by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 17 colleges 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
University of Virginia-Main Campus tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. Located in Charlottesville, VA, University of Virginia-Main Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 87%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $54,011, compared with $54,011 spent per athlete. The school awards about $26,976 in athletic aid per athlete.
Washington and Lee University landed the #2 spot for Men's Lacrosse. Based in Lexington, VA, Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,088 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,824 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Richmond came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in University of Richmond, VA. University of Richmond records an NCAA APR of 991, and a 97% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 88%. The program generates about $54,235 in revenue per athlete, against $54,235 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $27,609 per athlete.
Christopher Newport University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Lacrosse. Based in Newport News, VA, Christopher Newport University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $8,608 per participant, compared with $8,608 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Virginia Military Institute earned the #5 place for student athletes. Virginia Military Institute is a public school based in Lexington, VA. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 81%. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. Team revenue averages $18,377 per participant, compared with $18,377 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,028 in athletic aid per athlete.
Randolph-Macon College did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Ashland, VA, Randolph-Macon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,859, compared with $5,858 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Mary Washington came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Fredericksburg, VA, University of Mary Washington is a public institution. The program generates about $5,421 in revenue per athlete, against $4,923 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Shenandoah University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Winchester, VA, Shenandoah University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,322 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,322 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Roanoke College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Lacrosse. Roanoke College is a private not-for-profit school based in Salem, VA. The program generates about $4,639 in revenue per athlete, against $4,639 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Emory & Henry University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Located in Emory, VA, Emory & Henry University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,899 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,899 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,871.
University of Lynchburg landed the #11 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lynchburg, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,836, against $4,836 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hampton University placed #12 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hampton, VA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 953, and a 78% Graduation Success Rate. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $14,949 in revenue per athlete, compared with $16,763 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,394.
Virginia State University landed the #13 spot this year. Virginia State University is a public school based in Petersburg, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,317, compared with $10,317 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,082.
Randolph College did well this year, earning the #14 position. Based in Lynchburg, VA, Randolph College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,520 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,520 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Averett University did well this year, earning the #15 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Danville, VA. The program generates about $5,487 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,487 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Virginia Wesleyan University did well this year, earning the #16 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Virginia Beach, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,567, with expenses of about $4,567 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Southern Virginia University placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Lacrosse. Located in Buena Vista, VA, Southern Virginia University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,870, with expenses of about $9,870 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $90.
*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.