by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 8 programs for Men’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Leading the list is University of Kansas, our #1 college for Men's Basketball. Located in Lawrence, KS, University of Kansas is a public institution. University of Kansas records an NCAA APR of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 82%. About 46% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $1,153,629 per participant, against $1,038,530 in expenses. The school awards about $21,506 in athletic aid per athlete.
Pittsburg State University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Pittsburg, KS. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $73,465, with expenses of about $73,465 per participant. The school awards about $5,160 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kansas State University earned the #3 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Manhattan, KS. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 945, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 43%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $779,130, compared with $779,130 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,682.
Wichita State University landed the #4 spot for Men's Basketball. Wichita State University is a public school based in Wichita, KS. Wichita State University records an NCAA APR of 949, with a Graduation Success Rate of 73%. About 29% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $450,378 in revenue per athlete, against $450,378 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,114 per athlete.
Emporia State University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Basketball. Based in Emporia, KS, Emporia State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $53,169, compared with $52,818 spent per athlete. The school awards about $4,709 in athletic aid per athlete.
Washburn University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Washburn University is a public school based in Topeka, KS. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $80,048, against $80,048 in expenses. The school awards about $5,727 in athletic aid per athlete.
Newman University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Wichita, KS, Newman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $32,310 per participant, against $32,310 in expenses. The school awards about $10,192 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fort Hays State University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Basketball. Located in Hays, KS, Fort Hays State University is a public institution. The program generates about $48,933 in revenue per athlete, against $43,604 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,057.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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.