by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 20 schools for Men’s Football (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Stanford University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Football (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Stanford, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, alongside a GSR of 90%. About 83% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $327,200 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $327,200 per participant. The school awards about $42,012 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus landed the #2 spot for Men's Football (Division I). This public school is set in Seattle, WA. University of Washington-Seattle Campus records an NCAA APR of 977, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 68%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,061,570, compared with $604,577 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,539.
University of Southern California earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Los Angeles, CA, University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 978, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. The federal graduation rate stands at 55%. The program generates about $638,060 in revenue per athlete, compared with $638,060 spent per athlete. The school awards about $40,006 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Nevada-Las Vegas is one of the top schools for Men's Football (Division I), at #4. Based in Las Vegas, NV, University of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public institution. University of Nevada-Las Vegas records an NCAA APR of 978, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 73%. Team revenue averages $218,650 per participant, compared with $184,554 spent per athlete. The school awards about $23,395 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Oregon came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Football (Division I). University of Oregon is a public school based in Eugene, OR. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 958, alongside a GSR of 88%. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $949,087 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $482,916 per participant. Athletic aid averages $22,739 per athlete.
University of California-Berkeley came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Berkeley, CA, University of California-Berkeley is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 962, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. The program generates about $532,955 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $389,349 per participant. Athletic aid averages $21,267 per athlete.
San Diego State University landed the #7 spot this year. San Diego State University is a public school based in San Diego, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 975, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. The federal graduation rate stands at 68%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $211,085, with expenses of about $192,017 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,450.
University of California-Los Angeles came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Los Angeles, CA, University of California-Los Angeles is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 961, alongside a GSR of 80%. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. Team revenue averages $456,240 per participant, against $456,240 in expenses. The school awards about $24,306 in athletic aid per athlete.
Oregon State University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Corvallis, OR, Oregon State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 965, alongside a GSR of 86%. The federal graduation rate stands at 55%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $281,218, against $205,585 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,022 per athlete.
University of San Diego did well this year, earning the #10 position. Based in San Diego, CA, University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 966, alongside a GSR of 93%. Team revenue averages $24,053 per participant, against $24,053 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,537.
Washington State University landed the #11 spot this year. Based in Pullman, WA, Washington State University is a public institution. Washington State University records an NCAA APR of 964, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 47%. The program generates about $313,157 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $184,645 per participant. Athletic aid averages $20,338 per athlete.
California State University-Fresno did well this year, earning the #12 position. Based in Fresno, CA, California State University-Fresno is a public institution. California State University-Fresno records an NCAA APR of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 81%. About 44% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $158,109 per participant, with expenses of about $158,109 per participant. Athletic aid averages $15,577 per athlete.
University of California-Davis landed the #13 spot this year. University of California-Davis is a public school based in Davis, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 967, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $67,242, with expenses of about $67,242 per participant. The school awards about $14,267 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Nevada-Reno placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Football (Division I). Based in Reno, NV, University of Nevada-Reno is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 952, and a 82% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 52%. The program generates about $116,452 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $110,971 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,799.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo did well this year, earning the #15 position. Based in San Luis Obispo, CA, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 955, and a 84% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 76%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $50,808, compared with $50,808 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,344.
San Jose State University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Men's Football (Division I). Located in San Jose, CA, San Jose State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 944, alongside a GSR of 72%. The federal graduation rate stands at 52%. Team revenue averages $115,903 per participant, against $115,903 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $16,034 per athlete.
University of Hawaii at Manoa landed the #17 spot this year. Located in Honolulu, HI, University of Hawaii at Manoa is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 942, with a Graduation Success Rate of 76%. About 56% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $106,396, with expenses of about $121,553 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,398.
California State University-Sacramento came in at #18 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Sacramento, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 961, alongside a GSR of 72%. The federal graduation rate stands at 57%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $65,329, against $65,329 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,560.
Portland State University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Portland State University is a public school based in Portland, OR. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 931, with a Graduation Success Rate of 81%. About 59% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $46,174 in revenue per athlete, compared with $46,174 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,026.
Eastern Washington University placed #20 among the best colleges for Men's Football (Division I). This public school is set in Cheney, WA. The team's NCAA APR score is 952, with a Graduation Success Rate of 74%. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. The program generates about $50,165 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $50,165 per participant. The school awards about $11,120 in athletic aid per athlete.
*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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.