by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 48 programs for Men’s Lacrosse by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is Colgate University, our #1 college for Men's Lacrosse. Colgate University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hamilton, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 90%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $33,969, against $33,969 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $22,658 per athlete.
Hamilton College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Clinton, NY, Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,876 per participant, compared with $11,876 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute landed the #3 spot for Men's Lacrosse. Based in Troy, NY, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,560, with expenses of about $7,154 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,263 per athlete.
Syracuse University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Syracuse, NY. Syracuse University records an NCAA APR of 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. The program generates about $62,334 in revenue per athlete, compared with $93,511 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $33,068 per athlete.
Union College ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. Union College is a private not-for-profit school based in Schenectady, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,671, against $7,351 in expenses. The school awards about $2,499 in athletic aid per athlete.
Vassar College ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse. Located in Poughkeepsie, NY, Vassar College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,527 per participant, compared with $6,085 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Binghamton University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse. This public school is set in Vestal, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 97%. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $29,842 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $23,671 per participant. The school awards about $9,522 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stony Brook University did well this year, earning the #8 position. Located in Stony Brook, NY, Stony Brook University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 74%. Team revenue averages $30,413 per participant, compared with $30,413 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $15,341 per athlete.
Skidmore College came in at #9 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saratoga Springs, NY. The program generates about $4,326 in revenue per athlete, against $4,326 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
St. John's University-New York came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in Queens, NY, St. John's University-New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 90%. The federal graduation rate stands at 64%. The program generates about $43,542 in revenue per athlete, against $43,542 in expenses. The school awards about $29,040 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hofstra University placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. Hofstra University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hempstead, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 987, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $43,594, against $43,594 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $22,514 per athlete.
Rochester Institute of Technology came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Rochester Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. Team revenue averages $13,148 per participant, with expenses of about $12,995 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,070 per athlete.
Ithaca College landed the #13 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Ithaca, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,462, with expenses of about $7,462 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
St. John Fisher University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse. Located in Rochester, NY, St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,201 per participant, with expenses of about $5,616 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
St Lawrence University landed the #15 spot this year. St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit school based in Canton, NY. Team revenue averages $4,566 per participant, against $4,566 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $3,126 per athlete.
Wagner College came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Based in Staten Island, NY, Wagner College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,985, against $18,985 in expenses. The school awards about $15,661 in athletic aid per athlete.
Adelphi University placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. Based in Garden City, NY, Adelphi University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $16,658 per participant, compared with $16,658 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,963 in athletic aid per athlete.
Clarkson University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Based in Potsdam, NY, Clarkson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,100, compared with $5,304 spent per athlete. The school awards about $4,842 in athletic aid per athlete.
Iona University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse. Iona University is a private not-for-profit school based in New Rochelle, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 990. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,907, with expenses of about $16,907 per participant. Athletic aid averages $10,814 per athlete.
Molloy University landed the #20 spot this year. Located in Rockville Centre, NY, Molloy University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,424, with expenses of about $12,369 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,589 per athlete.
Marist University landed the #21 spot this year. Based in Poughkeepsie, NY, Marist University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 976, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 84%. Team revenue averages $35,998 per participant, with expenses of about $35,998 per participant. The school awards about $9,661 in athletic aid per athlete.
Nazareth University placed #22 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. Located in Rochester, NY, Nazareth University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,106 in revenue per athlete, against $5,740 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Manhattan University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Riverdale, NY. Manhattan University records an NCAA APR of 984, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. The program generates about $20,068 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $17,783 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,484.
State University of New York at New Paltz landed the #24 spot this year. State University of New York at New Paltz is a public school based in New Paltz, NY. The program generates about $5,516 in revenue per athlete, against $5,516 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Canisius University ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse. Canisius University is a private not-for-profit school based in Buffalo, NY. Canisius University records an NCAA APR of 995, alongside a GSR of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,455, against $14,455 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,300 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. The methodology weighs 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
See our data sources and methodologies.