by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 91 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Johns Hopkins University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Football. Located in Baltimore, MD, Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,704 per participant, compared with $11,250 spent per athlete. The school awards about $2,612 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colgate University landed the #2 spot for Men's Football. Located in Hamilton, NY, Colgate University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. The program generates about $86,118 in revenue per athlete, compared with $86,118 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $22,658 per athlete.
Fordham University is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #3. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bronx, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, alongside a GSR of 95%. Its federal graduation rate is 81%. Team revenue averages $90,137 per participant, against $90,137 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $32,443.
Villanova University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This private not-for-profit school is set in Villanova, PA. Villanova University records an NCAA APR of 986, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. About 87% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $91,669, against $91,669 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,480.
Carnegie Mellon University is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #5. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,265 per participant, against $7,079 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hamilton College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Clinton, NY. Team revenue averages $15,891 per participant, with expenses of about $15,891 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lafayette College ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Lafayette College is a private not-for-profit school based in Easton, PA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 76%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $82,668, compared with $82,668 spent per athlete. The school awards about $18,987 in athletic aid per athlete.
Georgetown University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Washington, DC. Georgetown University records an NCAA APR of 988, and a 97% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 85%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,750, with expenses of about $25,750 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,232 per athlete.
Lehigh University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bethlehem, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. About 87% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $78,270, compared with $78,270 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,391.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 975, alongside a GSR of 90%. The federal graduation rate stands at 66%. Team revenue averages $484,938 per participant, against $399,506 in expenses. The school awards about $30,613 in athletic aid per athlete.
Franklin and Marshall College ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Lancaster, PA, Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,753, compared with $7,890 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53.
Bucknell University did well this year, earning the #12 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lewisburg, PA. Bucknell University records an NCAA APR of 975, alongside a GSR of 95%. About 81% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $76,739, against $76,739 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,655 per athlete.
Union College came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Located in Schenectady, NY, Union College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,601, against $7,971 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,499.
Rutgers University-New Brunswick did well this year, earning the #14 position. Rutgers University-New Brunswick is a public school based in New Brunswick, NJ. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 982, alongside a GSR of 85%. About 55% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $554,182, with expenses of about $554,182 per participant. Athletic aid averages $26,379 per athlete.
Temple University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Temple University is a public school based in Philadelphia, PA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 965, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. About 72% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $228,657 in revenue per athlete, compared with $228,657 spent per athlete. The school awards about $28,567 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute did well this year, earning the #16 position. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit school based in Troy, NY. The program generates about $7,089 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,938 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,263 per athlete.
University of Delaware landed the #17 spot this year. This public school is set in Newark, DE. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 972, and a 84% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. Team revenue averages $92,062 per participant, against $92,062 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $24,002 per athlete.
Columbia University in the City of New York placed #18 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in New York, NY, Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, alongside a GSR of 97%. Team revenue averages $48,326 per participant, with expenses of about $48,326 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Gettysburg College came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Based in Gettysburg, PA, Gettysburg College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,542 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,542 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
The College of New Jersey ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. The College of New Jersey is a public school based in Ewing, NJ. Team revenue averages $5,109 per participant, compared with $5,109 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Rochester ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Based in Rochester, NY, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,156, against $5,022 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Maryland-College Park ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. This public school is set in College Park, MD. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 960, and a 79% Graduation Success Rate. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $525,590 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $295,855 per participant. The school awards about $30,606 in athletic aid per athlete.
Syracuse University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Located in Syracuse, NY, Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 970, and a 77% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. The program generates about $520,849 in revenue per athlete, against $339,436 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $33,068.
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Based in University Park, PA, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 957, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $1,156,266 per participant, compared with $595,278 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $25,170 per athlete.
St Lawrence University landed the #25 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Canton, NY. Team revenue averages $7,086 per participant, with expenses of about $7,086 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,126.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.