by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 6 colleges for Men’s Football (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual evaluates each program using 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:
Our analysis found Boston College to be the best college for Men's Football (Division I) in Massachusetts. Based in Chestnut Hill, MA, Boston College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 990, alongside a GSR of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 80%. The program generates about $321,157 in revenue per athlete, against $278,546 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $29,391 per athlete.
Harvard University landed the #2 spot for Men's Football (Division I). Based in Cambridge, MA, Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, alongside a GSR of 99%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $43,697, against $43,697 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
College of the Holy Cross earned the #3 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, alongside a GSR of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 79%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $79,823, with expenses of about $79,823 per participant. Athletic aid averages $17,801 per athlete.
Merrimack College earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in North Andover, MA, Merrimack College is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 979, alongside a GSR of 71%. The federal graduation rate stands at 51%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $47,801, compared with $47,801 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $20,394 per athlete.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst is one of the top schools for Men's Football (Division I), at #5. Located in Amherst, MA, University of Massachusetts-Amherst is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 953, alongside a GSR of 74%. Its federal graduation rate is 59%. The program generates about $120,892 in revenue per athlete, compared with $120,892 spent per athlete. The school awards about $17,175 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stonehill College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Easton, MA, Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 963, alongside a GSR of 89%. The federal graduation rate stands at 81%. The program generates about $28,183 in revenue per athlete, against $28,183 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,278 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.