by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 53 programs for Men’s Lacrosse 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
No school ranked higher than University of Notre Dame this year for Men's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Notre Dame, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 97% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $71,376 in revenue per athlete, compared with $71,376 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $34,391 per athlete.
Denison University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. Based in Granville, OH, Denison University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,476 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,476 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #3 spot for Men's Lacrosse. Based in Bloomington, IL, Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,738 in revenue per athlete, against $5,738 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
DePauw University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. Located in Greencastle, IN, DePauw University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,605 per participant, against $7,605 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Marquette University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Lacrosse. Based in Milwaukee, WI, Marquette University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 74%. The program generates about $42,933 in revenue per athlete, compared with $42,933 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,770 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ohio Northern University did well this year, earning the #6 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Ada, OH. The program generates about $8,326 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,326 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Calvin University did well this year, earning the #7 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Grand Rapids, MI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,921, with expenses of about $5,921 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kenyon College ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Gambier, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,098, compared with $4,098 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
John Carroll University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in University Heights, OH, John Carroll University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,679 per participant, against $6,679 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Kalamazoo College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in Kalamazoo, MI, Kalamazoo College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,219, with expenses of about $5,219 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lawrence University placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Appleton, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,327, against $7,327 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse. Illinois Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL. Team revenue averages $6,795 per participant, with expenses of about $6,795 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Cleveland State University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Cleveland, OH. The team's NCAA APR score is 998, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. The program generates about $14,157 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,359 per participant. The school awards about $8,645 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor did well this year, earning the #14 position. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a public school based in Ann Arbor, MI. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. About 85% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,537, compared with $60,229 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $28,650.
The College of Wooster ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse. Located in Wooster, OH, The College of Wooster is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,526 per participant, with expenses of about $5,430 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ohio State University-Main Campus placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public school based in Columbus, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, alongside a GSR of 91%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $70,326, with expenses of about $70,326 per participant. The school awards about $27,151 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lewis University did well this year, earning the #17 position. Located in Romeoville, IL, Lewis University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $14,896 per participant, with expenses of about $14,896 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,669.
Hope College came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in Holland, MI, Hope College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,023 in revenue per athlete, against $3,023 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Oberlin College placed #19 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Oberlin, OH. The program generates about $4,261 in revenue per athlete, against $4,261 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Milwaukee School of Engineering landed the #20 spot this year. Located in Milwaukee, WI, Milwaukee School of Engineering is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,073, against $5,073 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Central College ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse. Located in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,856, with expenses of about $3,906 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Franciscan University of Steubenville placed #22 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. Located in Steubenville, OH, Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,293, against $2,729 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Earlham College came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Located in Richmond, IN, Earlham College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,626, compared with $9,626 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northwood University placed #24 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. Located in Midland, MI, Northwood University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,577 in revenue per athlete, against $13,577 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,948 per athlete.
Baldwin Wallace University placed #25 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. Located in Berea, OH, Baldwin Wallace University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,768 per participant, against $5,768 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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.