by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 55 schools for Men’s Football by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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.
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Our analysis found Boston College to be the best college for Men's Football in the New England Region. Boston College is a private not-for-profit school based in Chestnut Hill, MA. Boston College records an NCAA APR of 990, alongside a GSR of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 80%. Team revenue averages $321,157 per participant, with expenses of about $278,546 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $29,391.
Amherst College landed the #2 spot for Men's Football. Located in Amherst, MA, Amherst College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,585, against $13,585 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Tufts University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Located in Medford, MA, Tufts University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,467 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,195 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Williams College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. Located in Williamstown, MA, Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,090, against $8,090 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bowdoin College landed the #5 spot for Men's Football. Bowdoin College is a private not-for-profit school based in Brunswick, ME. Team revenue averages $11,299 per participant, with expenses of about $10,766 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bates College ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Bates College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lewiston, ME. The program generates about $14,676 in revenue per athlete, against $12,025 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Cambridge, MA. The program generates about $4,136 in revenue per athlete, against $4,136 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
College of the Holy Cross landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Worcester, MA, College of the Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. Its federal graduation rate is 79%. The program generates about $79,823 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $79,823 per participant. The school awards about $17,801 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colby College did well this year, earning the #9 position. Colby College is a private not-for-profit school based in Waterville, ME. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,259, compared with $12,259 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Middlebury College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Middlebury, VT, Middlebury College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,862 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,862 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Harvard University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cambridge, MA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, alongside a GSR of 99%. The program generates about $43,697 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $43,697 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bryant University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Smithfield, RI, Bryant University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 987, alongside a GSR of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 70%. Team revenue averages $44,190 per participant, with expenses of about $44,190 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,982 per athlete.
Bentley University placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Bentley University is a private not-for-profit school based in Waltham, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,599, with expenses of about $16,808 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,029 per athlete.
University of Rhode Island placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Kingston, RI, University of Rhode Island is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 963, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $68,822, with expenses of about $68,822 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,857.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit school based in Worcester, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,343, against $5,343 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #16 position. University of New Hampshire-Main Campus is a public school based in Durham, NH. The team's NCAA APR score is 975, alongside a GSR of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 65%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $63,881, with expenses of about $63,881 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,869.
Dartmouth College landed the #17 spot this year. Based in Hanover, NH, Dartmouth College is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $35,473, against $35,473 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Yale University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in New Haven, CT. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, alongside a GSR of 96%. The program generates about $64,548 in revenue per athlete, compared with $64,548 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Anselm College placed #19 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This private not-for-profit school is set in Manchester, NH. The program generates about $12,859 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,317 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,219 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Connecticut landed the #20 spot this year. University of Connecticut is a public school based in Storrs, CT. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 952, alongside a GSR of 81%. The federal graduation rate stands at 59%. The program generates about $181,238 in revenue per athlete, against $181,238 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $20,776 per athlete.
Stonehill College landed the #21 spot this year. Based in Easton, MA, Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit institution. Stonehill College records an NCAA APR of 963, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 81%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,183, compared with $28,183 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $14,278 per athlete.
Assumption University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,265, compared with $10,351 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,778.
Merrimack College did well this year, earning the #23 position. Merrimack College is a private not-for-profit school based in North Andover, MA. Merrimack College records an NCAA APR of 979, alongside a GSR of 71%. About 51% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $47,801 in revenue per athlete, against $47,801 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,394.
Endicott College landed the #24 spot this year. Based in Beverly, MA, Endicott College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,488, against $5,488 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst landed the #25 spot this year. Located in Amherst, MA, University of Massachusetts-Amherst is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 953, and a 74% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 59%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $120,892, with expenses of about $120,892 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,175.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.