by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 11 colleges 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.
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Jump to the options below.
Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is Villanova University, our #1 college for Men's Football (Division I). Located in Villanova, PA, Villanova University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 986, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. About 87% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $91,669 in revenue per athlete, compared with $91,669 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,480.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus is one of the top schools for Men's Football (Division I), at #2. University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus is a public school based in Pittsburgh, PA. The team's NCAA APR score is 975, alongside a GSR of 90%. The federal graduation rate stands at 66%. Team revenue averages $484,938 per participant, against $399,506 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $30,613.
Lafayette College ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Football (Division I). Located in Easton, PA, Lafayette College is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 76%. The program generates about $82,668 in revenue per athlete, against $82,668 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $18,987 per athlete.
Temple University landed the #4 spot for Men's Football (Division I). This public school is set in Philadelphia, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 965, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 72%. Team revenue averages $228,657 per participant, against $228,657 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $28,567.
Lehigh University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Football (Division I). Located in Bethlehem, PA, Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. About 87% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $78,270 per participant, against $78,270 in expenses. The school awards about $19,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bucknell University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Lewisburg, PA, Bucknell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 975, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. About 81% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $76,739 per participant, against $76,739 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,655.
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #7 position. This public school is set in University Park, PA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 957, alongside a GSR of 85%. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,156,266, with expenses of about $595,278 per participant. Athletic aid averages $25,170 per athlete.
University of Pennsylvania came in at #8 in this year's ranking. University of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit school based in Philadelphia, PA. University of Pennsylvania records an NCAA APR of 987, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,110, with expenses of about $32,110 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Duquesne University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in Pittsburgh, PA, Duquesne University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 971, and a 81% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 65%. The program generates about $43,238 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $43,238 per participant. The school awards about $17,755 in athletic aid per athlete.
Robert Morris University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Football (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Moon Township, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 949, alongside a GSR of 78%. The federal graduation rate stands at 44%. The program generates about $27,055 in revenue per athlete, compared with $27,055 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,083.
Saint Francis University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Football (Division I). Based in Loretto, PA, Saint Francis University is a private not-for-profit institution. The Graduation Success Rate here is 75%. Its federal graduation rate is 57%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,949, against $28,949 in expenses. The school awards about $13,253 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.