by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 168 colleges for Men’s Cross Country (Division III) 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.
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Learn more about these schools below:
Our analysis found Washington and Lee University to be the best college for Men's Cross Country (Division III) in the United States. Based in Lexington, VA, Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,840, compared with $8,840 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
California Institute of Technology landed the #2 spot for Men's Cross Country (Division III). Located in Pasadena, CA, California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,884 per participant, compared with $8,884 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colby College earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Waterville, ME, Colby College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,052 per participant, compared with $6,052 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Middlebury College ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country (Division III). Located in Middlebury, VT, Middlebury College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,977 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,977 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Case Western Reserve University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country (Division III). Located in Cleveland, OH, Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,360 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,360 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Colorado College landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Colorado Springs, CO, Colorado College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,932 per participant, compared with $6,108 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,478 per athlete.
Williams College landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Williamstown, MA, Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $3,803 per participant, against $3,803 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Yeshiva University placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY. The program generates about $4,591 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,591 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Hamilton College landed the #9 spot this year. Located in Clinton, NY, Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,043, compared with $4,043 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Vassar College ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country (Division III). Vassar College is a private not-for-profit school based in Poughkeepsie, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,654, with expenses of about $4,523 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Chapman University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Orange, CA. The program generates about $4,136 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,136 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Amherst College landed the #12 spot this year. Located in Amherst, MA, Amherst College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,321, with expenses of about $3,321 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Dickinson College did well this year, earning the #13 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Carlisle, PA. The program generates about $3,938 in revenue per athlete, against $4,838 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Christopher Newport University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in Newport News, VA, Christopher Newport University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $5,725 per participant, against $5,725 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Franklin and Marshall College came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Based in Lancaster, PA, Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,774 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $2,969 per participant. The school awards about $53 in athletic aid per athlete.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country (Division III). Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Cambridge, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,904, compared with $1,904 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
St. John Fisher University landed the #17 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,021, with expenses of about $5,174 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Salve Regina University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Based in Newport, RI, Salve Regina University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,508 in revenue per athlete, against $5,439 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Calvin University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Grand Rapids, MI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,196, with expenses of about $4,126 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Redlands landed the #20 spot this year. University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit school based in Redlands, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,471, with expenses of about $7,957 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Kalamazoo College landed the #21 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Kalamazoo, MI. Team revenue averages $3,886 per participant, with expenses of about $3,886 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Kenyon College placed #22 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Gambier, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,906, against $2,906 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Grinnell College landed the #23 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Grinnell, IA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,272, against $2,272 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Connecticut College did well this year, earning the #24 position. Located in New London, CT, Connecticut College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $2,873 per participant, compared with $2,873 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
State University of New York at New Paltz did well this year, earning the #25 position. Based in New Paltz, NY, State University of New York at New Paltz is a public institution. Team revenue averages $8,155 per participant, compared with $8,152 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
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.