gustavus Adolphus College landed the #22 spot this year. Gustavus Adolphus College is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Peter, MN. Team revenue averages $6,242 per participant, with expenses of about $6,242 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Duluth ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball in Plains States. This public school is set in Duluth, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,711, compared with $48,711 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,671 per athlete.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in Winona, MN, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,625, compared with $12,625 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
South Dakota State University did well this year, earning the #25 position. Located in Brookings, SD, South Dakota State University is a public institution. South Dakota State University records an NCAA APR of 978, alongside a GSR of 89%. About 36% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $174,840 in revenue per athlete, compared with $174,840 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,424 in athletic aid per athlete.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.
