by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 12 programs for Men’s Football by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual weighs 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:
University of Miami earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Football. University of Miami is a private not-for-profit school based in Coral Gables, FL. The team's NCAA APR score is 984, alongside a GSR of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 55%. The program generates about $786,333 in revenue per athlete, compared with $693,842 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $38,474 per athlete.
University of Florida landed the #2 spot for Men's Football. University of Florida is a public school based in Gainesville, FL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. About 42% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $865,279, against $395,160 in expenses. The school awards about $23,180 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Central Florida landed the #3 spot for Men's Football. Based in Orlando, FL, University of Central Florida is a public institution. University of Central Florida records an NCAA APR of 981, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. About 52% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $250,714, with expenses of about $322,459 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,195.
Florida State University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Tallahassee, FL, Florida State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, alongside a GSR of 84%. Its federal graduation rate is 54%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $673,143, with expenses of about $671,516 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,364.
University of South Florida ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Tampa, FL, University of South Florida is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 965, with a Graduation Success Rate of 83%. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. Team revenue averages $256,560 per participant, with expenses of about $256,560 per participant. Athletic aid averages $15,287 per athlete.
University of West Florida did well this year, earning the #6 position. University of West Florida is a public school based in Pensacola, FL. Team revenue averages $20,958 per participant, with expenses of about $18,328 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,536 per athlete.
Florida International University placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Miami, FL, Florida International University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 963, with a Graduation Success Rate of 76%. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. The program generates about $112,587 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $112,587 per participant. The school awards about $16,058 in athletic aid per athlete.
Florida Atlantic University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Based in Boca Raton, FL, Florida Atlantic University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 942, alongside a GSR of 73%. Its federal graduation rate is 62%. Team revenue averages $168,091 per participant, compared with $168,091 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,971 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stetson University placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in DeLand, FL, Stetson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Stetson University records an NCAA APR of 961, with a Graduation Success Rate of 87%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,212, against $17,212 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,035 per athlete.
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Tallahassee, FL. Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University records an NCAA APR of 918, alongside a GSR of 60%. The federal graduation rate stands at 52%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,236, compared with $29,772 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,235.
Bethune-Cookman University landed the #11 spot this year. Based in Daytona Beach, FL, Bethune-Cookman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 914, with a Graduation Success Rate of 74%. The federal graduation rate stands at 45%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,136, compared with $39,136 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,940.
Edward Waters University did well this year, earning the #12 position. Edward Waters University is a private not-for-profit school based in Jacksonville, FL. The program generates about $9,320 in revenue per athlete, against $9,320 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $4,248 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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.