by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 73 schools for Men’s Cross Country by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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:
Temple University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Temple University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992. Team revenue averages $49,158 per participant, compared with $49,158 spent per athlete. The school awards about $28,567 in athletic aid per athlete.
Yeshiva University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Based in New York, NY, Yeshiva University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,591 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,591 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hamilton College is one of the top schools for Men's Cross Country, at #3. Located in Clinton, NY, Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,043 per participant, compared with $4,043 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Vassar College landed the #4 spot for Men's Cross Country. Located in Poughkeepsie, NY, Vassar College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,654 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,523 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Dickinson College landed the #5 spot for Men's Cross Country. Located in Carlisle, PA, Dickinson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,938, against $4,838 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Franklin and Marshall College placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lancaster, PA. Team revenue averages $3,774 per participant, compared with $2,969 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $53 per athlete.
St. John Fisher University landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Rochester, NY, St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,021, compared with $5,174 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Loyola University Maryland did well this year, earning the #8 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Baltimore, MD. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,126, compared with $4,126 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $14,638 per athlete.
Seton Hall University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in South Orange, NJ, Seton Hall University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988. Team revenue averages $28,142 per participant, against $28,142 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $32,496 per athlete.
Thomas Jefferson University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $16,879 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $16,879 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,341 per athlete.
Gannon University landed the #11 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Erie, PA. The program generates about $11,808 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,808 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,313.
Molloy University placed #12 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Molloy University is a private not-for-profit school based in Rockville Centre, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,467, compared with $5,191 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,589.
St Lawrence University placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Based in Canton, NY, St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,034 in revenue per athlete, against $3,034 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $3,126 per athlete.
Niagara University did well this year, earning the #14 position. Based in Niagara University, NY, Niagara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988. The program generates about $15,008 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,113 per participant. Athletic aid averages $17,462 per athlete.
Ithaca College landed the #15 spot this year. Based in Ithaca, NY, Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $3,512 per participant, against $3,512 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Adelphi University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Based in Garden City, NY, Adelphi University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,659, compared with $4,659 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,963.
State University of New York at New Paltz placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. State University of New York at New Paltz is a public school based in New Paltz, NY. The program generates about $8,155 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,152 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Scranton did well this year, earning the #18 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Scranton, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,583, compared with $1,583 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rochester Institute of Technology landed the #19 spot this year. Rochester Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,720, compared with $3,705 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,070.
Saint Vincent College did well this year, earning the #20 position. Based in Latrobe, PA, Saint Vincent College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,326 per participant, against $4,326 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
DeSales University placed #21 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Located in Center Valley, PA, DeSales University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,817 per participant, compared with $4,689 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Robert Morris University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Robert Morris University is a private not-for-profit school based in Moon Township, PA. Robert Morris University records an NCAA APR of 963. Team revenue averages $11,603 per participant, compared with $11,603 spent per athlete. The school awards about $17,083 in athletic aid per athlete.
Juniata College landed the #23 spot this year. Based in Huntingdon, PA, Juniata College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,788 per participant, against $5,754 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Francis University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Based in Loretto, PA, Saint Francis University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $2,220 per participant, against $2,220 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,253.
Clarkson University placed #25 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Based in Potsdam, NY, Clarkson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,956, with expenses of about $2,037 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,842.
These programs also stood out among the best 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.