by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 108 schools for Men’s Football by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual weighs 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:
Northwestern University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Football. Based in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 99%. The federal graduation rate stands at 97%. The program generates about $785,207 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $347,723 per participant. Athletic aid averages $53,919 per athlete.
University of Notre Dame earned the #2 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Notre Dame, IN. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, alongside a GSR of 98%. About 81% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $1,578,415 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $752,063 per participant. The school awards about $34,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Madison landed the #3 spot for Men's Football. Located in Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public institution. University of Wisconsin-Madison records an NCAA APR of 987, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $920,652, compared with $335,274 spent per athlete. The school awards about $21,586 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. Located in Ann Arbor, MI, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a public institution. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor records an NCAA APR of 996, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $1,261,148 in revenue per athlete, compared with $443,620 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $28,650 per athlete.
Ohio State University-Main Campus ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Located in Columbus, OH, Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 89%. Its federal graduation rate is 60%. Team revenue averages $1,315,982 per participant, with expenses of about $757,044 per participant. The school awards about $27,151 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Chicago ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Chicago, IL, University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,337 per participant, compared with $8,337 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Cincinnati, OH, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 98%. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $253,577, with expenses of about $253,577 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,882.
Indiana University-Bloomington did well this year, earning the #8 position. Located in Bloomington, IN, Indiana University-Bloomington is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 982, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Team revenue averages $709,707 per participant, against $440,417 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $23,161 per athlete.
Case Western Reserve University landed the #9 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cleveland, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,069, compared with $6,069 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Toledo came in at #10 in this year's ranking. University of Toledo is a public school based in Toledo, OH. The team's NCAA APR score is 982, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $103,478, compared with $103,478 spent per athlete. The school awards about $21,660 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kenyon College came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in Gambier, OH, Kenyon College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,655 in revenue per athlete, against $6,655 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Denison University landed the #12 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Granville, OH. Team revenue averages $7,279 per participant, compared with $7,279 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Oberlin College came in at #13 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Oberlin, OH. Team revenue averages $15,916 per participant, with expenses of about $15,916 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Michigan Technological University did well this year, earning the #14 position. This public school is set in Houghton, MI. Team revenue averages $21,082 per participant, against $21,377 in expenses. The school awards about $13,159 in athletic aid per athlete.
Calvin University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Calvin University is a private not-for-profit school based in Grand Rapids, MI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,157, with expenses of about $8,157 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
John Carroll University came in at #16 in this year's ranking. John Carroll University is a private not-for-profit school based in University Heights, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,916, against $7,916 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hope College did well this year, earning the #17 position. Hope College is a private not-for-profit school based in Holland, MI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,568, with expenses of about $6,311 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Dayton placed #18 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Located in Dayton, OH, University of Dayton is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. The program generates about $4,403 in revenue per athlete, compared with $18,650 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,913 per athlete.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Terre Haute, IN, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,426, against $4,824 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lawrence University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Based in Appleton, WI, Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,554 in revenue per athlete, against $8,554 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #21 spot this year. Based in Bloomington, IL, Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,525 per participant, with expenses of about $4,525 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Kalamazoo College came in at #22 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Kalamazoo, MI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,537, with expenses of about $5,537 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign did well this year, earning the #23 position. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public school based in Champaign, IL. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign records an NCAA APR of 973, alongside a GSR of 79%. Its federal graduation rate is 62%. The program generates about $738,989 in revenue per athlete, against $403,373 in expenses. The school awards about $25,398 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Central College came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Based in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,977 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,696 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Grand Valley State University did well this year, earning the #25 position. Based in Allendale, MI, Grand Valley State University is a public institution. The program generates about $27,310 in revenue per athlete, against $23,475 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,088.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*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.