by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 9 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is West Liberty University, our #1 college for Men's Football (Division II). This public school is set in West Liberty, WV. Team revenue averages $16,402 per participant, compared with $16,402 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,841.
Shepherd University earned the #2 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Shepherdstown, WV. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,161, against $14,161 in expenses. The school awards about $3,796 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fairmont State University is one of the top schools for Men's Football (Division II), at #3. This public school is set in Fairmont, WV. The program generates about $13,086 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,698 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,874.
Bluefield State University is one of the top schools for Men's Football (Division II), at #4. This public school is set in Bluefield, WV. The program generates about $17,297 in revenue per athlete, compared with $17,297 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,976 per athlete.
Wheeling University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Football (Division II). Wheeling University is a private not-for-profit school based in Wheeling, WV. Team revenue averages $19,276 per participant, compared with $18,430 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,271.
West Virginia Wesleyan College placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Football (Division II). Based in Buckhannon, WV, West Virginia Wesleyan College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,802, compared with $8,802 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,641.
West Virginia State University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Institute, WV, West Virginia State University is a public institution. The program generates about $12,216 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $12,022 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,933.
Concord University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Football (Division II). Based in Athens, WV, Concord University is a public institution. The program generates about $11,287 in revenue per athlete, against $11,287 in expenses. The school awards about $3,226 in athletic aid per athlete.
Glenville State University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Glenville State University is a public school based in Glenville, WV. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,751, against $10,333 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,454.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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.