by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 28 programs for Men’s Golf 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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Explore the leading programs below:
No school ranked higher than University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this year for Men's Golf. Based 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%. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $138,042, against $318,553 in expenses. The school awards about $25,398 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northwestern University is one of the top schools for Men's Golf, at #2. This private not-for-profit school is set in Evanston, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. 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.
Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Golf. Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bloomington, IL. The program generates about $5,818 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,818 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
North Central College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Golf. Located in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,824 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,012 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northern Illinois University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Located in Dekalb, IL, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $59,260 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $59,260 per participant. The school awards about $16,138 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola University Chicago ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. Based in Chicago, IL, Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 78% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $43,004, compared with $43,004 spent per athlete. The school awards about $23,325 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bradley University landed the #7 spot this year. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit school based in Peoria, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $30,505, compared with $30,505 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,583 per athlete.
Lake Forest College ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lake Forest, IL. Team revenue averages $4,767 per participant, compared with $4,767 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lewis University placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Based in Romeoville, IL, Lewis University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,184, with expenses of about $19,184 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,669.
Illinois State University landed the #10 spot this year. This public school is set in Normal, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 86%. Its federal graduation rate is 57%. The program generates about $48,853 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $48,853 per participant. The school awards about $13,477 in athletic aid per athlete.
Knox College did well this year, earning the #11 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Galesburg, IL. Team revenue averages $13,531 per participant, against $17,585 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Elmhurst University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit school based in Elmhurst, IL. The program generates about $3,969 in revenue per athlete, against $3,969 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Located in Edwardsville, IL, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. Team revenue averages $32,168 per participant, with expenses of about $32,168 per participant. The school awards about $8,334 in athletic aid per athlete.
Western Illinois University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Macomb, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 980, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. Team revenue averages $34,161 per participant, against $34,161 in expenses. The school awards about $10,303 in athletic aid per athlete.
DePaul University landed the #15 spot this year. DePaul University is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL. DePaul University records an NCAA APR of 971, with a Graduation Success Rate of 80%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $71,930, with expenses of about $71,930 per participant. The school awards about $23,928 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Illinois Springfield landed the #16 spot this year. University of Illinois Springfield is a public school based in Springfield, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,546, with expenses of about $9,546 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,768.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale landed the #17 spot this year. Located in Carbondale, IL, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 972, and a 82% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $36,438, with expenses of about $36,438 per participant. The school awards about $11,525 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois College landed the #18 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Jacksonville, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,610, compared with $4,610 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
McKendree University placed #19 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Based in Lebanon, IL, McKendree University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $12,525 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,525 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,695 in athletic aid per athlete.
Eastern Illinois University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. Based in Charleston, IL, Eastern Illinois University is a public institution. The Graduation Success Rate here is 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Team revenue averages $21,249 per participant, against $21,249 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,653 per athlete.
Aurora University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Aurora University is a private not-for-profit school based in Aurora, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,241, compared with $5,241 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Millikin University placed #22 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Millikin University is a private not-for-profit school based in Decatur, IL. Team revenue averages $7,372 per participant, compared with $7,372 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
North Park University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. The program generates about $6,693 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,693 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $32.
Roosevelt University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. The program generates about $36,304 in revenue per athlete, against $36,304 in expenses. The school awards about $8,633 in athletic aid per athlete.
Chicago State University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Chicago, IL, Chicago State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 976, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Team revenue averages $14,840 per participant, compared with $14,840 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,877 in athletic aid per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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.