by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 32 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Leading the list is Wake Forest University, our #1 college for Men's Football. Based in Winston-Salem, NC, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 998, alongside a GSR of 99%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. The program generates about $303,076 in revenue per athlete, compared with $303,076 spent per athlete. The school awards about $38,933 in athletic aid per athlete.
Duke University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Football. Located in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 990, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. About 87% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $556,665 in revenue per athlete, against $391,434 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,321.
Elon University earned the #3 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Elon, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. Its federal graduation rate is 88%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $70,775, compared with $70,775 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,795.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This public school is set in Chapel Hill, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 986, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. About 76% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $514,936 per participant, with expenses of about $399,559 per participant. The school awards about $17,771 in athletic aid per athlete.
Davidson College earned the #5 place for student athletes. Located in Davidson, NC, Davidson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 97%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $33,531, compared with $25,890 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,830 per athlete.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Raleigh, NC, North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, and a 84% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 55%. The program generates about $558,053 in revenue per athlete, against $324,283 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $18,384 per athlete.
Catawba College landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Salisbury, NC, Catawba College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $14,562 per participant, with expenses of about $14,062 per participant. The school awards about $9,164 in athletic aid per athlete.
Appalachian State University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Boone, NC, Appalachian State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 969, and a 87% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 65%. Team revenue averages $108,926 per participant, against $108,926 in expenses. The school awards about $14,299 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lenoir-Rhyne University landed the #9 spot this year. Based in Hickory, NC, Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $15,231 in revenue per athlete, compared with $15,231 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,094 per athlete.
East Carolina University placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This public school is set in Greenville, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 975, and a 81% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 54%. The program generates about $127,757 in revenue per athlete, compared with $127,698 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $12,584 per athlete.
Winston-Salem State University landed the #11 spot this year. This public school is set in Winston-Salem, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,500, against $18,500 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,441.
Barton College came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wilson, NC. Team revenue averages $9,516 per participant, with expenses of about $9,516 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,654 per athlete.
Campbell University placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Buies Creek, NC, Campbell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Campbell University records an NCAA APR of 930, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,962, against $40,962 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,433.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte did well this year, earning the #14 position. Based in Charlotte, NC, University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a public institution. University of North Carolina at Charlotte records an NCAA APR of 931, with a Graduation Success Rate of 80%. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $97,919 in revenue per athlete, against $127,634 in expenses. The school awards about $11,522 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wingate University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Based in Wingate, NC, Wingate University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,017 per participant, against $10,717 in expenses. The school awards about $6,748 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gardner-Webb University came in at #16 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boiling Springs, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 967, with a Graduation Success Rate of 79%. The federal graduation rate stands at 56%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $38,509, against $38,509 in expenses. The school awards about $14,936 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Carolina Central University ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Durham, NC, North Carolina Central University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 975, alongside a GSR of 64%. Its federal graduation rate is 42%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $44,516, against $44,516 in expenses. The school awards about $14,804 in athletic aid per athlete.
Guilford College landed the #18 spot this year. Based in Greensboro, NC, Guilford College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $3,232 per participant, with expenses of about $2,962 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Elizabeth City State University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Located in Elizabeth City, NC, Elizabeth City State University is a public institution. The program generates about $9,618 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,618 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,147.
Western Carolina University placed #20 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Cullowhee, NC, Western Carolina University is a public institution. Western Carolina University records an NCAA APR of 944, alongside a GSR of 74%. Its federal graduation rate is 53%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,564, with expenses of about $32,564 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,960.
Mars Hill University placed #21 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Mars Hill University is a private not-for-profit school based in Mars Hill, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,672, against $12,672 in expenses. The school awards about $6,311 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke placed #22 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Based in Pembroke, NC, University of North Carolina at Pembroke is a public institution. Team revenue averages $9,564 per participant, compared with $9,494 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,165.
Greensboro College came in at #23 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Greensboro, NC. The program generates about $3,448 in revenue per athlete, against $3,448 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
North Carolina Wesleyan University ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Located in Rocky Mount, NC, North Carolina Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,404 in revenue per athlete, compared with $3,404 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
North Carolina A & T State University did well this year, earning the #25 position. Based in Greensboro, NC, North Carolina A & T State University is a public institution. North Carolina A & T State University records an NCAA APR of 946, and a 67% Graduation Success Rate. About 58% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,577, against $29,578 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,465.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*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.