by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 14 colleges for Men’s Football (Division III) 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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Learn more about these schools below:
University of Chicago earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Football (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,337, with expenses of about $8,337 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Central College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,977, against $7,696 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois Wesleyan University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bloomington, IL. Team revenue averages $4,525 per participant, compared with $4,525 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Elmhurst University landed the #4 spot for Men's Football (Division III). Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit school based in Elmhurst, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,591, compared with $7,553 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lake Forest College earned the #5 place for student athletes. Located in Lake Forest, IL, Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,695 per participant, with expenses of about $4,695 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Knox College ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Football (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Galesburg, IL. Team revenue averages $4,016 per participant, against $6,455 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
North Park University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Located in Chicago, IL, North Park University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,774, compared with $6,774 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $32.
Aurora University landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Aurora, IL, Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,152, against $5,152 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Millikin University landed the #9 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Decatur, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,245, compared with $6,245 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Illinois College did well this year, earning the #10 position. Based in Jacksonville, IL, Illinois College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,907 in revenue per athlete, against $4,907 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Concordia University-Chicago did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in River Forest, IL, Concordia University-Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,039 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,039 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Greenville University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Based in Greenville, IL, Greenville University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,605, against $3,719 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Rockford University landed the #13 spot this year. Located in Rockford, IL, Rockford University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,213 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,213 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Eureka College landed the #14 spot this year. Eureka College is a private not-for-profit school based in Eureka, IL. Team revenue averages $3,834 per participant, compared with $3,834 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.