by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 30 programs for Men’s Cross Country by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Niagara University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Niagara University, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,008, against $15,113 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,462.
Hamilton College landed the #2 spot for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Clinton, NY. Team revenue averages $4,043 per participant, with expenses of about $4,043 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Vassar College earned the #3 place for student athletes. Vassar College is a private not-for-profit school based in Poughkeepsie, NY. Team revenue averages $4,654 per participant, with expenses of about $4,523 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Yeshiva University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. Yeshiva University is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY. Team revenue averages $4,591 per participant, with expenses of about $4,591 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
St. John Fisher University is one of the top schools for Men's Cross Country, at #5. Based in Rochester, NY, St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,021 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,174 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Molloy University landed the #6 spot this year. Molloy University is a private not-for-profit school based in Rockville Centre, NY. Team revenue averages $5,467 per participant, compared with $5,191 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,589.
St Lawrence University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Located in Canton, NY, St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,034, compared with $3,034 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,126 per athlete.
Adelphi University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Adelphi University is a private not-for-profit school based in Garden City, NY. Team revenue averages $4,659 per participant, compared with $4,659 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,963.
Ithaca College landed the #9 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Ithaca, NY. The program generates about $3,512 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,512 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
State University of New York at New Paltz came in at #10 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in New Paltz, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,155, compared with $8,152 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Rochester Institute of Technology landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Rochester, NY, Rochester Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,720, against $3,705 in expenses. The school awards about $3,070 in athletic aid per athlete.
Clarkson University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Clarkson University is a private not-for-profit school based in Potsdam, NY. The program generates about $1,956 in revenue per athlete, against $2,037 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $4,842 per athlete.
Bard College placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Located in Annandale-On-Hudson, NY, Bard College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $2,431 per participant, compared with $2,431 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hobart William Smith Colleges placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Based in Geneva, NY, Hobart William Smith Colleges is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $2,525 in revenue per athlete, compared with $2,525 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $50 per athlete.
Russell Sage College did well this year, earning the #15 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Troy, NY. Team revenue averages $7,325 per participant, compared with $6,908 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
D'Youville University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Located in Buffalo, NY, D'Youville University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,735 in revenue per athlete, against $8,735 in expenses. The school awards about $8,393 in athletic aid per athlete.
Pace University did well this year, earning the #17 position. Located in New York, NY, Pace University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,366, compared with $3,590 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,466 per athlete.
Roberts Wesleyan University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in Rochester, NY, Roberts Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,980 per participant, with expenses of about $4,721 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,925 per athlete.
Sarah Lawrence College landed the #19 spot this year. Based in Bronxville, NY, Sarah Lawrence College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $1,524 per participant, compared with $1,524 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Dominican University New York did well this year, earning the #20 position. Dominican University New York is a private not-for-profit school based in Orangeburg, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,613, compared with $4,613 spent per athlete. The school awards about $4,678 in athletic aid per athlete.
State University of New York at Cortland ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Based in Cortland, NY, State University of New York at Cortland is a public institution. The program generates about $1,965 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $1,965 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University at Albany landed the #22 spot this year. University at Albany is a public school based in Albany, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 962. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,714, with expenses of about $2,197 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,856.
Utica University ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Based in Utica, NY, Utica University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,375 in revenue per athlete, against $3,883 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Mount Saint Vincent landed the #24 spot this year. University of Mount Saint Vincent is a private not-for-profit school based in Bronx, NY. The program generates about $1,879 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $1,522 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Manhattanville University placed #25 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Based in Purchase, NY, Manhattanville University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,403, against $2,772 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.