by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 5 schools for Men’s Cross Country by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual scores each program on 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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Explore the leading programs below:
No school ranked higher than Kalamazoo College this year for Men's Cross Country. Kalamazoo College is a private not-for-profit school based in Kalamazoo, MI. The program generates about $3,886 in revenue per athlete, compared with $3,886 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Michigan Technological University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Michigan Technological University is a public school based in Houghton, MI. The program generates about $5,588 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,670 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,159 per athlete.
Calvin University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Grand Rapids, MI. The program generates about $4,196 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,126 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Central Michigan University ranked #4 among the best colleges 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. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,074, with expenses of about $11,074 per participant. The school awards about $12,123 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Olivet is one of the top schools for Men's Cross Country, at #5. The University of Olivet is a private not-for-profit school based in Olivet, MI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,900, against $1,900 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.