by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 15 colleges 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Leading the list is Carleton College, our #1 college for Men's Football. Carleton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Northfield, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,506, compared with $6,484 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Macalester College is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #2. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Paul, MN. Team revenue averages $8,481 per participant, with expenses of about $8,644 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This public school is set in Minneapolis, MN. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities records an NCAA APR of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 87%. The federal graduation rate stands at 59%. The program generates about $869,454 in revenue per athlete, compared with $388,485 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $27,174 per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Duluth landed the #4 spot for Men's Football. University of Minnesota-Duluth is a public school based in Duluth, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,551, compared with $23,551 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,671.
St Olaf College landed the #5 spot for Men's Football. Located in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,336 in revenue per athlete, against $6,265 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Gustavus Adolphus College landed the #6 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. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Winona State University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Winona State University is a public school based in Winona, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,718, compared with $14,718 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,907 per athlete.
Martin Luther College did well this year, earning the #8 position. Martin Luther College is a private not-for-profit school based in New Ulm, MN. Team revenue averages $5,188 per participant, with expenses of about $5,188 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Northwestern-St Paul did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Saint Paul, MN, University of Northwestern-St Paul is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,706 per participant, with expenses of about $5,596 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bemidji State University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Bemidji, MN, Bemidji State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,988, against $14,988 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,153 per athlete.
Minnesota State University Moorhead did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in Moorhead, MN, Minnesota State University Moorhead is a public institution. Team revenue averages $12,910 per participant, compared with $12,235 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,722 per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Morris ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. University of Minnesota-Morris is a public school based in Morris, MN. The program generates about $4,330 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,105 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hamline University landed the #13 spot this year. Hamline University is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Paul, MN. The program generates about $5,085 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,085 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Southwest Minnesota State University landed the #14 spot this year. Southwest Minnesota State University is a public school based in Marshall, MN. The program generates about $12,384 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $12,384 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,980.
Augsburg University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. This private not-for-profit school is set in Minneapolis, MN. Team revenue averages $4,968 per participant, with expenses of about $4,968 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.