by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 45 colleges 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.
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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Leading the list is Case Western Reserve University, our #1 college for Men's Cross Country. Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cleveland, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,360, against $4,360 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Dayton landed the #2 spot for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Dayton, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Team revenue averages $17,855 per participant, compared with $19,714 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,913.
Kalamazoo College is one of the top schools for Men's Cross Country, at #3. Based in Kalamazoo, MI, Kalamazoo College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,886, against $3,886 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Kenyon College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. Kenyon College is a private not-for-profit school based in Gambier, OH. The program generates about $2,906 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $2,906 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Cedarville University is one of the top schools for Men's Cross Country, at #5. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cedarville, OH. Team revenue averages $4,778 per participant, compared with $4,778 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,791 in athletic aid per athlete.
Calvin University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Located in Grand Rapids, MI, Calvin University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,196, with expenses of about $4,126 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ohio University-Main Campus came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Athens, OH, Ohio University-Main Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Team revenue averages $10,703 per participant, with expenses of about $10,703 per participant. The school awards about $17,284 in athletic aid per athlete.
Michigan Technological University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Houghton, MI, Michigan Technological University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,588, with expenses of about $5,670 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,159.
Oberlin College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Oberlin, OH. Team revenue averages $3,187 per participant, with expenses of about $3,187 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology landed the #10 spot this year. Located in Terre Haute, IN, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $1,686 per participant, compared with $1,478 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse did well this year, earning the #11 position. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is a public school based in La Crosse, WI. Team revenue averages $4,308 per participant, compared with $4,707 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Central Michigan University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Located in Mount Pleasant, MI, Central Michigan University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. Team revenue averages $11,074 per participant, with expenses of about $11,074 per participant. The school awards about $12,123 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Toledo did well this year, earning the #13 position. This public school is set in Toledo, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 990. Team revenue averages $26,760 per participant, compared with $26,760 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,660.
Illinois Institute of Technology placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Illinois Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL. The program generates about $2,179 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $2,179 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Franciscan University of Steubenville ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Based in Steubenville, OH, Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $1,919 in revenue per athlete, compared with $1,376 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is a public school based in Eau Claire, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,854, with expenses of about $3,231 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Knox College placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Galesburg, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,300, compared with $6,046 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Earlham College did well this year, earning the #18 position. Earlham College is a private not-for-profit school based in Richmond, IN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,671, against $5,671 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ohio Northern University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Based in Ada, OH, Ohio Northern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $887, compared with $887 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lake Forest College landed the #20 spot this year. Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lake Forest, IL. The program generates about $2,482 in revenue per athlete, compared with $2,482 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Evansville landed the #21 spot this year. Based in Evansville, IN, University of Evansville is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 973. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,908, with expenses of about $6,908 per participant. Athletic aid averages $16,525 per athlete.
Concordia University-Wisconsin placed #22 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Based in Mequon, WI, Concordia University-Wisconsin is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,404 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,098 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay did well this year, earning the #23 position. Located in Green Bay, WI, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989. Team revenue averages $12,382 per participant, against $12,382 in expenses. The school awards about $9,741 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Bowling Green State University-Main Campus is a public school based in Bowling Green, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 981. The program generates about $4,965 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,698 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,840.
North Central College ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. North Central College is a private not-for-profit school based in Naperville, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,992, with expenses of about $1,281 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.