by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 31 programs for Men’s Fencing 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Explore the leading programs below:
Stanford University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Fencing. Located in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $21,227 per participant, with expenses of about $21,227 per participant. The school awards about $42,012 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Notre Dame ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Fencing. University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit school based in Notre Dame, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $45,011 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $45,011 per participant. Athletic aid averages $34,391 per athlete.
Johns Hopkins University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Fencing. Located in Baltimore, MD, Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,883 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,337 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,612.
Ohio State University-Main Campus landed the #4 spot for Men's Fencing. Based in Columbus, OH, Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $47,674, compared with $47,674 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $27,151 per athlete.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of the top schools for Men's Fencing, at #5. Located in Cambridge, MA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,759 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,759 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
St. John's University-New York ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Fencing. St. John's University-New York is a private not-for-profit school based in Queens, NY. St. John's University-New York records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,641, against $29,641 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $29,040.
New York University placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Fencing. New York University is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,019, against $17,437 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Boston College placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Fencing. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chestnut Hill, MA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Team revenue averages $9,516 per participant, with expenses of about $9,516 per participant. Athletic aid averages $29,391 per athlete.
Stevens Institute of Technology did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Hoboken, NJ, Stevens Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,644, with expenses of about $6,644 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Duke University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Fencing. Duke University is a private not-for-profit school based in Durham, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,341, against $28,992 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,321.
Haverford College came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in Haverford, PA, Haverford College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,828 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,783 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Princeton University landed the #12 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Princeton, NJ. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Team revenue averages $31,088 per participant, with expenses of about $31,088 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-San Diego landed the #13 spot this year. This public school is set in La Jolla, CA. University of California-San Diego records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 83% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,676, against $12,676 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,847.
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #14 position. Based in University Park, PA, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus is a public institution. Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 982, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,851, against $24,697 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,170.
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Fencing. This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. The program generates about $24,158 in revenue per athlete, against $24,158 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #16 spot this year. This public school is set in Chapel Hill, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. About 93% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $7,031 per participant, compared with $20,681 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $17,771 per athlete.
New Jersey Institute of Technology landed the #17 spot this year. This public school is set in Newark, NJ. The team's NCAA APR score is 949, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $20,445 per participant, compared with $19,745 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,477.
Vassar College ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Men's Fencing. Based in Poughkeepsie, NY, Vassar College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,209, with expenses of about $5,209 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Harvard University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Fencing. Located in Cambridge, MA, Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,173, against $20,173 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Yale University landed the #20 spot this year. Based in New Haven, CT, Yale University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, alongside a GSR of 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,642, compared with $15,642 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Pennsylvania placed #21 among the best colleges for Men's Fencing. University of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit school based in Philadelphia, PA. The team's NCAA APR score is 990, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,107, against $14,107 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Brandeis University placed #22 among the best colleges for Men's Fencing. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waltham, MA. Team revenue averages $4,927 per participant, with expenses of about $4,927 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of the Incarnate Word did well this year, earning the #23 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Antonio, TX. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 978, and a 75% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,872, with expenses of about $19,872 per participant. The school awards about $18,744 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wagner College landed the #24 spot this year. Located in Staten Island, NY, Wagner College is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 953. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,246, with expenses of about $16,246 per participant. Athletic aid averages $15,661 per athlete.
Yeshiva University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Located in New York, NY, Yeshiva University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,678, compared with $3,678 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 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. The methodology weighs 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.