by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 11 schools for Men’s Lacrosse (Division I) 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.
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Jump to the options below.
Learn more about these schools below:
Duke University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse (Division I). 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%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $76,533, with expenses of about $97,028 per participant. The school awards about $34,321 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Virginia-Main Campus ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse (Division I). Located in Charlottesville, VA, University of Virginia-Main Campus is a public institution. University of Virginia-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 996, alongside a GSR of 95%. About 87% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $54,011, compared with $54,011 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,976.
University of Richmond came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Lacrosse (Division I). Located in University of Richmond, VA, University of Richmond is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 97%. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $54,235 in revenue per athlete, compared with $54,235 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,609.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Lacrosse (Division I). Located in Chapel Hill, NC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 999, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $26,789, compared with $37,387 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,771.
High Point University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Based in High Point, NC, High Point University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $41,793 per participant, compared with $31,369 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $18,469 per athlete.
Mercer University landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Macon, GA, Mercer University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. Its federal graduation rate is 63%. Team revenue averages $24,902 per participant, against $24,902 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,898.
Virginia Military Institute landed the #7 spot this year. This public school is set in Lexington, VA. Virginia Military Institute records an NCAA APR of 993, alongside a GSR of 81%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Team revenue averages $18,377 per participant, against $18,377 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,028 per athlete.
Jacksonville University landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Jacksonville, FL, Jacksonville University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 981, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. About 44% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $28,820 in revenue per athlete, against $28,820 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,287 per athlete.
Bellarmine University placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Louisville, KY. The team's NCAA APR score is 990, alongside a GSR of 57%. About 37% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $26,570, with expenses of about $26,570 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,105.
Queens University of Charlotte ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse (Division I). Based in Charlotte, NC, Queens University of Charlotte is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 967, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. About 61% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,621, against $16,621 in expenses. The school awards about $13,282 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hampton University landed the #11 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hampton, VA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 953, alongside a GSR of 78%. Its federal graduation rate is 60%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,949, with expenses of about $16,763 per participant. Athletic aid averages $18,394 per athlete.
*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.