by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 24 colleges for Men’s Football by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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:
Leading the list is Fordham University, our #1 college for Men's Football. Based in Bronx, NY, Fordham University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, alongside a GSR of 95%. Its federal graduation rate is 81%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $90,137, compared with $90,137 spent per athlete. The school awards about $32,443 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colgate University is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #2. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hamilton, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. About 91% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $86,118 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $86,118 per participant. The school awards about $22,658 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hamilton College landed the #3 spot for Men's Football. Located in Clinton, NY, Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $15,891 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,891 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Union College ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Football. 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. Athletic aid averages $2,499 per athlete.
Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #5. This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, and a 97% Graduation Success Rate. Team revenue averages $48,326 per participant, with expenses of about $48,326 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This private not-for-profit school is set 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.
Syracuse University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit school based in Syracuse, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 970, with a Graduation Success Rate of 77%. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $520,849, with expenses of about $339,436 per participant. Athletic aid averages $33,068 per athlete.
University of Rochester ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located 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.
Marist University placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Poughkeepsie, NY, Marist University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 974, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. The program generates about $20,778 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $20,778 per participant. The school awards about $9,661 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Lawrence University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit school based in Canton, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,086, with expenses of about $7,086 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,126 per athlete.
University at Buffalo placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Football. University at Buffalo is a public school based in Buffalo, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 942, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. About 68% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $119,475 in revenue per athlete, compared with $119,475 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,340.
Cornell University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Ithaca, NY, Cornell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 974, with a Graduation Success Rate of 97%. The program generates about $42,107 in revenue per athlete, against $42,107 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Stony Brook University placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Stony Brook University is a public school based in Stony Brook, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 955, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $70,798 per participant, compared with $70,798 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,341.
University at Albany did well this year, earning the #14 position. Located in Albany, NY, University at Albany is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 959, and a 76% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $56,503, compared with $49,494 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,856 in athletic aid per athlete.
St. John Fisher University placed #15 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY. Team revenue averages $5,426 per participant, with expenses of about $4,933 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ithaca College came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit school based in Ithaca, NY. The program generates about $6,312 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,312 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Pace University landed the #17 spot this year. Located in New York, NY, Pace University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $15,061 per participant, against $15,176 in expenses. The school awards about $7,466 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wagner College placed #18 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Wagner College is a private not-for-profit school based in Staten Island, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 957, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 59%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $26,884, with expenses of about $26,884 per participant. Athletic aid averages $15,661 per athlete.
Hobart William Smith Colleges did well this year, earning the #19 position. Based in Geneva, NY, Hobart William Smith Colleges is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,191 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,191 per participant. Athletic aid averages $50 per athlete.
State University of New York at Cortland placed #20 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Cortland, NY, State University of New York at Cortland is a public institution. The program generates about $6,199 in revenue per athlete, against $6,199 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Alfred University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Alfred, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,213, against $5,247 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Utica University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Utica, NY, Utica University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,769 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,191 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hilbert College ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Hilbert College is a private not-for-profit school based in Hamburg, NY. Team revenue averages $8,333 per participant, against $7,883 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hartwick College did well this year, earning the #24 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Oneonta, NY. Team revenue averages $4,138 per participant, with expenses of about $4,138 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*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.