by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 24 schools for Men’s Soccer (Division III) in Plains States by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Washington University in St Louis earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. Based in St. Louis, MO, Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,180 per participant, compared with $11,368 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Macalester College landed the #2 spot for Men's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. Located in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,492 in revenue per athlete, against $7,632 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Carleton College earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Northfield, MN, Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,537, against $4,567 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
St Olaf College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Northfield, MN. The program generates about $5,282 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,282 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Grinnell College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Grinnell, IA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,679, compared with $4,679 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Luther College placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. Based in Decorah, IA, Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,686, with expenses of about $5,661 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Gustavus Adolphus College placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. Based in Saint Peter, MN, Gustavus Adolphus College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,960, against $4,960 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Cornell College landed the #8 spot this year. Cornell College is a private not-for-profit school based in Mount Vernon, IA. The program generates about $5,249 in revenue per athlete, against $4,697 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Nebraska Wesleyan University landed the #9 spot this year. Based in Lincoln, NE, Nebraska Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,994 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,836 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Loras College placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. Loras College is a private not-for-profit school based in Dubuque, IA. The program generates about $4,873 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,873 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is a private not-for-profit school based in Winona, MN. Team revenue averages $3,862 per participant, with expenses of about $3,862 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Martin Luther College came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Martin Luther College is a private not-for-profit school based in New Ulm, MN. Team revenue averages $1,956 per participant, with expenses of about $1,956 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wartburg College landed the #13 spot this year. Wartburg College is a private not-for-profit school based in Waverly, IA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,445, compared with $4,445 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Augsburg University placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. Based in Minneapolis, MN, Augsburg University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,353, against $5,353 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Northwestern-St Paul came in at #15 in this year's ranking. University of Northwestern-St Paul is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Paul, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,801, against $1,801 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
North Central University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Located in Minneapolis, MN, North Central University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,965 in revenue per athlete, against $3,965 in expenses. The school awards about $49 in athletic aid per athlete.
Simpson College did well this year, earning the #17 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Indianola, IA. Team revenue averages $3,125 per participant, compared with $2,854 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Webster University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Based in Saint Louis, MO, Webster University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,519 per participant, with expenses of about $3,911 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Minnesota-Morris placed #19 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. University of Minnesota-Morris is a public school based in Morris, MN. Team revenue averages $3,915 per participant, with expenses of about $3,853 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Buena Vista University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. Located in Storm Lake, IA, Buena Vista University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,142 per participant, against $5,050 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hamline University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Paul, MN. The program generates about $3,016 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,016 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bethany Lutheran College came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Bethany Lutheran College is a private not-for-profit school based in Mankato, MN. The program generates about $3,576 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,593 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Coe College placed #23 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer (Division III) in Plains States. Coe College is a private not-for-profit school based in Cedar Rapids, IA. The program generates about $2,909 in revenue per athlete, against $2,909 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Dubuque landed the #24 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Dubuque, IA. Team revenue averages $4,095 per participant, compared with $3,800 spent per athlete. 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.