2021 Top Men's D3 Football Schools
It's not easy to decide which college to attend when there are so many options available for student athletes. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Colleges for Division III Men's Football ranking - to help you make that decision.
Our analysis looked at 221 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for D3 Men's Football athletes. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as the athletic competitiveness of the school and the school's overall quality. This means that a school must provide students with a great education in addition to having a good sports team if it wants to rank well.
Learn more about our ranking methodology.
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Top Colleges in the U.S. for D3 Men's Football athletes
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our 2021 rankings named Johns Hopkins University the best school for D3 Men’s Football athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Johns Hopkins is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 1,747 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The D3 Men’s Football team at Johns Hopkins brought home $759,356 in revenue in a single year.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Johns Hopkins also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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Out of the 221 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Troy, New York, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1,359 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The D3 Men’s Football team at RPI made $768,173 in revenue, while incurring $707,149 in expenses. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $61,024.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. RPI excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Out of the 221 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #3 spot on the list. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,333 students in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the D3 Men’s Football team at MIT took home $213,327 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. MIT also made our overall quality list, coming in at #5.
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You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend Pomona College. The school came in at #4 in this year’s ranking. Pomona College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Claremont, California that handed out 449 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The D3 Men’s Football team at Pomona made $499,487 in revenue, while incurring $420,830 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $78,657, which isn’t bad at all.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. In addition to its great ranking here, Pomona is in the top 1% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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The excellent sports programs at Amherst College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D3 Men’s Football athletes. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 705 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
On the financial side of things, the D3 Men’s Football team at Amherst made $800,369 in revenue.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Amherst also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 1% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #6, University of Chicago did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,024 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the D3 Men’s Football team at UChicago took home $641,173 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UChicago also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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Hamilton College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking. Hamilton is a private not-for-profit institution located in Clinton, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 603 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The D3 Men’s Football team at Hamilton brought home $705,470 in revenue in a single year.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Hamilton also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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Washington and Lee University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking, coming in at #8. Lexington, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 564 students in 2018-2019.
The team at Washington and Lee took home $434,649 in revenue and paid out $432,781 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $1,868, which isn’t bad at all.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Washington and Lee excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Washington University in St Louis landed the #8 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking. WUSTL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 2,407 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The team at WUSTL took home $673,891 in revenue and paid out $659,371 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $14,520, which isn’t bad at all.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, WUSTL also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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Carnegie Mellon University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football list. Carnegie Mellon University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 1,848 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the D3 Men’s Football team at Carnegie Mellon took home $560,698 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. Carnegie Mellon excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Middletown, Connecticut, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 1,096 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
The team at Wesleyan U took home $740,782 in revenue and paid out $739,889 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $893 in profit.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. On top of its placing in this ranking, Wesleyan U also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Middlebury College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking. Middlebury is a private not-for-profit institution located in Middlebury, Vermont. The school has a small population, and it awarded 771 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The D3 Men’s Football team at Middlebury brought home $424,053 in revenue in a single year.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Middlebury also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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Union College New York did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking, coming in at #13. Union College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Schenectady, New York. It awarded 571 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The team at Union College took home $634,775 in revenue and paid out $551,753 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $83,022 for the sports team.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, Union College is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Colby College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking. Located in Waterville, Maine, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 608 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
On the financial side of things, the D3 Men’s Football team at Colby made $750,118 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Colby also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #15, DePauw University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking. DePauw University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Greencastle, Indiana that handed out 595 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the D3 Men’s Football team at DePauw took home $683,986 in revenue.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. DePauw also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #16, Bates College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking. Bates is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lewiston, Maine. It awarded 565 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The D3 Men’s Football team at Bates made $588,970 in revenue, while incurring $588,814 in expenses. That boils down to a yearly profit of $156 for the sports team.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Bates also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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Carleton College did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking, coming in at #16. Northfield, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 512 students in 2018-2019.
Carleton brought in $393,021 while tallying up $381,455 in expenses for its D3 Men’s Football team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $11,566 in profit.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, Carleton is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking, coming in at #18. WPI is located in Worcester, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 1,138 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
WPI brought in $431,187 while tallying up $418,480 in expenses for its D3 Men’s Football team. Thus, the team actually made $12,707, which isn’t bad at all.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. WPI excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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University of Rochester ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football list. University of Rochester is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Rochester, New York. It awarded 1,921 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
On the financial side of things, the D3 Men’s Football team at University of Rochester made $485,831 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, University of Rochester also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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With a ranking of #20, Tufts University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking. Tufts is located in Medford, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 1,822 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The team at Tufts took home $836,027 in revenue and paid out $822,401 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $13,626 in profit.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Tufts also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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Trinity College landed the #21 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking. Hartford, Connecticut is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 596 students in 2018-2019.
Trinity Bantams brought in $1,092,512 while tallying up $857,170 in expenses for its D3 Men’s Football team. Thus, the team actually made $235,342, which isn’t bad at all.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, Trinity Bantams also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Macalester College did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 679 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
On the financial side of things, the D3 Men’s Football team at Macalester made $584,346 in revenue.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, Macalester also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #23, Gettysburg College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking. Gettysburg College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 722 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The D3 Men’s Football team at Gettysburg brought home $400,994 in revenue in a single year.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Gettysburg also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #24, Dickinson College did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 752 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Dickinson brought in $382,758 while tallying up $315,467 in expenses for its D3 Men’s Football team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $67,291 for the sports team.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Dickinson also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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Kenyon College did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking, coming in at #25. Kenyon is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Gambier, Ohio. It awarded 517 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the D3 Men’s Football team at Kenyon took home $483,374 in revenue.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. On top of its placing in this ranking, Kenyon also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Not only did these schools make the top 35 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Narrow Colleges by Region
Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | Centre College | Danville, KY |
| 37 | Ithaca College | Ithaca, NY |
| 38 | The College of New Jersey | Ewing, NJ |
| 39 | Illinois Wesleyan University | Bloomington, IL |
| 40 | Muhlenberg College | Allentown, PA |
| 40 | University of St Thomas Minnesota | Saint Paul, MN |
| 42 | Hope College | Holland, MI |
| 43 | Kalamazoo College | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 44 | Maine Maritime Academy | Castine, ME |
| 45 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
More Nationwide Rankings
Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Revenue and expense information comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s Equity in Athletics Data Analysis (EADA) website.
- The academic progress rate (APR) of each team was made available by the NCAA.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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