by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 19 schools for Men’s Cross Country 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.
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Jump to the options below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Stanford University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit school based in Stanford, CA. Stanford University records an NCAA APR of 998. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,868, compared with $32,868 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $42,012.
California Institute of Technology came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. Based in Pasadena, CA, California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,884 per participant, against $8,884 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of San Francisco landed the #3 spot for Men's Cross Country. University of San Francisco is a private not-for-profit school based in San Francisco, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,442, compared with $16,442 spent per athlete. The school awards about $31,788 in athletic aid per athlete.
Santa Clara University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Located in Santa Clara, CA, Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 981. Team revenue averages $51,913 per participant, against $51,913 in expenses. The school awards about $19,355 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of San Diego came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Diego, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. Team revenue averages $7,913 per participant, compared with $7,913 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,537.
Pepperdine University did well this year, earning the #6 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Malibu, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 990. Team revenue averages $14,649 per participant, compared with $14,649 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,861.
University of California-Irvine came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Irvine, CA, University of California-Irvine is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Team revenue averages $1,283 per participant, with expenses of about $1,283 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,955 per athlete.
Chapman University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Based in Orange, CA, Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,136, with expenses of about $4,136 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Mary's College of California ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Moraga, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991. Team revenue averages $14,110 per participant, compared with $14,110 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $18,999 per athlete.
University of California-Santa Barbara landed the #10 spot this year. Located in Santa Barbara, CA, University of California-Santa Barbara is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988. Team revenue averages $7,823 per participant, compared with $7,823 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,355.
University of Redlands landed the #11 spot this year. Based in Redlands, CA, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,471, compared with $7,957 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
California Lutheran University placed #12 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit school based in Thousand Oaks, CA. The program generates about $3,212 in revenue per athlete, against $3,212 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
California Baptist University landed the #13 spot this year. California Baptist University is a private not-for-profit school based in Riverside, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 962. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,870, against $16,134 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,790.
San Francisco State University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. San Francisco State University is a public school based in San Francisco, CA. Team revenue averages $18,881 per participant, with expenses of about $18,881 per participant. Athletic aid averages $2,480 per athlete.
University of California-Merced placed #15 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. University of California-Merced is a public school based in Merced, CA. Team revenue averages $7,944 per participant, with expenses of about $7,944 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $1,179.
California State University-Los Angeles ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. California State University-Los Angeles is a public school based in Los Angeles, CA. The program generates about $10,769 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,769 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,687 per athlete.
University of La Verne came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Based in La Verne, CA, University of La Verne is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,569 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,680 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Chico placed #18 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Located in Chico, CA, California State University-Chico is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,577, with expenses of about $6,114 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,367.
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Arcata, CA. The program generates about $15,897 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $11,716 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,418.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.
