by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 8 colleges for Men’s Football (Division II) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Bentley University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Football (Division II). Bentley University is a private not-for-profit school based in Waltham, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,599, with expenses of about $16,808 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,029.
University of New Haven came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Football (Division II). University of New Haven is a private not-for-profit school based in West Haven, CT. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,988, with expenses of about $19,988 per participant. The school awards about $7,566 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Anselm College came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Football (Division II). Based in Manchester, NH, Saint Anselm College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,859, against $12,317 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $5,219 per athlete.
American International College landed the #4 spot for Men's Football (Division II). Based in Springfield, MA, American International College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,574, with expenses of about $17,574 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,241 per athlete.
Assumption University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Football (Division II). Located in Worcester, MA, Assumption University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,265, compared with $10,351 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $4,778 per athlete.
Southern Connecticut State University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Football (Division II). Southern Connecticut State University is a public school based in New Haven, CT. The program generates about $11,712 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,712 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,062.
Franklin Pierce University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Franklin Pierce University is a private not-for-profit school based in Rindge, NH. Team revenue averages $17,173 per participant, compared with $17,173 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $292 per athlete.
Post University placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Football (Division II). Post University is a private for-profit school based in Waterbury, CT. Team revenue averages $12,639 per participant, against $12,639 in expenses. The school awards about $8,848 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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.