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.
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:
No school ranked higher than Temple University this year for Men's Cross Country. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Temple University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 992. Team revenue averages $49,158 per participant, against $49,158 in expenses. The school awards about $28,567 in athletic aid per athlete.
Franklin and Marshall College came in at #2 on this year's ranking 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.
Dickinson College landed the #3 spot for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Carlisle, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,938, against $4,838 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Thomas Jefferson University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $16,879 in revenue per athlete, against $16,879 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,341 per athlete.
Gannon University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Gannon University is a private not-for-profit school based in Erie, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,808, compared with $11,808 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,313.
Saint Vincent College ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Saint Vincent College is a private not-for-profit school based in Latrobe, PA. The program generates about $4,326 in revenue per athlete, against $4,326 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Robert Morris University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Robert Morris University is a private not-for-profit school based in Moon Township, PA. The team's NCAA APR score is 963. Team revenue averages $11,603 per participant, against $11,603 in expenses. The school awards about $17,083 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Scranton came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Scranton, PA, University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,583, against $1,583 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Juniata College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Juniata College is a private not-for-profit school based in Huntingdon, PA. Team revenue averages $5,788 per participant, compared with $5,754 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
DeSales University placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Center Valley, PA. The program generates about $4,817 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,689 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Saint Francis University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Located in Loretto, PA, Saint Francis University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,220, against $2,220 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,253.
Lebanon Valley College placed #12 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Based in Annville, PA, Lebanon Valley College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,893, compared with $1,893 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Chatham University placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Chatham University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,547 per participant, with expenses of about $5,547 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lancaster Bible College landed the #14 spot this year. Lancaster Bible College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lancaster, PA. Team revenue averages $3,390 per participant, compared with $2,466 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Widener University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Based in Chester, PA, Widener University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $3,118 per participant, with expenses of about $3,028 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Holy Family University landed the #16 spot this year. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Holy Family University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,086, compared with $4,586 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,523.
Mercyhurst University landed the #17 spot this year. Based in Erie, PA, Mercyhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. Mercyhurst University records an NCAA APR of 960. The program generates about $18,388 in revenue per athlete, compared with $18,388 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $14,194 per athlete.
Wilkes University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The program generates about $2,822 in revenue per athlete, compared with $2,822 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lycoming College ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Williamsport, PA. The program generates about $3,664 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $2,800 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Waynesburg University landed the #20 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waynesburg, PA. Team revenue averages $2,626 per participant, compared with $2,626 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Immaculata University landed the #21 spot this year. Immaculata University is a private not-for-profit school based in Immaculata, PA. The program generates about $1,126 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $1,126 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Pennsylvania College of Technology ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Located in Williamsport, PA, Pennsylvania College of Technology is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,667, compared with $1,667 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Neumann University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Neumann University is a private not-for-profit school based in Aston, PA. Team revenue averages $2,814 per participant, against $2,814 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Delaware Valley University landed the #24 spot this year. Delaware Valley University is a private not-for-profit school based in Doylestown, PA. The program generates about $2,740 in revenue per athlete, against $2,740 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
La Roche University did well this year, earning the #25 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Pittsburgh, PA. Team revenue averages $1,242 per participant, compared with $1,242 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*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.