by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 14 schools for Men’s Football by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Explore the leading programs below:
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Football. Located in Atlanta, GA, Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 977, alongside a GSR of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 70%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $587,842, with expenses of about $355,913 per participant. Athletic aid averages $22,289 per athlete.
University of Georgia came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. Based in Athens, GA, University of Georgia is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 982, with a Graduation Success Rate of 58%. The federal graduation rate stands at 31%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,105,821, compared with $526,724 spent per athlete. The school awards about $18,925 in athletic aid per athlete.
Mercer University earned the #3 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Macon, GA. Mercer University records an NCAA APR of 980, alongside a GSR of 79%. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. The program generates about $68,895 in revenue per athlete, against $68,895 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $23,898 per athlete.
Berry College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. Berry College is a private not-for-profit school based in Mount Berry, GA. The program generates about $8,965 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,465 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Georgia State University landed the #5 spot for Men's Football. Based in Atlanta, GA, Georgia State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 961, and a 77% Graduation Success Rate. About 62% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $103,899, against $103,899 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $21,875 per athlete.
Clark Atlanta University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Atlanta, GA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,710, against $29,674 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,630.
Kennesaw State University landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Kennesaw, GA, Kennesaw State University is a public institution. Kennesaw State University records an NCAA APR of 948, and a 76% Graduation Success Rate. About 59% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $95,797 per participant, compared with $95,797 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,283.
Georgia Southern University placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This public school is set in Statesboro, GA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 969, alongside a GSR of 75%. About 51% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $76,887 per participant, with expenses of about $76,887 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,953.
LaGrange College did well this year, earning the #9 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lagrange, GA. Team revenue averages $4,454 per participant, with expenses of about $4,454 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Fort Valley State University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Fort Valley, GA, Fort Valley State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $9,789 per participant, compared with $9,789 spent per athlete. The school awards about $2,378 in athletic aid per athlete.
Valdosta State University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Valdosta State University is a public school based in Valdosta, GA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,240, compared with $15,240 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,542 per athlete.
Shorter University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Based in Rome, GA, Shorter University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $10,417 per participant, against $10,417 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,563.
University of West Georgia did well this year, earning the #13 position. University of West Georgia is a public school based in Carrollton, GA. The team's NCAA APR score is 922, alongside a GSR of 50%. Its federal graduation rate is 41%. The program generates about $22,736 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $22,736 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,051 per athlete.
Savannah State University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in Savannah, GA, Savannah State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $4,263 per participant, compared with $4,263 spent per athlete. The school awards about $2,151 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
See our data sources and methodologies.