by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 59 colleges for Men’s Cross Country (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Leading the list is Vanderbilt University, our #1 college for Men's Cross Country (Division I). Located in Nashville, TN, Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $45,800 per participant, compared with $45,800 spent per athlete. The school awards about $42,235 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stanford University is one of the top schools for Men's Cross Country (Division I), at #2. Based in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 998. The program generates about $32,868 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $32,868 per participant. The school awards about $42,012 in athletic aid per athlete.
Temple University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country (Division I). This public school is set in Philadelphia, PA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992. Team revenue averages $49,158 per participant, against $49,158 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $28,567 per athlete.
Elon University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country (Division I). Elon University is a private not-for-profit school based in Elon, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,004, compared with $17,004 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,795.
University of Richmond ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country (Division I). Located in University of Richmond, VA, University of Richmond is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,101, against $13,101 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,609.
University of San Francisco ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country (Division I). Based in San Francisco, CA, University of San Francisco is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. The program generates about $16,442 in revenue per athlete, compared with $16,442 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $31,788.
Santa Clara University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit school based in Santa Clara, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 981. The program generates about $51,913 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $51,913 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,355.
Pepperdine University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Malibu, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 990. Team revenue averages $14,649 per participant, with expenses of about $14,649 per participant. The school awards about $27,861 in athletic aid per athlete.
Merrimack College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in North Andover, MA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 996. The program generates about $24,367 in revenue per athlete, against $24,367 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,394.
Seton Hall University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country (Division I). Located in South Orange, NJ, Seton Hall University is a private not-for-profit institution. Seton Hall University records an NCAA APR of 988. The program generates about $28,142 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $28,142 per participant. The school awards about $32,496 in athletic aid per athlete.
Mercer University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in Macon, GA, Mercer University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995. Team revenue averages $22,005 per participant, compared with $22,005 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,898.
Fairfield University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Fairfield, CT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. Team revenue averages $12,213 per participant, with expenses of about $12,213 per participant. The school awards about $19,587 in athletic aid per athlete.
Quinnipiac University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Quinnipiac University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hamden, CT. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988. The program generates about $18,276 in revenue per athlete, compared with $18,276 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,084.
University of Dayton landed the #14 spot this year. University of Dayton is a private not-for-profit school based in Dayton, OH. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,855, compared with $19,714 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,913 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Tulsa did well this year, earning the #15 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Tulsa, OK. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 980. Team revenue averages $17,453 per participant, with expenses of about $17,453 per participant. Athletic aid averages $34,797 per athlete.
University of San Diego came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Located in San Diego, CA, University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit institution. University of San Diego records an NCAA APR of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,913, compared with $7,913 spent per athlete. The school awards about $19,537 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Mary's College of California came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Moraga, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 991. Team revenue averages $14,110 per participant, against $14,110 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,999.
University of Nevada-Reno did well this year, earning the #18 position. Based in Reno, NV, University of Nevada-Reno is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 989. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,294, compared with $14,668 spent per athlete. The school awards about $21,799 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stetson University placed #19 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country (Division I). Stetson University is a private not-for-profit school based in DeLand, FL. Stetson University records an NCAA APR of 993. Team revenue averages $27,795 per participant, against $27,795 in expenses. The school awards about $17,035 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Toledo placed #20 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country (Division I). Based in Toledo, OH, University of Toledo is a public institution. University of Toledo records an NCAA APR of 990. Team revenue averages $26,760 per participant, against $26,760 in expenses. The school awards about $21,660 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ohio University-Main Campus came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Located in Athens, OH, Ohio University-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. The program generates about $10,703 in revenue per athlete, against $10,703 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,284.
Niagara University did well this year, earning the #22 position. Based in Niagara University, NY, Niagara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988. The program generates about $15,008 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,113 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,462.
University of California-Irvine placed #23 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country (Division I). University of California-Irvine is a public school based in Irvine, CA. University of California-Irvine records an NCAA APR of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,283, against $1,283 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,955 per athlete.
California Baptist University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in Riverside, CA, California Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 962. The program generates about $17,870 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $16,134 per participant. Athletic aid averages $23,790 per athlete.
Florida Atlantic University placed #25 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country (Division I). Florida Atlantic University is a public school based in Boca Raton, FL. The program generates about $9,389 in revenue per athlete, against $9,389 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,971.
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. 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
See our data sources and methodologies.