by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 24 colleges for Men’s Football 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the best college for Men's Football in Illinois. Based in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Northwestern University records an NCAA APR of 993, and a 99% Graduation Success Rate. About 97% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $785,207 in revenue per athlete, compared with $347,723 spent per athlete. The school awards about $53,919 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Chicago is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #2. Based 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. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Illinois State University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Normal, IL, Illinois State University is a public institution. Illinois State University records an NCAA APR of 980, alongside a GSR of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 58%. The program generates about $39,994 in revenue per athlete, compared with $39,994 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,477.
Northern Illinois University is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #4. Based in Dekalb, IL, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. Northern Illinois University records an NCAA APR of 974, alongside a GSR of 84%. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $92,651 per participant, against $92,302 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,138.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign landed the #5 spot for Men's Football. Located in Champaign, IL, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 973, and a 79% Graduation Success Rate. About 62% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $738,989, compared with $403,373 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,398.
North Central College did well this year, earning the #6 position. North Central College is a private not-for-profit school based in Naperville, IL. The program generates about $11,977 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,696 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois Wesleyan University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Located in Bloomington, IL, Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,525, compared with $4,525 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is a public school based in Carbondale, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 970, and a 87% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 61%. Team revenue averages $48,092 per participant, against $48,092 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,525.
Elmhurst University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit school based in Elmhurst, IL. The program generates about $7,591 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,553 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lake Forest College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Lake Forest, IL, Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,695 per participant, against $4,695 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
McKendree University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in Lebanon, IL, McKendree University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,844 per participant, compared with $13,844 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,695 in athletic aid per athlete.
Knox College ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Galesburg, IL, Knox College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,016 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,455 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Illinois College did well this year, earning the #13 position. Based in Jacksonville, IL, Illinois College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,907 per participant, against $4,907 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Aurora University did well this year, earning the #14 position. Based in Aurora, IL, Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,152 in revenue per athlete, against $5,152 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Eastern Illinois University landed the #15 spot this year. Based in Charleston, IL, Eastern Illinois University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 947, alongside a GSR of 72%. About 48% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $42,817, against $42,817 in expenses. The school awards about $7,653 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Park University landed the #16 spot this year. Located in Chicago, IL, North Park University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,774 per participant, compared with $6,774 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $32.
Millikin University ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Millikin University is a private not-for-profit school based in Decatur, IL. The program generates about $6,245 in revenue per athlete, against $6,245 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Roosevelt University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Based in Chicago, IL, Roosevelt University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,729, compared with $22,729 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $8,633 per athlete.
Western Illinois University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Macomb, IL, Western Illinois University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 928, and a 70% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 56%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $30,829, against $30,829 in expenses. The school awards about $10,303 in athletic aid per athlete.
Concordia University-Chicago came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Located in River Forest, IL, Concordia University-Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,039, compared with $5,039 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Quincy University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Quincy University is a private not-for-profit school based in Quincy, IL. The program generates about $13,616 in revenue per athlete, against $13,339 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,507.
Greenville University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Greenville, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,605, against $3,719 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Rockford University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rockford, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,213, compared with $4,213 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Eureka College placed #24 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Located in Eureka, IL, Eureka College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,834 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,834 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on 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.