by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 20 colleges for Men’s Lacrosse 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Our analysis found Duke University to be the best college for Men's Lacrosse in North Carolina. Duke University is a private not-for-profit school based in Durham, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $76,533 per participant, compared with $97,028 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,321.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Chapel Hill, NC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 999, alongside a GSR of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. Team revenue averages $26,789 per participant, with expenses of about $37,387 per participant. The school awards about $17,771 in athletic aid per athlete.
Catawba College ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. Catawba College is a private not-for-profit school based in Salisbury, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,692, compared with $10,339 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,164 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lenoir-Rhyne University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. Based in Hickory, NC, Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,860, compared with $10,860 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,094.
University of Mount Olive is one of the top schools for Men's Lacrosse, at #5. University of Mount Olive is a private not-for-profit school based in Mount Olive, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,187, with expenses of about $13,155 per participant. The school awards about $7,775 in athletic aid per athlete.
Barton College ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wilson, NC. Team revenue averages $9,994 per participant, compared with $9,994 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,654.
Wingate University did well this year, earning the #7 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wingate, NC. Team revenue averages $13,330 per participant, compared with $13,804 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,748 in athletic aid per athlete.
High Point University landed the #8 spot this year. 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, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $41,793 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $31,369 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,469.
Lees-McRae College placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. Lees-McRae College is a private not-for-profit school based in Banner Elk, NC. Team revenue averages $19,458 per participant, compared with $19,458 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,547 in athletic aid per athlete.
Guilford College ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Greensboro, NC. Team revenue averages $4,038 per participant, against $4,527 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Belmont Abbey College came in at #11 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Belmont, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,677, with expenses of about $8,677 per participant. Athletic aid averages $2,908 per athlete.
Queens University of Charlotte landed the #12 spot this year. Located in Charlotte, NC, Queens University of Charlotte is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 967, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. About 61% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $16,621 per participant, against $16,621 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,282.
William Peace University landed the #13 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Raleigh, NC. Team revenue averages $7,660 per participant, against $7,904 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Mars Hill University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Mars Hill University is a private not-for-profit school based in Mars Hill, NC. The program generates about $11,916 in revenue per athlete, against $11,916 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,311.
Warren Wilson College landed the #15 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Swannanoa, NC. Team revenue averages $5,159 per participant, with expenses of about $4,762 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Pfeiffer University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse. Located in Misenheimer, NC, Pfeiffer University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $3,901 per participant, with expenses of about $3,735 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Greensboro College landed the #17 spot this year. Based in Greensboro, NC, Greensboro College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,223 per participant, compared with $5,223 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Methodist University did well this year, earning the #18 position. Methodist University is a private not-for-profit school based in Fayetteville, NC. Team revenue averages $4,956 per participant, against $4,956 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Brevard College landed the #19 spot this year. Brevard College is a private not-for-profit school based in Brevard, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,249, against $6,249 in expenses. The school awards about $327 in athletic aid per athlete.
Chowan University landed the #20 spot this year. Based in Murfreesboro, NC, Chowan University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,958 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,958 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,571.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.