by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 9 programs for Men’s Football (Division III) 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Carleton College tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Football (Division III). Located in Northfield, MN, Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,506 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,484 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Macalester College landed the #2 spot for Men's Football (Division III). Based in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,481, against $8,644 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
St Olaf College earned the #3 place for student athletes. St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit school based in Northfield, MN. Team revenue averages $6,336 per participant, compared with $6,265 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Gustavus Adolphus College landed the #4 spot for Men's Football (Division III). Gustavus Adolphus College is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Peter, MN. The program generates about $5,350 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,350 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Martin Luther College landed the #5 spot for Men's Football (Division III). Based in New Ulm, MN, Martin Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,188 in revenue per athlete, against $5,188 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Northwestern-St Paul did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Saint Paul, MN, University of Northwestern-St Paul is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,706 per participant, with expenses of about $5,596 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hamline University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Hamline University is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Paul, MN. The program generates about $5,085 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,085 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Minnesota-Morris ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Football (Division III). University of Minnesota-Morris is a public school based in Morris, MN. The program generates about $4,330 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,105 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Augsburg University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in Minneapolis, MN, Augsburg University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,968 per participant, against $4,968 in expenses. 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. 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.