by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 45 programs for Men’s Football by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Learn more about these schools below: Our analysis found Villanova University to be the best college for Men's Football in Pennsylvania. This private not-for-profit school is set in Villanova, PA. The team's NCAA APR score is 986, alongside a GSR of 95%. The federal graduation rate stands at 87%. The program generates about $91,669 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $91,669 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,480. Lafayette College came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. Lafayette College is a private not-for-profit school based in Easton, PA. Lafayette College records an NCAA APR of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 76%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $82,668, with expenses of about $82,668 per participant. Athletic aid averages $18,987 per athlete. Carnegie Mellon University is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #3. Located in Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,265 per participant, with expenses of about $7,079 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete. Franklin and Marshall College is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #4. Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lancaster, PA. The program generates about $8,753 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,890 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $53 per athlete.1
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Lehigh University is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #5. Based in Bethlehem, PA, Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit institution. Lehigh University records an NCAA APR of 983, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. About 87% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $78,270, against $78,270 in expenses. The school awards about $19,391 in athletic aid per athlete.5
Bucknell University landed the #6 spot this year. Bucknell University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lewisburg, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 975, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. Its federal graduation rate is 81%. Team revenue averages $76,739 per participant, with expenses of about $76,739 per participant. The school awards about $19,655 in athletic aid per athlete. Gettysburg College came in at #7 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Gettysburg, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,542, compared with $7,542 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0. University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Pittsburgh, PA, University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus is a public institution. University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus records an NCAA APR of 975, alongside a GSR of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 66%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $484,938, with expenses of about $399,506 per participant. The school awards about $30,613 in athletic aid per athlete. Temple University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Temple University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 965, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 72%. The program generates about $228,657 in revenue per athlete, against $228,657 in expenses. The school awards about $28,567 in athletic aid per athlete.6
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Dickinson College ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Dickinson College is a private not-for-profit school based in Carlisle, PA. Team revenue averages $4,578 per participant, with expenses of about $5,460 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.10
Muhlenberg College did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in Allentown, PA, Muhlenberg College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,978 in revenue per athlete, against $5,978 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0. University of Pennsylvania landed the #12 spot this year. Located in Philadelphia, PA, University of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 987, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,110, compared with $32,110 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete. Gannon University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Based in Erie, PA, Gannon University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $21,270 per participant, against $21,176 in expenses. The school awards about $9,313 in athletic aid per athlete. Moravian University did well this year, earning the #14 position. Located in Bethlehem, PA, Moravian University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,668, compared with $5,602 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.11
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Seton Hill University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Based in Greensburg, PA, Seton Hill University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,963 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,963 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,657.15
West Chester University of Pennsylvania did well this year, earning the #16 position. This public school is set in West Chester, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,889, compared with $9,632 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $2,168 per athlete. Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. 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. Its federal graduation rate is 65%. Team revenue averages $1,156,266 per participant, against $595,278 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $25,170 per athlete. Susquehanna University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Based in Selinsgrove, PA, Susquehanna University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,428 per participant, against $5,428 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete. Duquesne University landed the #19 spot this year. Duquesne University is a private not-for-profit school based in Pittsburgh, PA. Duquesne University records an NCAA APR of 971, alongside a GSR of 81%. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $43,238 per participant, against $43,238 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,755.16
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Saint Vincent College did well this year, earning the #20 position. Located in Latrobe, PA, Saint Vincent College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,315 per participant, against $6,315 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.20
Ursinus College placed #21 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Collegeville, PA, Ursinus College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,043 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,043 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete. Lebanon Valley College landed the #22 spot this year. Lebanon Valley College is a private not-for-profit school based in Annville, PA. Team revenue averages $4,000 per participant, against $3,989 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete. Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania did well this year, earning the #23 position. Located in Slippery Rock, PA, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania is a public institution. Team revenue averages $13,000 per participant, compared with $12,857 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $2,028 per athlete. Juniata College did well this year, earning the #24 position. Juniata College is a private not-for-profit school based in Huntingdon, PA. Team revenue averages $7,064 per participant, against $6,706 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete. Allegheny College ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. This private not-for-profit school is set in Meadville, PA. Team revenue averages $7,299 per participant, with expenses of about $7,299 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.21
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These schools rounded out the top of the list:26
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*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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
See our data sources and methodologies.