by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 6 programs 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.
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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Saint Anselm College tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Manchester, NH, Saint Anselm College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $12,859 in revenue per athlete, against $12,317 in expenses. The school awards about $5,219 in athletic aid per athlete.
Dartmouth College ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Dartmouth College is a private not-for-profit school based in Hanover, NH. The team's NCAA APR score is 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. Team revenue averages $35,473 per participant, compared with $35,473 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Durham, NH, University of New Hampshire-Main Campus is a public institution. University of New Hampshire-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 975, alongside a GSR of 88%. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $63,881 per participant, compared with $63,881 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $19,869 per athlete.
Plymouth State University landed the #4 spot for Men's Football. Based in Plymouth, NH, Plymouth State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,998, against $3,481 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Franklin Pierce University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Franklin Pierce University is a private not-for-profit school based in Rindge, NH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,173, with expenses of about $17,173 per participant. Athletic aid averages $292 per athlete.
New England College did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Henniker, NH, New England College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,137, with expenses of about $9,137 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on 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.