by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 703 schools for Men’s Golf by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Emory University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Atlanta, GA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $33,443, compared with $23,181 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Carnegie Mellon University landed the #2 spot for Men's Golf. Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit school based in Pittsburgh, PA. The program generates about $24,202 in revenue per athlete, compared with $17,687 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
New York University landed the #3 spot for Men's Golf. Located in New York, NY, New York University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $19,343 per participant, against $18,132 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Washington and Lee University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lexington, VA. Team revenue averages $18,785 per participant, against $18,785 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Swarthmore College earned the #5 place for student athletes. Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit school based in Swarthmore, PA. Team revenue averages $21,796 per participant, compared with $19,189 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Vanderbilt University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in Nashville, TN, Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $266,683 per participant, against $266,683 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $42,235 per athlete.
Fordham University did well this year, earning the #7 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bronx, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,950, compared with $17,950 spent per athlete. The school awards about $32,443 in athletic aid per athlete.
Amherst College landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Amherst, MA, Amherst College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $15,069 per participant, with expenses of about $15,069 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Duke University placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Located in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. Duke University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $111,488, with expenses of about $131,374 per participant. The school awards about $34,321 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Rochester placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. The program generates about $21,114 in revenue per athlete, against $17,009 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Notre Dame placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Notre Dame, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $169,372 per participant, compared with $169,372 spent per athlete. The school awards about $34,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
Tufts University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Tufts University is a private not-for-profit school based in Medford, MA. The program generates about $10,043 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,623 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bowdoin College landed the #13 spot this year. Based in Brunswick, ME, Bowdoin College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,209, compared with $8,109 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Villanova University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. Located in Villanova, PA, Villanova University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. The program generates about $29,705 in revenue per athlete, compared with $29,705 spent per athlete. The school awards about $25,480 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colorado School of Mines landed the #15 spot this year. Based in Golden, CO, Colorado School of Mines is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,077, compared with $39,077 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,984.
Southern Methodist University landed the #16 spot this year. Based in Dallas, TX, Southern Methodist University is a private not-for-profit institution. Southern Methodist University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $133,289, with expenses of about $133,289 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $56,388.
Northwestern University did well this year, earning the #17 position. Located in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $73,536 per participant, with expenses of about $170,271 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53,919.
Williams College placed #18 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Located in Williamstown, MA, Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,294 in revenue per athlete, against $10,294 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Skidmore College did well this year, earning the #19 position. Skidmore College is a private not-for-profit school based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Team revenue averages $21,012 per participant, against $21,012 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Baylor University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Baylor University is a private not-for-profit school based in Waco, TX. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $148,695 per participant, with expenses of about $148,695 per participant. The school awards about $30,455 in athletic aid per athlete.
Chapman University placed #21 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Chapman University is a private not-for-profit school based in Orange, CA. The program generates about $13,230 in revenue per athlete, against $13,230 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Los Angeles did well this year, earning the #22 position. Located in Los Angeles, CA, University of California-Los Angeles is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 92%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $111,244, against $111,244 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,306.
Ohio State University-Main Campus placed #23 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Located in Columbus, OH, Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 89% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $98,025 per participant, against $98,025 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $27,151 per athlete.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign landed the #24 spot this year. Located in Champaign, IL, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 80%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $138,042, against $318,553 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $25,398 per athlete.
University of Virginia-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #25 position. This public school is set in Charlottesville, VA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $110,637, against $110,637 in expenses. The school awards about $26,976 in athletic aid per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
Explore the rest of the top 20% below:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA |
| 52 | Whitman College | Walla Walla, WA |
| 53 | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Terre Haute, IN |
| 54 | Kenyon College | Gambier, OH |
| 55 | University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley, CA |
| 56 | St. John Fisher University | Rochester, NY |
| 57 | Macalester College | Saint Paul, MN |
| 58 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | Raleigh, NC |
| 59 | Santa Clara University | Santa Clara, CA |
| 60 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | Atlanta, GA |
| 61 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | Tempe, AZ |
| 62 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 63 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison, WI |
| 64 | Elon University | Elon, NC |
| 65 | Rhodes College | Memphis, TN |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 91 | Rollins College | Winter Park, FL |
| 92 | Belmont University | Nashville, TN |
| 93 | Stanford University | Stanford, CA |
| 94 | Willamette University | Salem, OR |
| 95 | Indiana University-Bloomington | Bloomington, IN |
| 96 | Kalamazoo College | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 97 | Illinois Wesleyan University | Bloomington, IL |
| 98 | Union University | Jackson, TN |
| 99 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 100 | Pepperdine University | Malibu, CA |
| 101 | California Lutheran University | Thousand Oaks, CA |
| 102 | University of Wyoming | Laramie, WY |
| 103 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 104 | University of Redlands | Redlands, CA |
| 105 | Bentley University | Waltham, MA |
| 106 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | University Park, PA |
These colleges narrowly missed the top tiers:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 107 | Yeshiva University | New York, NY |
| 108 | Calvin University | Grand Rapids, MI |
| 109 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb, IL |
| 110 | Nova Southeastern University | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| 111 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
| 112 | Miami University-Oxford | Oxford, OH |
| 113 | Dickinson College | Carlisle, PA |
| 114 | DePauw University | Greencastle, IN |
| 115 | Harding University | Searcy, AR |
| 116 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA |
| 117 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 118 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 119 | Loyola University Maryland | Baltimore, MD |
| 120 | Florida Southern College | Lakeland, FL |
| 121 | Purdue University-Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 122 | Oregon State University | Corvallis, OR |
| 123 | The College of Wooster | Wooster, OH |
| 124 | Colgate University | Hamilton, NY |
| 125 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT |
| 126 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS |
| 127 | Lewis & Clark College | Portland, OR |
| 128 | Samford University | Birmingham, AL |
| 129 | Adelphi University | Garden City, NY |
| 130 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 131 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
| 132 | Rockhurst University | Kansas City, MO |
| 133 | University of Scranton | Scranton, PA |
| 134 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | Bowling Green, OH |
| 135 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX |
| 136 | University of California-San Diego | La Jolla, CA |
| 137 | Maryville University of Saint Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
| 138 | Utah State University | Logan, UT |
| 139 | St Lawrence University | Canton, NY |
| 140 | Elizabethtown College | Elizabethtown, PA |
| 141 | Muhlenberg College | Allentown, PA |
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.