by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 8 colleges for Men’s Cross Country by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Learn more about these schools below:
No school ranked higher than Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology this year for Men's Cross Country. Based in Terre Haute, IN, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $1,686 in revenue per athlete, compared with $1,478 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Purdue University Fort Wayne came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. Located in Fort Wayne, IN, Purdue University Fort Wayne is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,459, compared with $8,461 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,345 in athletic aid per athlete.
Earlham College earned the #3 place for student athletes. Located in Richmond, IN, Earlham College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,671 per participant, compared with $5,671 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Evansville came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. University of Evansville is a private not-for-profit school based in Evansville, IN. University of Evansville records an NCAA APR of 973. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,908, against $6,908 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,525.
Trine University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Trine University is a private not-for-profit school based in Angola, IN. Team revenue averages $1,854 per participant, against $1,861 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hanover College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hanover, IN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,546, with expenses of about $4,546 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Purdue University Northwest ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Located in Hammond, IN, Purdue University Northwest is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,605, against $4,605 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,013.
Manchester University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Located in North Manchester, IN, Manchester University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,065, against $2,548 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.