by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 8 colleges for Men’s Lacrosse by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Learn more about these schools below:
No school ranked higher than Illinois Institute of Technology this year for Men's Lacrosse. Located in Chicago, IL, Illinois Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,795 per participant, against $6,795 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #2 on this year's ranking 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, compared with $5,738 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lewis University landed the #3 spot for Men's Lacrosse. Located in Romeoville, IL, Lewis University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,896, compared with $14,896 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,669 per athlete.
North Central College ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Naperville, IL. Team revenue averages $5,856 per participant, against $3,906 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Elmhurst University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Lacrosse. Located in Elmhurst, IL, Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,469, compared with $6,469 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lake Forest College landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lake Forest, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,424, against $3,424 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Quincy University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Quincy, IL. The program generates about $14,302 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,666 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,507 in athletic aid per athlete.
Aurora University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Aurora, IL, Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,315 per participant, with expenses of about $5,315 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.