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 schools for Men’s Cross Country by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Leading the list is University of North Alabama, our #1 college for Men's Cross Country. Based in Florence, AL, University of North Alabama is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,433, compared with $12,433 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,402.
Jacksonville State University earned the #2 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Jacksonville, AL. The team's NCAA APR score is 988. Team revenue averages $13,490 per participant, against $13,490 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,761.
University of South Alabama is one of the top schools for Men's Cross Country, at #3. Based in Mobile, AL, University of South Alabama is a public institution. University of South Alabama records an NCAA APR of 964. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,484, with expenses of about $7,484 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,705.
Auburn University at Montgomery ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Based in Montgomery, AL, Auburn University at Montgomery is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,477, compared with $16,477 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,718 per athlete.
Tuskegee University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Cross Country. Based in Tuskegee, AL, Tuskegee University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $1,929 in revenue per athlete, compared with $1,929 spent per athlete. The school awards about $3,470 in athletic aid per athlete.
Huntingdon College placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Cross Country. Based in Montgomery, AL, Huntingdon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,775 per participant, compared with $5,229 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $1,932.
Miles College landed the #7 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Fairfield, AL. The program generates about $2,208 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $2,208 per participant. The school awards about $4,563 in athletic aid per athlete.
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.