by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 6 schools 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Our analysis found Creighton University to be the best college for Men's Basketball in Nebraska. Based in Omaha, NE, Creighton University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 42%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,235,476, with expenses of about $876,226 per participant. Athletic aid averages $17,224 per athlete.
University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #2 spot for Men's Basketball. University of Nebraska at Omaha is a public school based in Omaha, NE. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 984, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 89% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $153,646 per participant, with expenses of about $223,359 per participant. Athletic aid averages $10,713 per athlete.
Nebraska Wesleyan University earned the #3 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lincoln, NE. The program generates about $9,922 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,310 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Lincoln, NE. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 27%. Team revenue averages $1,024,852 per participant, compared with $733,122 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,793 per athlete.
University of Nebraska at Kearney earned the #5 place for student athletes. Based in Kearney, NE, University of Nebraska at Kearney is a public institution. Team revenue averages $37,058 per participant, against $36,437 in expenses. The school awards about $4,590 in athletic aid per athlete.
Chadron State College landed the #6 spot this year. This public school is set in Chadron, NE. Team revenue averages $25,902 per participant, with expenses of about $25,902 per participant. The school awards about $3,283 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. 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.