by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 62 colleges for Men’s Football in Plains States by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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.
Not quite what you need? Jump to the options below.
Explore the leading programs below:
Iowa State University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Football in Plains States. Iowa State University is a public school based in Ames, IA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, alongside a GSR of 95%. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $449,959, with expenses of about $239,536 per participant. The school awards about $16,185 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Football in Plains States. Located in Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, alongside a GSR of 87%. Its federal graduation rate is 59%. The program generates about $869,454 in revenue per athlete, against $388,485 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $27,174 per athlete.
Kansas State University earned the #3 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Manhattan, KS. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, alongside a GSR of 94%. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. The program generates about $216,703 in revenue per athlete, compared with $216,703 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $17,682 per athlete.
Washington University in St Louis is one of the top schools for Men's Football in Plains States, at #4. Based in St. Louis, MO, Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,264 per participant, compared with $8,013 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Iowa ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Football in Plains States. Located in Iowa City, IA, University of Iowa is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, alongside a GSR of 76%. Its federal graduation rate is 53%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $802,979, against $388,507 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $21,176 per athlete.
Carleton College landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Northfield, MN, Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,506 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,484 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
North Dakota State University-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #7 position. North Dakota State University-Main Campus is a public school based in Fargo, ND. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 73%. Team revenue averages $64,258 per participant, against $64,258 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,886 per athlete.
Macalester College ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Football in Plains States. Based in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,481 in revenue per athlete, against $8,644 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Grinnell College did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Grinnell, IA, Grinnell College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,611, with expenses of about $7,611 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Missouri-Columbia placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Football in Plains States. This public school is set in Columbia, MO. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 80%. The federal graduation rate stands at 52%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $436,895, against $404,231 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,637.
University of Kansas placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Football in Plains States. Based in Lawrence, KS, University of Kansas is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, alongside a GSR of 83%. Its federal graduation rate is 56%. Team revenue averages $304,161 per participant, against $282,922 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,506.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln did well this year, earning the #12 position. Based in Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 979, and a 84% Graduation Success Rate. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $788,929 per participant, against $455,320 in expenses. The school awards about $16,793 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mary did well this year, earning the #13 position. Located in Bismarck, ND, University of Mary is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $19,029 per participant, against $19,029 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,321.
University of North Dakota ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Men's Football in Plains States. Located in Grand Forks, ND, University of North Dakota is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 81%. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $64,656, with expenses of about $64,656 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,250.
St Olaf College landed the #15 spot this year. Located in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,336 per participant, against $6,265 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Drake University landed the #16 spot this year. Based in Des Moines, IA, Drake University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 982, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. About 77% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $13,590 per participant, against $13,590 in expenses. The school awards about $10,413 in athletic aid per athlete.
Luther College landed the #17 spot this year. Based in Decorah, IA, Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,010 per participant, against $7,010 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Gustavus Adolphus College landed the #18 spot this year. Based in Saint Peter, MN, Gustavus Adolphus College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,350 per participant, compared with $5,350 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Duluth did well this year, earning the #19 position. Based in Duluth, MN, University of Minnesota-Duluth is a public institution. The program generates about $23,551 in revenue per athlete, compared with $23,551 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,671 in athletic aid per athlete.
South Dakota State University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Football in Plains States. Located in Brookings, SD, South Dakota State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 979, alongside a GSR of 86%. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $51,936, with expenses of about $51,936 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,424.
Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the #21 spot this year. Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public school based in Rolla, MO. Team revenue averages $14,768 per participant, compared with $14,768 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,772.
University of Northern Iowa did well this year, earning the #22 position. Based in Cedar Falls, IA, University of Northern Iowa is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 965, and a 86% Graduation Success Rate. About 70% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $44,541, compared with $44,541 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,720.
Martin Luther College ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Men's Football in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in New Ulm, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,188, with expenses of about $5,188 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Cornell College placed #24 among the best colleges for Men's Football in Plains States. Based in Mount Vernon, IA, Cornell College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,520 per participant, against $5,188 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Truman State University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Kirksville, MO. The program generates about $14,989 in revenue per athlete, against $14,989 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,206.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.
