by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 7 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Loyola University Maryland earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. Loyola University Maryland is a private not-for-profit school based in Baltimore, MD. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,126, compared with $4,126 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,638 in athletic aid per athlete.
McDaniel College earned the #2 place for student athletes. McDaniel College is a private not-for-profit school based in Westminster, MD. The program generates about $5,478 in revenue per athlete, against $5,028 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Stevenson University landed the #3 spot for Men's Cross Country. Located in Owings Mills, MD, Stevenson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,351, against $1,655 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hood College is one of the top schools for Men's Cross Country, at #4. Located in Frederick, MD, Hood College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,106 per participant, against $4,106 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Frostburg State University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Based in Frostburg, MD, Frostburg State University is a public institution. The program generates about $807 in revenue per athlete, compared with $807 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,617 per athlete.
Notre Dame of Maryland University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Baltimore, MD, Notre Dame of Maryland University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,641, with expenses of about $1,693 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bowie State University placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Located in Bowie, MD, Bowie State University is a public institution. The program generates about $9,889 in revenue per athlete, against $737 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,581.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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.