by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 73 colleges for Men’s Lacrosse (Division III) 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:
Johns Hopkins University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Baltimore, MD. Johns Hopkins University records an NCAA APR of 1000. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. Team revenue averages $50,213 per participant, with expenses of about $49,110 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,612.
Hamilton College earned the #2 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Clinton, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,876, with expenses of about $11,876 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Swarthmore College ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse (Division III). Located in Swarthmore, PA, Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,200 per participant, against $5,388 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Stevens Institute of Technology earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Hoboken, NJ, Stevens Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,396 in revenue per athlete, against $6,396 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse (Division III). Based in Troy, NY, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,560 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,154 spent per athlete. The school awards about $3,263 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gettysburg College did well this year, earning the #6 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Gettysburg, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,624, compared with $7,624 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Union College landed the #7 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Schenectady, NY. The program generates about $6,671 in revenue per athlete, against $7,351 in expenses. The school awards about $2,499 in athletic aid per athlete.
Vassar College placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse (Division III). Vassar College is a private not-for-profit school based in Poughkeepsie, NY. Team revenue averages $6,527 per participant, compared with $6,085 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Franklin and Marshall College did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in Lancaster, PA, Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,885 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,366 spent per athlete. The school awards about $53 in athletic aid per athlete.
Muhlenberg College landed the #10 spot this year. Muhlenberg College is a private not-for-profit school based in Allentown, PA. Team revenue averages $7,254 per participant, against $7,254 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Dickinson College came in at #11 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Carlisle, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,883, against $4,906 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Scranton landed the #12 spot this year. Located in Scranton, PA, University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,516, against $5,516 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ithaca College came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Ithaca, NY, Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,462, with expenses of about $7,462 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Haverford College ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Haverford, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,565, against $4,511 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rochester Institute of Technology landed the #15 spot this year. Rochester Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. Team revenue averages $13,148 per participant, compared with $12,995 spent per athlete. The school awards about $3,070 in athletic aid per athlete.
St. John Fisher University placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse (Division III). Based in Rochester, NY, St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,201 in revenue per athlete, against $5,616 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ursinus College placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse (Division III). Ursinus College is a private not-for-profit school based in Collegeville, PA. Team revenue averages $5,541 per participant, with expenses of about $5,541 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Skidmore College came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Based in Saratoga Springs, NY, Skidmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,326 per participant, with expenses of about $4,326 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Messiah University placed #19 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse (Division III). Based in Mechanicsburg, PA, Messiah University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,038 per participant, against $4,062 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Clarkson University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Based in Potsdam, NY, Clarkson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,100 per participant, with expenses of about $5,304 per participant. The school awards about $4,842 in athletic aid per athlete.
Nazareth University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Based in Rochester, NY, Nazareth University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,106, compared with $5,740 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Lawrence University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Based in Canton, NY, St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,566, compared with $4,566 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,126 per athlete.
Salisbury University did well this year, earning the #23 position. This public school is set in Salisbury, MD. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,028, with expenses of about $9,028 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Stockton University ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse (Division III). This public school is set in Galloway, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,323, with expenses of about $5,323 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Elizabethtown College landed the #25 spot this year. Based in Elizabethtown, PA, Elizabethtown College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $3,379 per participant, against $3,379 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid 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.