by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 8 colleges 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Jump to the options below.
Learn more about these schools below:
Rutgers University-New Brunswick earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Football. This public school is set in New Brunswick, NJ. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 982, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. Its federal graduation rate is 55%. Team revenue averages $554,182 per participant, compared with $554,182 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $26,379 per athlete.
The College of New Jersey earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Ewing, NJ, The College of New Jersey is a public institution. The program generates about $5,109 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,109 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rowan University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Rowan University is a public school based in Glassboro, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,427, compared with $6,950 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Princeton University is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #4. Princeton University is a private not-for-profit school based in Princeton, NJ. Princeton University records an NCAA APR of 981, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. Team revenue averages $41,549 per participant, with expenses of about $41,549 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Monmouth University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Monmouth University is a private not-for-profit school based in West Long Branch, NJ. Monmouth University records an NCAA APR of 971, alongside a GSR of 78%. About 66% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $61,611, with expenses of about $61,611 per participant. Athletic aid averages $20,376 per athlete.
Montclair State University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Montclair, NJ, Montclair State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $2,839 per participant, with expenses of about $3,128 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
William Paterson University of New Jersey came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Wayne, NJ, William Paterson University of New Jersey is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,356, against $4,339 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kean University landed the #8 spot this year. This public school is set in Union, NJ. Team revenue averages $5,540 per participant, compared with $5,540 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
