by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 7 programs for Men’s Cross Country by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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:
No school ranked higher than Fairfield University this year for Men's Cross Country. Fairfield University is a private not-for-profit school based in Fairfield, CT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,213, with expenses of about $12,213 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,587 per athlete.
Connecticut College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Connecticut College is a private not-for-profit school based in New London, CT. The program generates about $2,873 in revenue per athlete, against $2,873 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Quinnipiac University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Hamden, CT, Quinnipiac University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,276, with expenses of about $18,276 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,084.
University of Hartford came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in West Hartford, CT. Team revenue averages $7,218 per participant, compared with $1,746 spent per athlete. The school awards about $587 in athletic aid per athlete.
Western Connecticut State University is one of the top schools for Men's Cross Country, at #5. Western Connecticut State University is a public school based in Danbury, CT. Team revenue averages $2,177 per participant, with expenses of about $2,177 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Mitchell College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in New London, CT, Mitchell College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $1,484 in revenue per athlete, compared with $1,484 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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.