by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 9 colleges for Men’s Cross Country (Division II) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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.
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
California State University-Los Angeles earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country (Division II). Located in Los Angeles, CA, California State University-Los Angeles is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,769, with expenses of about $10,769 per participant. The school awards about $3,687 in athletic aid per athlete.
San Francisco State University landed the #2 spot for Men's Cross Country (Division II). Located in San Francisco, CA, San Francisco State University is a public institution. The program generates about $18,881 in revenue per athlete, against $18,881 in expenses. The school awards about $2,480 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country (Division II). California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt is a public school based in Arcata, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,897, against $11,716 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,418.
University of California-Merced earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Merced, CA, University of California-Merced is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,944, compared with $7,944 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $1,179.
California State University-Chico is one of the top schools for Men's Cross Country (Division II), at #5. Based in Chico, CA, California State University-Chico is a public institution. Team revenue averages $7,577 per participant, with expenses of about $6,114 per participant. The school awards about $2,367 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hawaii Pacific University landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Honolulu, HI, Hawaii Pacific University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,360, with expenses of about $14,360 per participant. The school awards about $7,034 in athletic aid per athlete.
Western Oregon University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Western Oregon University is a public school based in Monmouth, OR. The program generates about $9,050 in revenue per athlete, against $9,050 in expenses. The school awards about $2,713 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Alaska Anchorage came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Anchorage, AK. Team revenue averages $10,701 per participant, against $10,701 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,371 per athlete.
University of Alaska Fairbanks placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country (Division II). University of Alaska Fairbanks is a public school based in Fairbanks, AK. Team revenue averages $7,869 per participant, against $7,612 in expenses. The school awards about $12,144 in athletic aid per athlete.
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
