by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 28 colleges 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Boston College earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Football. This private not-for-profit school is set 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, compared with $278,546 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $29,391 per athlete.
Williams College ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Williams College is a private not-for-profit school based in Williamstown, MA. The program generates about $8,090 in revenue per athlete, against $8,090 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Amherst College is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #3. Located in Amherst, MA, Amherst College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,585 per participant, against $13,585 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Tufts University is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #4. Located in Medford, MA, Tufts University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,467 in revenue per athlete, against $12,195 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #5 spot for Men's Football. Located in Cambridge, MA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,136, against $4,136 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bentley University ranked #6 on our 2026 list 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, against $16,808 in expenses. The school awards about $8,029 in athletic aid per athlete.
Harvard University landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Cambridge, MA, Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 99%. The program generates about $43,697 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $43,697 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
College of the Holy Cross came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. The team's NCAA APR score is 984, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. About 79% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $79,823 in revenue per athlete, compared with $79,823 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,801.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. The program generates about $5,343 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,343 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Assumption University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Worcester, MA, Assumption University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,265 per participant, compared with $10,351 spent per athlete. The school awards about $4,778 in athletic aid per athlete.
Endicott College placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Located in Beverly, MA, Endicott College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,488 per participant, compared with $5,488 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Stonehill College placed #12 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit school based in Easton, MA. The team's NCAA APR score is 963, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 81%. The program generates about $28,183 in revenue per athlete, against $28,183 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,278 per athlete.
Springfield College placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Springfield College is a private not-for-profit school based in Springfield, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,838, compared with $8,838 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Merrimack College did well this year, earning the #14 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in North Andover, MA. The team's NCAA APR score is 979, and a 71% Graduation Success Rate. About 51% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $47,801 in revenue per athlete, compared with $47,801 spent per athlete. The school awards about $20,394 in athletic aid per athlete.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Massachusetts Maritime Academy is a public school based in Buzzards Bay, MA. Team revenue averages $3,836 per participant, against $3,834 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst landed the #16 spot this year. This public school is set in Amherst, MA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 953, and a 74% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 59%. The program generates about $120,892 in revenue per athlete, against $120,892 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,175.
Western New England University landed the #17 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Springfield, MA. The program generates about $5,024 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,679 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Nichols College came in at #18 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Dudley, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,965, with expenses of about $3,973 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Westfield State University placed #19 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Westfield State University is a public school based in Westfield, MA. Team revenue averages $2,596 per participant, against $2,565 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Worcester State University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Based in Worcester, MA, Worcester State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $2,110 per participant, compared with $1,952 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
American International College did well this year, earning the #21 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Springfield, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,574, with expenses of about $17,574 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,241.
Fitchburg State University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Fitchburg State University is a public school based in Fitchburg, MA. Team revenue averages $2,886 per participant, against $2,886 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bridgewater State University ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Bridgewater State University is a public school based in Bridgewater, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,819, compared with $1,810 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Curry College ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Milton, MA, Curry College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,168, against $4,168 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Framingham State University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Framingham, MA, Framingham State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,182, against $2,282 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.