by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 51 programs 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best college for Men's Soccer in California. Based in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 95% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $93,424 per participant, with expenses of about $93,424 per participant. Athletic aid averages $42,012 per athlete.
University of California-Los Angeles is one of the top schools for Men's Soccer, at #2. Based in Los Angeles, CA, University of California-Los Angeles is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 56%. Team revenue averages $80,603 per participant, compared with $80,603 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $24,306 per athlete.
Santa Clara University is one of the top schools for Men's Soccer, at #3. Based in Santa Clara, CA, Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Santa Clara University records an NCAA APR of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $61,084, with expenses of about $61,084 per participant. The school awards about $19,355 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of the Pacific is one of the top schools for Men's Soccer, at #4. University of the Pacific is a private not-for-profit school based in Stockton, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, with a Graduation Success Rate of 87%. 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.
University of San Francisco ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Francisco, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 982, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $50,501, with expenses of about $50,501 per participant. The school awards about $31,788 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Davis came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Davis, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,258, compared with $29,258 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $14,267 per athlete.
Loyola Marymount University placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer. This private not-for-profit school is set in Los Angeles, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 980, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. Team revenue averages $50,324 per participant, with expenses of about $50,324 per participant. The school awards about $40,056 in athletic aid per athlete.
California Institute of Technology placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer. Based in Pasadena, CA, California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,600, with expenses of about $7,600 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-San Diego placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer. This public school is set in La Jolla, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,326, with expenses of about $39,326 per participant. The school awards about $9,847 in athletic aid per athlete.
Point Loma Nazarene University landed the #10 spot this year. Point Loma Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit school based in San Diego, CA. The program generates about $24,730 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $24,730 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,927.
Saint Mary's College of California came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Saint Mary's College of California is a private not-for-profit school based in Moraga, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 982, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 62%. Team revenue averages $40,785 per participant, compared with $40,785 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $18,999 per athlete.
Chapman University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer. Based in Orange, CA, Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,244, compared with $5,244 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Occidental College placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer. Located in Los Angeles, CA, Occidental College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,851 in revenue per athlete, against $6,010 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of California-Berkeley did well this year, earning the #14 position. University of California-Berkeley is a public school based in Berkeley, CA. University of California-Berkeley records an NCAA APR of 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 77%. The federal graduation rate stands at 70%. The program generates about $16,977 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $37,551 per participant. Athletic aid averages $21,267 per athlete.
San Diego State University landed the #15 spot this year. Located in San Diego, CA, San Diego State University is a public institution. San Diego State University records an NCAA APR of 987, with a Graduation Success Rate of 76%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. 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 came in at #16 in this year's ranking. University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit school based in San Diego, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (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. The school awards about $19,537 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Santa Cruz ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer. Based in Santa Cruz, CA, University of California-Santa Cruz is a public institution. Team revenue averages $11,577 per participant, with expenses of about $11,577 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of California-Irvine ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer. University of California-Irvine is a public school based in Irvine, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 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.
University of California-Riverside came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Riverside, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 983, alongside a GSR of 88%. About 57% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $34,673 per participant, with expenses of about $34,673 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,154.
Biola University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer. This private not-for-profit school is set in La Mirada, CA. The program generates about $20,592 in revenue per athlete, against $20,443 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,338.
Dominican University of California came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Located in San Rafael, CA, Dominican University of California is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,602 per participant, against $8,602 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,270 per athlete.
Westmont College did well this year, earning the #22 position. Based in Santa Barbara, CA, Westmont College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $22,947 in revenue per athlete, against $20,255 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,511 per athlete.
California Lutheran University did well this year, earning the #23 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Thousand Oaks, CA. Team revenue averages $5,070 per participant, with expenses of about $5,070 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Redlands placed #24 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer. Located in Redlands, CA, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,683, against $6,582 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in San Luis Obispo, CA, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 963, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,225, with expenses of about $27,225 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,344.
These programs also stood out among the best 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
