by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 40 colleges 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Use the shortcuts below.
Explore the leading programs below:
Fairfield University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Fairfield, CT. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. The program generates about $12,213 in revenue per athlete, against $12,213 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,587.
Colby College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Colby College is a private not-for-profit school based in Waterville, ME. Team revenue averages $6,052 per participant, against $6,052 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Williams College landed the #3 spot for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Williamstown, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,803, compared with $3,803 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Middlebury College is one of the top schools for Men's Cross Country, at #4. This private not-for-profit school is set in Middlebury, VT. Team revenue averages $4,977 per participant, with expenses of about $4,977 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Merrimack College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. Located in North Andover, MA, Merrimack College is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 996. The program generates about $24,367 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $24,367 per participant. Athletic aid averages $20,394 per athlete.
Amherst College landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Amherst, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,321, compared with $3,321 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Cambridge, MA. The program generates about $1,904 in revenue per athlete, against $1,904 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Michael's College placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Saint Michael's College is a private not-for-profit school based in Colchester, VT. Team revenue averages $10,533 per participant, against $10,533 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,634 per athlete.
Salve Regina University placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Newport, RI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,508, against $5,439 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Connecticut College ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in New London, CT. The program generates about $2,873 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $2,873 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Emerson College came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in Boston, MA, Emerson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,466, compared with $2,340 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Quinnipiac University landed the #12 spot this year. Quinnipiac University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hamden, CT. The team's NCAA APR score is 988. The program generates about $18,276 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $18,276 per participant. Athletic aid averages $27,084 per athlete.
Wentworth Institute of Technology landed the #13 spot this year. Wentworth Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Boston, MA. The program generates about $3,981 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,373 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Endicott College landed the #14 spot this year. Located in Beverly, MA, Endicott College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $2,996 in revenue per athlete, against $2,996 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Western New England University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Springfield, MA. The program generates about $5,200 in revenue per athlete, against $2,564 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Brown University landed the #16 spot this year. Located in Providence, RI, Brown University is a private not-for-profit institution. Brown University records an NCAA APR of 990. The program generates about $8,437 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,437 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gordon College came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wenham, MA. The program generates about $3,506 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $2,971 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Southern New Hampshire University did well this year, earning the #18 position. Based in Manchester, NH, Southern New Hampshire University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,775, against $22,775 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $4,849 per athlete.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy did well this year, earning the #19 position. This public school is set in Buzzards Bay, MA. Team revenue averages $853 per participant, compared with $810 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Roger Williams University landed the #20 spot this year. Based in Bristol, RI, Roger Williams University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,525, compared with $2,354 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Hartford placed #21 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Located in West Hartford, CT, University of Hartford is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,218 per participant, against $1,746 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $587 per athlete.
Worcester State University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Worcester, MA. Team revenue averages $4,372 per participant, with expenses of about $4,364 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of New England landed the #23 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Biddeford, ME. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,570, with expenses of about $3,474 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Nichols College landed the #24 spot this year. Based in Dudley, MA, Nichols College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,715, compared with $2,857 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Husson University placed #25 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Husson University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bangor, ME. Team revenue averages $4,565 per participant, against $4,565 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.