by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 14 programs for Men’s Football by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual scores each program on 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:
Leading the list is University of Notre Dame, our #1 college for Men's Football. University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit school based in Notre Dame, IN. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 98%. The federal graduation rate stands at 81%. Team revenue averages $1,578,415 per participant, against $752,063 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $34,391 per athlete.
Indiana University-Bloomington ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This public school is set in Bloomington, IN. The team's NCAA APR score is 982, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Team revenue averages $709,707 per participant, with expenses of about $440,417 per participant. Athletic aid averages $23,161 per athlete.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #3. This private not-for-profit school is set in Terre Haute, IN. The program generates about $5,426 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,824 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ball State University is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #4. This public school is set in Muncie, IN. Ball State University records an NCAA APR of 987, with a Graduation Success Rate of 84%. Its federal graduation rate is 62%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $66,584, against $66,584 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $16,206 per athlete.
DePauw University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. Located in Greencastle, IN, DePauw University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,210, against $5,210 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Butler University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. This private not-for-profit school is set in Indianapolis, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 978, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. The program generates about $12,590 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $11,948 per participant. Athletic aid averages $12,113 per athlete.
Purdue University-Main Campus ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in West Lafayette, IN, Purdue University-Main Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 968, and a 83% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 61%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $659,873, with expenses of about $295,184 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,382 per athlete.
Trine University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. This private not-for-profit school is set in Angola, IN. Team revenue averages $3,589 per participant, against $3,499 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Indiana State University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in Terre Haute, IN, Indiana State University is a public institution. Indiana State University records an NCAA APR of 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 80%. The federal graduation rate stands at 52%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $42,391, with expenses of about $42,391 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,961.
Hanover College placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hanover, IN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,280, with expenses of about $4,280 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Indianapolis came in at #11 in this year's ranking. University of Indianapolis is a private not-for-profit school based in Indianapolis, IN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,345, compared with $20,345 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,002 per athlete.
Valparaiso University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Valparaiso University is a private not-for-profit school based in Valparaiso, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 943, alongside a GSR of 84%. Team revenue averages $11,777 per participant, against $11,816 in expenses. The school awards about $8,540 in athletic aid per athlete.
Franklin College placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Franklin, IN, Franklin College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,486, with expenses of about $3,807 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Manchester University placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in North Manchester, IN, Manchester University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,697, compared with $5,450 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
See our data sources and methodologies.