by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 86 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:
Vanderbilt University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit school based in Nashville, TN. The program generates about $45,800 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $45,800 per participant. The school awards about $42,235 in athletic aid per athlete.
Washington and Lee University landed the #2 spot for Men's Cross Country. Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lexington, VA. Team revenue averages $8,840 per participant, against $8,840 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Elon University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. Elon University is a private not-for-profit school based in Elon, NC. Elon University records an NCAA APR of 1000. Team revenue averages $17,004 per participant, compared with $17,004 spent per athlete. The school awards about $25,795 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Richmond ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Located in University of Richmond, VA, University of Richmond is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,101, compared with $13,101 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $27,609 per athlete.
Union University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Based in Jackson, TN, Union University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,526, against $14,809 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,895.
Mercer University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Macon, GA, Mercer University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,005, with expenses of about $22,005 per participant. The school awards about $23,898 in athletic aid per athlete.
Florida Atlantic University placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. This public school is set in Boca Raton, FL. The program generates about $9,389 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,389 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,971.
Christopher Newport University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Christopher Newport University is a public school based in Newport News, VA. Team revenue averages $5,725 per participant, compared with $5,725 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Stetson University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in DeLand, FL, Stetson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Stetson University records an NCAA APR of 993. Team revenue averages $27,795 per participant, against $27,795 in expenses. The school awards about $17,035 in athletic aid per athlete.
Asbury University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Asbury University is a private not-for-profit school based in Wilmore, KY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,845, compared with $7,845 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ouachita Baptist University placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Located in Arkadelphia, AR, Ouachita Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,589 in revenue per athlete, compared with $14,904 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,935.
Berry College ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. Berry College is a private not-for-profit school based in Mount Berry, GA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,130, compared with $3,965 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of West Florida did well this year, earning the #13 position. Based in Pensacola, FL, University of West Florida is a public institution. The program generates about $13,875 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,936 per participant. The school awards about $7,536 in athletic aid per athlete.
College of Charleston placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. College of Charleston is a public school based in Charleston, SC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,565, with expenses of about $9,565 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,551.
North Greenville University placed #15 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Based in Tigerville, SC, North Greenville University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $25,879 in revenue per athlete, against $25,159 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $15,158 per athlete.
Tennessee Technological University landed the #16 spot this year. Tennessee Technological University is a public school based in Cookeville, TN. Tennessee Technological University records an NCAA APR of 980. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,817, compared with $27,817 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,453.
Palm Beach Atlantic University landed the #17 spot this year. Located in West Palm Beach, FL, Palm Beach Atlantic University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,844, against $11,805 in expenses. The school awards about $10,383 in athletic aid per athlete.
Berea College did well this year, earning the #18 position. Berea College is a private not-for-profit school based in Berea, KY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,728, with expenses of about $3,591 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Alabama ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Cross Country. University of North Alabama is a public school based in Florence, AL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Team revenue averages $12,433 per participant, against $12,433 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,402.
Hendrix College came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Hendrix College is a private not-for-profit school based in Conway, AR. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,438, against $4,438 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Florida Gulf Coast University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Florida Gulf Coast University is a public school based in Fort Myers, FL. The team's NCAA APR score is 949. The program generates about $30,197 in revenue per athlete, against $30,197 in expenses. The school awards about $18,812 in athletic aid per athlete.
Transylvania University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lexington, KY. The program generates about $4,595 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,595 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Radford University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Based in Radford, VA, Radford University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Team revenue averages $13,678 per participant, against $13,678 in expenses. The school awards about $8,467 in athletic aid per athlete.
Covenant College came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Based in Lookout Mountain, GA, Covenant College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,526 in revenue per athlete, against $2,537 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Murray State University placed #25 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Located in Murray, KY, Murray State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. The program generates about $5,569 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,545 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,774 in athletic aid per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.