by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 6 schools for Men’s Golf (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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.
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Learn more about these schools below:
No school ranked higher than Michigan State University this year for Men's Golf (Division I). This public school is set in East Lansing, MI. Michigan State University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $211,251 per participant, compared with $211,251 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,500.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor earned the #2 place for student athletes. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a public school based in Ann Arbor, MI. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,347, against $107,091 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $28,650 per athlete.
Eastern Michigan University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Ypsilanti, MI, Eastern Michigan University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. Team revenue averages $103,297 per participant, against $103,297 in expenses. The school awards about $16,547 in athletic aid per athlete.
Oakland University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Golf (Division I). This public school is set in Rochester Hills, MI. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, alongside a GSR of 86%. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $66,702 per participant, against $66,702 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $12,959 per athlete.
Central Michigan University is one of the top schools for Men's Golf (Division I), at #5. Central Michigan University is a public school based in Mount Pleasant, MI. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 964. The program generates about $39,685 in revenue per athlete, compared with $39,685 spent per athlete. The school awards about $12,123 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Detroit Mercy landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Detroit, MI, University of Detroit Mercy is a private not-for-profit institution. University of Detroit Mercy records an NCAA APR of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 86%. About 86% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $26,923 in revenue per athlete, compared with $26,923 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,135 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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
See our data sources and methodologies.