by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 7 schools for Men’s Football (Division I) 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is University of Notre Dame, our #1 college for Men's Football (Division I). Based in Notre Dame, IN, University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 98%. Its federal graduation rate is 81%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,578,415, against $752,063 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $34,391 per athlete.
Indiana University-Bloomington earned the #2 place for student athletes. Indiana University-Bloomington is a public school based in Bloomington, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 982, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Team revenue averages $709,707 per participant, compared with $440,417 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,161.
Ball State University is one of the top schools for Men's Football (Division I), at #3. Ball State University is a public school based in Muncie, IN. Ball State University records an NCAA APR of 987, and a 84% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 62%. The program generates about $66,584 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $66,584 per participant. Athletic aid averages $16,206 per athlete.
Purdue University-Main Campus is one of the top schools for Men's Football (Division I), at #4. This public school is set in West Lafayette, IN. The team's NCAA APR score is 968, and a 83% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 61%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $659,873, with expenses of about $295,184 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,382.
Butler University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Football (Division I). Butler University is a private not-for-profit school based in Indianapolis, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 978, alongside a GSR of 95%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,590, against $11,948 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $12,113 per athlete.
Indiana State University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Terre Haute, IN, Indiana State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, alongside a GSR of 80%. The federal graduation rate stands at 52%. The program generates about $42,391 in revenue per athlete, against $42,391 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,961 per athlete.
Valparaiso University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Football (Division I). Valparaiso University is a private not-for-profit school based in Valparaiso, IN. Valparaiso University records an NCAA APR of 943, and a 84% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,777, with expenses of about $11,816 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,540 per athlete.
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.