by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 209 schools for Men’s Golf by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual evaluates each program using 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:
Emory University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Golf. Emory University is a private not-for-profit school based in Atlanta, GA. The program generates about $33,443 in revenue per athlete, against $23,181 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Vanderbilt University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Nashville, TN, Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit 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 $266,683 per participant, with expenses of about $266,683 per participant. The school awards about $42,235 in athletic aid per athlete.
Duke University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $111,488 in revenue per athlete, compared with $131,374 spent per athlete. The school awards about $34,321 in athletic aid per athlete.
Washington and Lee University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Lexington, VA, Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $18,785 per participant, compared with $18,785 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Virginia-Main Campus landed the #5 spot for Men's Golf. University of Virginia-Main Campus is a public school based in Charlottesville, VA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. The program generates about $110,637 in revenue per athlete, compared with $110,637 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,976.
Clemson University placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Located in Clemson, SC, Clemson University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $101,950, against $101,950 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $21,730 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #7 in this year's ranking. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public school based in Chapel Hill, NC. 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 $66,820 per participant, against $145,613 in expenses. The school awards about $17,771 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Kentucky placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. This public school is set in Lexington, KY. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $86,483 per participant, compared with $86,483 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $23,921 per athlete.
Wake Forest University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in Winston-Salem, NC, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 78%. Team revenue averages $173,465 per participant, against $173,465 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $38,933.
Christopher Newport University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Christopher Newport University is a public school based in Newport News, VA. Team revenue averages $17,483 per participant, with expenses of about $17,483 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
James Madison University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. Based in Harrisonburg, VA, James Madison University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 88%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $68,674, against $68,674 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,945 per athlete.
Berry College did well this year, earning the #12 position. Located in Mount Berry, GA, Berry College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $27,730 per participant, compared with $9,236 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Nova Southeastern University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Team revenue averages $37,800 per participant, with expenses of about $37,800 per participant. The school awards about $13,636 in athletic aid per athlete.
Elon University did well this year, earning the #14 position. Elon University is a private not-for-profit school based in Elon, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 73%. The program generates about $93,566 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $93,566 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,795.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public school based in Raleigh, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $44,602 in revenue per athlete, compared with $87,126 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,384.
University of Richmond landed the #16 spot this year. University of Richmond is a private not-for-profit school based in University of Richmond, VA. University of Richmond records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $69,681, against $69,681 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,609.
Rhodes College ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. Rhodes College is a private not-for-profit school based in Memphis, TN. The program generates about $10,579 in revenue per athlete, compared with $10,579 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus landed the #18 spot this year. This public school is set in Atlanta, GA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,447, with expenses of about $250,686 per participant. The school awards about $22,289 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mississippi came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Based in University, MS, University of Mississippi 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 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $167,951, with expenses of about $167,951 per participant. The school awards about $22,457 in athletic aid per athlete.
Virginia Commonwealth University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Richmond, VA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Team revenue averages $85,930 per participant, with expenses of about $85,930 per participant. The school awards about $20,187 in athletic aid per athlete.
Union University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Union University is a private not-for-profit school based in Jackson, TN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,233, compared with $22,122 spent per athlete. The school awards about $17,895 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of South Carolina-Columbia did well this year, earning the #22 position. University of South Carolina-Columbia is a public school based in Columbia, SC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $148,129, compared with $148,129 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,645.
Mississippi State University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Mississippi State University is a public school based in Mississippi State, MS. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $111,191 in revenue per athlete, compared with $111,191 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,143.
Centre College landed the #24 spot this year. Based in Danville, KY, Centre College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,070 in revenue per athlete, against $10,070 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
The University of Alabama placed #25 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. This public school is set in Tuscaloosa, AL. The University of Alabama records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 57%. The program generates about $188,845 in revenue per athlete, compared with $188,845 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $20,760 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. 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.