by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 5 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:
University of Mary tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Basketball. University of Mary is a private not-for-profit school based in Bismarck, ND. The program generates about $38,726 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $38,726 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,321.
University of North Dakota ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. This public school is set in Grand Forks, ND. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 38%. Team revenue averages $160,396 per participant, compared with $160,396 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,250 per athlete.
North Dakota State University-Main Campus earned the #3 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Fargo, ND. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 83%. The federal graduation rate stands at 58%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $131,400, with expenses of about $131,400 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,886 per athlete.
Minot State University landed the #4 spot for Men's Basketball. Based in Minot, ND, Minot State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $45,825 per participant, against $45,825 in expenses. The school awards about $3,491 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Jamestown ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Basketball. Based in Jamestown, ND, University of Jamestown is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $17,331 per participant, compared with $17,331 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,474 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology weighs 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
