by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 8 schools for Men’s Football by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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 Yale University to be the best college for Men's Football in Connecticut. Yale University is a private not-for-profit school based 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. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of New Haven is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #2. Based in West Haven, CT, University of New Haven is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,988, with expenses of about $19,988 per participant. The school awards about $7,566 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Connecticut came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. Based in Storrs, CT, University of Connecticut is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 952, with a Graduation Success Rate of 81%. Its federal graduation rate is 59%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $181,238, compared with $181,238 spent per athlete. The school awards about $20,776 in athletic aid per athlete.
Sacred Heart University is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #4. Located in Fairfield, CT, Sacred Heart University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 963, and a 76% Graduation Success Rate. About 56% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $35,153, compared with $35,153 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,128 per athlete.
Western Connecticut State University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. Western Connecticut State University is a public school based in Danbury, CT. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,174, compared with $4,174 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Central Connecticut State University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Based in New Britain, CT, Central Connecticut State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 952, alongside a GSR of 79%. Its federal graduation rate is 70%. The program generates about $26,773 in revenue per athlete, compared with $26,773 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,791 per athlete.
Southern Connecticut State University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Southern Connecticut State University is a public school based in New Haven, CT. The program generates about $11,712 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,712 spent per athlete. The school awards about $4,062 in athletic aid per athlete.
Post University placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Waterbury, CT, Post University is a private for-profit institution. The program generates about $12,639 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $12,639 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,848.
*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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.