by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 38 colleges for Men’s Golf by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Duke University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Golf. Located in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $111,488 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $131,374 per participant. The school awards about $34,321 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #2 spot for Men's Golf. This public school is set in Chapel Hill, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $66,820, against $145,613 in expenses. The school awards about $17,771 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wake Forest University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit school based in Winston-Salem, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 988, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 78%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $173,465, with expenses of about $173,465 per participant. Athletic aid averages $38,933 per athlete.
Elon University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Elon, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $93,566 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $93,566 per participant. The school awards about $25,795 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh landed the #5 spot 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%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $44,602 per participant, against $87,126 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $18,384 per athlete.
Catawba College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in Salisbury, NC, Catawba College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $27,262 in revenue per athlete, against $25,019 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,164 per athlete.
Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte landed the #7 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Charlotte, NC. Team revenue averages $5,684 per participant, against $9,146 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Campbell University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Buies Creek, NC, Campbell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $52,294, with expenses of about $52,294 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,433.
East Carolina University did well this year, earning the #9 position. East Carolina University is a public school based in Greenville, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $45,746, compared with $45,015 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $12,584 per athlete.
High Point University did well this year, earning the #10 position. High Point University is a private not-for-profit school based in High Point, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 83%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $43,450 in revenue per athlete, against $42,949 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $18,469 per athlete.
Davidson College came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Based in Davidson, NC, Davidson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 987, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $50,241, against $71,254 in expenses. The school awards about $9,830 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lenoir-Rhyne University placed #12 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hickory, NC. Team revenue averages $13,897 per participant, with expenses of about $13,897 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,094.
Barton College landed the #13 spot this year. Barton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Wilson, NC. The program generates about $16,284 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $16,284 per participant. The school awards about $6,654 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Located in Charlotte, NC, University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 86%. Its federal graduation rate is 40%. The program generates about $51,194 in revenue per athlete, compared with $51,400 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,522 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wingate University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Located in Wingate, NC, Wingate University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $44,565, against $24,074 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,748 per athlete.
Winston-Salem State University placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Based in Winston-Salem, NC, Winston-Salem State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $19,023 per participant, with expenses of about $19,023 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,441.
Appalachian State University ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. This public school is set in Boone, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 75% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $34,349, against $34,349 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,299.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro did well this year, earning the #18 position. Located in Greensboro, NC, University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 980, alongside a GSR of 90%. About 89% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $57,358 per participant, with expenses of about $57,358 per participant. The school awards about $9,162 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mount Olive ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. Located in Mount Olive, NC, University of Mount Olive is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,539, with expenses of about $15,912 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,775 per athlete.
Guilford College ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Golf. Guilford College is a private not-for-profit school based in Greensboro, NC. Team revenue averages $13,593 per participant, compared with $12,314 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Queens University of Charlotte did well this year, earning the #21 position. Queens University of Charlotte is a private not-for-profit school based in Charlotte, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 75%. Its federal graduation rate is 57%. Team revenue averages $24,089 per participant, compared with $24,089 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,282 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina Wilmington placed #22 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Located in Wilmington, NC, University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 946, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $32,385 in revenue per athlete, against $32,385 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,667 per athlete.
North Carolina Central University placed #23 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Based in Durham, NC, North Carolina Central University is a public institution. North Carolina Central University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 80%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $14,420 in revenue per athlete, against $14,420 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,804.
Gardner-Webb University placed #24 among the best colleges for Men's Golf. Based in Boiling Springs, NC, Gardner-Webb University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 972, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 45%. Team revenue averages $23,859 per participant, compared with $23,859 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,936.
North Carolina A & T State University landed the #25 spot this year. Based in Greensboro, NC, North Carolina A & T State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $37,457 per participant, with expenses of about $37,457 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,465.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.