by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 71 colleges for Men’s Soccer 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 Stanford University this year for Men's Soccer. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit school based in Stanford, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 95% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $93,424, compared with $93,424 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $42,012 per athlete.
University of California-Los Angeles came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Soccer. Based in Los Angeles, CA, University of California-Los Angeles is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, alongside a GSR of 93%. About 56% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $80,603, compared with $80,603 spent per athlete. The school awards about $24,306 in athletic aid per athlete.
Santa Clara University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit school based in Santa Clara, CA. Santa Clara University records an NCAA APR of 990, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $61,084, with expenses of about $61,084 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,355 per athlete.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus is one of the top schools for Men's Soccer, at #4. Based in Seattle, WA, University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, alongside a GSR of 94%. About 58% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $21,758 per participant, compared with $97,561 spent per athlete. The school awards about $26,539 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gonzaga University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Soccer. Based in Spokane, WA, Gonzaga University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. Team revenue averages $52,447 per participant, compared with $55,183 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,963.
University of San Francisco came in at #6 in this year's ranking. University of San Francisco is a private not-for-profit school based in San Francisco, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 982, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $50,501 per participant, compared with $50,501 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $31,788.
Oregon State University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Located in Corvallis, OR, Oregon State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 987, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $60,726, compared with $60,726 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $19,022 per athlete.
University of California-Davis came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Davis, CA, University of California-Davis is a public institution. University of California-Davis records an NCAA APR of 990, alongside a GSR of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 88%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,258, compared with $29,258 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,267 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of the Pacific ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer. This private not-for-profit school is set in Stockton, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 996, and a 87% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $46,749 per participant, compared with $46,749 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,596.
California Institute of Technology came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Pasadena, CA, California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,600 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,600 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Point Loma Nazarene University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Diego, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,730, with expenses of about $24,730 per participant. The school awards about $14,927 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-San Diego landed the #12 spot this year. Based in La Jolla, CA, University of California-San Diego is a public institution. University of California-San Diego records an NCAA APR of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. About 83% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $39,326 per participant, compared with $39,326 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,847 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola Marymount University landed the #13 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Los Angeles, CA. Loyola Marymount University records an NCAA APR of 980, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 60%. Team revenue averages $50,324 per participant, against $50,324 in expenses. The school awards about $40,056 in athletic aid per athlete.
Occidental College came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Located in Los Angeles, CA, Occidental College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,851 per participant, with expenses of about $6,010 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Chapman University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Orange, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,244, with expenses of about $5,244 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Saint Mary's College of California did well this year, earning the #16 position. Based in Moraga, CA, Saint Mary's College of California is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 982, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. Its federal graduation rate is 62%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,785, with expenses of about $40,785 per participant. Athletic aid averages $18,999 per athlete.
Whitman College placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer. Based in Walla Walla, WA, Whitman College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,489, compared with $7,715 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of California-Berkeley did well this year, earning the #18 position. This public school is set in Berkeley, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, alongside a GSR of 77%. About 70% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $16,977 per participant, with expenses of about $37,551 per participant. Athletic aid averages $21,267 per athlete.
University of California-Santa Cruz landed the #19 spot this year. This public school is set in Santa Cruz, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,577, with expenses of about $11,577 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
San Diego State University did well this year, earning the #20 position. This public school is set in San Diego, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 987, and a 76% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $58,275 per participant, compared with $47,264 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $21,450 per athlete.
University of San Diego ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer. Located in San Diego, CA, University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit institution. University of San Diego records an NCAA APR of 969, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. The program generates about $45,186 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $45,186 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,537 per athlete.
University of Portland did well this year, earning the #22 position. Located in Portland, OR, University of Portland is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 980, alongside a GSR of 88%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $53,019 per participant, compared with $53,019 spent per athlete. The school awards about $17,618 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Irvine landed the #23 spot this year. Located in Irvine, CA, University of California-Irvine is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 985, and a 76% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 65%. Team revenue averages $34,911 per participant, compared with $34,911 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,955 in athletic aid per athlete.
Dominican University of California ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer. Dominican University of California is a private not-for-profit school based in San Rafael, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,602, compared with $8,602 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,270 per athlete.
Biola University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in La Mirada, CA, Biola University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $20,592 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $20,443 per participant. Athletic aid averages $12,338 per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
