by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 5 programs for Men’s Football by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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:
No school ranked higher than University of Mary this year for Men's Football. Based in Bismarck, ND, University of Mary is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $19,029 per participant, with expenses of about $19,029 per participant. The school awards about $6,321 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Dakota State University-Main Campus landed the #2 spot for Men's Football. This public school is set in Fargo, ND. North Dakota State University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $64,258 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $64,258 per participant. The school awards about $8,886 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Dakota is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #3. This public school is set in Grand Forks, ND. The team's NCAA APR score is 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 81%. About 64% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $64,656, against $64,656 in expenses. The school awards about $11,250 in athletic aid per athlete.
Minot State University is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #4. This public school is set in Minot, ND. The program generates about $13,838 in revenue per athlete, against $13,838 in expenses. The school awards about $3,491 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Jamestown ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Football. University of Jamestown is a private not-for-profit school based in Jamestown, ND. Team revenue averages $10,786 per participant, with expenses of about $10,786 per participant. The school awards about $5,474 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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.
