2023 Top Great Lakes Region Men's D3 Football Schools
66Colleges
$47,815Avg Tuition & Fees*
67%Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
With all of the options student athletes have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 in the Great Lakes Region ranking - to help you make that decision.
Our analysis looked at 66 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for D3 Men's Football athletes in the Great Lakes Region. Our ranking methodology focuses a number of different objective factors - such as the overall quality of the school, the school's athletic competitiveness, and the amount of athletic aid per student - to make this determination. Having a great sports team is not enough - the school must also focus on academic excellence.
We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
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Top Colleges in the Great Lakes Region for D3 Men's Football athletes in the Great Lakes Region
University of Chicago tops this year’s ranking as the best school for D3 Men’s Football athletes in the Great Lakes Region. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 2,425 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Men’s Football team at UChicago took home $676,204 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. UChicago not only placed well in this ranking, but it is also #3 on our overall quality list.
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The excellent sports programs at DePauw University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D3 Men’s Football athletes in the Great Lakes Region. Greencastle, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 532 students in .
The D3 Men’s Football team at DePauw brought home $636,321 in revenue in a single year.
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 not only placed well in this ranking, but it is also #5 on our overall quality list.
Full DePauw University Sports Report
You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend Kenyon College. The school came in at #3 in this year’s ranking. Kenyon is located in Gambier, Ohio and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 566 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The D3 Men’s Football team at Kenyon brought home $414,931 in revenue in a single year.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, Kenyon also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Kenyon College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Denison University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D3 Men’s Football athletes in the Great Lakes Region list. Denison is located in Granville, Ohio and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 685 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The D3 Men’s Football team at Denison brought home $539,321 in revenue in a single year. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 972.
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. In addition to its great ranking here, Denison is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wheaton College Illinois. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D3 Men’s Football athletes in the Great Lakes Region list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Wheaton, Illinois, and it awarded 648 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Men’s Football team at Wheaton College Illinois made $724,343 in revenue.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Wheaton College Illinois also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Full Wheaton College Illinois Sports Report
Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Illinois Wesleyan is located in Bloomington, Illinois and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 404 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The D3 Men’s Football team at Illinois Wesleyan brought home $496,188 in revenue in a single year.
Illinois Wesleyan excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Hope College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Hope is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Holland, Michigan. It awarded 837 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Men’s Football team at Hope brought home $669,343 in revenue in a single year.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Hope also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Read full sports report on Hope College
Kalamazoo College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 418 students in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Men’s Football team at K College made $607,857 in revenue.
On top of its placing in this ranking, K College also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Kalamazoo College
With a ranking of #9, Ohio Northern University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Ada, Ohio, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 450 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Men’s Football team at ONU took home $686,148 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. On top of its placing in this ranking, ONU also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Ohio Northern University Sports Report
With a ranking of #10, The College of Wooster did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Wooster, Ohio, and it awarded 505 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Wooster College took home $383,950 in revenue and paid out $370,829 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $13,121 for the sports team.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Wooster College also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full The College of Wooster Sports Report
Augustana College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Augustana is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rock Island, Illinois. It awarded 755 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Men’s Football team at Augustana brought home $606,591 in revenue in a single year.
In addition to its great ranking here, Augustana is in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Augustana College
Saint Norbert College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in De Pere, Wisconsin, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 578 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Men’s Football team at SNC brought home $530,666 in revenue in a single year.
On top of its placing in this ranking, SNC also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #13, Ripon College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Ripon, Wisconsin, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 187 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Ripon took home $344,108 in revenue and paid out $322,818 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $21,290, which isn’t bad at all.
In addition to its great ranking here, Ripon is in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Ripon College
Knox College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #14. Knox is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 332 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the D3 Men’s Football team at Knox made $435,300 in revenue.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Knox also is in the top 20% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on Knox College
John Carroll University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in University Heights, Ohio, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 859 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Men’s Football team at John Carroll took home $613,047 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. John Carroll also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Read full sports report on John Carroll University
With a ranking of #16, Ohio Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 406 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Men’s Football team at OWU made $523,164 in revenue.
On top of its placing in this ranking, OWU also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Beloit College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Beloit is located in Beloit, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 264 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The D3 Men’s Football team at Beloit brought home $349,124 in revenue in a single year.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Beloit also is in the top 20% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on Beloit College
Lake Forest College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Lake Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 466 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Men’s Football team at Lake Forest brought home $457,183 in revenue in a single year.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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Hanover College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Hanover, Indiana, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 300 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Men’s Football team at Hanover made $448,909 in revenue.
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With a ranking of #19, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a fairly large public school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 2,139 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Men’s Football team at UW - La Crosse made $566,022 in revenue, while incurring $484,908 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $81,114, which isn’t bad at all.
Full University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Sports Report
Albion College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Albion, Michigan, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 365 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D3 Men’s Football team at Albion brought home $550,252 in revenue in a single year.
Read full sports report on Albion College
Otterbein University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Westerville, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 575 students in .
The D3 Men’s Football team at Otterbein brought home $407,178 in revenue in a single year.
Full Otterbein University Sports Report
North Central College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Naperville, Illinois, and it awarded 653 bachelor’s degrees in .
North Central brought in $964,301 while tallying up $840,412 in expenses for its D3 Men’s Football team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $123,889 in profit.
Full North Central College Sports Report
Baldwin Wallace University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Berea, Ohio, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 738 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Men’s Football team at Baldwin Wallace College made $677,683 in revenue.
Read full sports report on Baldwin Wallace University
Marietta College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Men’s Football in the Great Lakes Region list. Marietta College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Marietta, Ohio that handed out 269 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Marietta took home $435,585 in revenue and paid out $401,390 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $34,195, which isn’t bad at all.
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.
Read full sports report on Marietta College
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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.
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%.
