by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 116 schools for Men’s Golf by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Denison University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Golf. Denison University is a private not-for-profit school based in Granville, OH. The program generates about $15,994 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,994 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kenyon College came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Gambier, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,948, with expenses of about $10,948 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology landed the #3 spot for Men's Golf. Based in Terre Haute, IN, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,200, with expenses of about $12,200 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Notre Dame earned the #4 place for student athletes. University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit school based in Notre Dame, IN. 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. The program generates about $169,372 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $169,372 per participant. The school awards about $34,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northwestern University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Located in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $73,536 per participant, compared with $170,271 spent per athlete. The school awards about $53,919 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kalamazoo College landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Kalamazoo, MI, Kalamazoo College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,017, against $10,017 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ohio State University-Main Campus landed the #7 spot this year. This public school is set in Columbus, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 89%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $98,025, with expenses of about $98,025 per participant. The school awards about $27,151 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois Wesleyan University placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bloomington, IL. Team revenue averages $5,818 per participant, with expenses of about $5,818 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in Champaign, IL, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public institution. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $138,042, with expenses of about $318,553 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,398.
DePauw University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. Based in Greencastle, IN, DePauw University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,685 per participant, compared with $9,685 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor landed the #11 spot this year. This public school is set in Ann Arbor, MI. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $22,347 in revenue per athlete, compared with $107,091 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $28,650.
Calvin University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. Calvin University is a private not-for-profit school based in Grand Rapids, MI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,445, with expenses of about $8,445 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Michigan State University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. Located in East Lansing, MI, Michigan State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $211,251 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $211,251 per participant. The school awards about $22,500 in athletic aid per athlete.
Grand Valley State University landed the #14 spot this year. Located in Allendale, MI, Grand Valley State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $37,874, compared with $37,551 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,088.
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Located in Cincinnati, OH, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $105,133, against $105,133 in expenses. The school awards about $20,882 in athletic aid per athlete.
The College of Wooster placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Located in Wooster, OH, The College of Wooster is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,502 in revenue per athlete, against $10,622 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Cedarville University ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cedarville, OH. The program generates about $17,302 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $17,302 per participant. The school awards about $5,791 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Madison came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $20,377 per participant, with expenses of about $118,568 per participant. The school awards about $21,586 in athletic aid per athlete.
Marquette University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Milwaukee, WI. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $121,735, compared with $121,143 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,770 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hope College ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. Based in Holland, MI, Hope College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,272, with expenses of about $4,272 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola University Chicago placed #21 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Located in Chicago, IL, Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 78%. The program generates about $43,004 in revenue per athlete, against $43,004 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,325.
Ohio Northern University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Based in Ada, OH, Ohio Northern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,280 per participant, with expenses of about $5,280 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Northern Illinois University placed #23 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Located in Dekalb, IL, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $59,260 per participant, with expenses of about $59,260 per participant. The school awards about $16,138 in athletic aid per athlete.
Indiana University-Bloomington ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. Indiana University-Bloomington is a public school based in Bloomington, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 980, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $86,566, against $86,566 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,161.
North Central College placed #25 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. North Central College is a private not-for-profit school based in Naperville, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,824, against $5,012 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*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.