by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 6 programs for Men’s Football (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Football (Division I). Located in Atlanta, GA, Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 977, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. About 70% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $587,842 per participant, against $355,913 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,289.
University of Georgia earned the #2 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Athens, GA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 982, and a 58% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 31%. The program generates about $1,105,821 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $526,724 per participant. Athletic aid averages $18,925 per athlete.
Mercer University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Football (Division I). Based in Macon, GA, Mercer University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 980, alongside a GSR of 79%. The federal graduation rate stands at 64%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $68,895, with expenses of about $68,895 per participant. The school awards about $23,898 in athletic aid per athlete.
Georgia State University landed the #4 spot for Men's Football (Division I). Georgia State University is a public school based in Atlanta, GA. Georgia State University records an NCAA APR of 961, alongside a GSR of 77%. Its federal graduation rate is 62%. The program generates about $103,899 in revenue per athlete, compared with $103,899 spent per athlete. The school awards about $21,875 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kennesaw State University landed the #5 spot for Men's Football (Division I). Located in Kennesaw, GA, Kennesaw State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 948, alongside a GSR of 76%. The federal graduation rate stands at 59%. The program generates about $95,797 in revenue per athlete, compared with $95,797 spent per athlete. The school awards about $12,283 in athletic aid per athlete.
Georgia Southern University placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Football (Division I). Located in Statesboro, GA, Georgia Southern University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 969, with a Graduation Success Rate of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 51%. The program generates about $76,887 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $76,887 per participant. The school awards about $11,953 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.