by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 33 schools for Men’s Soccer by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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:
No school ranked higher than Duke University this year for Men's Soccer. Located in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 988, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Team revenue averages $69,942 per participant, compared with $80,673 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $34,321 per athlete.
Davidson College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Davidson, NC, Davidson College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 93%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,293, with expenses of about $25,811 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,830 per athlete.
Wake Forest University landed the #3 spot for Men's Soccer. Located in Winston-Salem, NC, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution. Wake Forest University records an NCAA APR of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 87%. The federal graduation rate stands at 53%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $97,661, with expenses of about $97,661 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $38,933.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is one of the top schools for Men's Soccer, at #4. This public school is set in Raleigh, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, alongside a GSR of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 65%. Team revenue averages $34,400 per participant, with expenses of about $63,730 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,384.
Elon University landed the #5 spot for Men's Soccer. Based in Elon, NC, Elon University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $41,323 per participant, with expenses of about $41,323 per participant. The school awards about $25,795 in athletic aid per athlete.
Catawba College landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Salisbury, NC, Catawba College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,707 in revenue per athlete, against $12,928 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,164 per athlete.
Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer. Located in Charlotte, NC, Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,753, against $4,753 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
High Point University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. High Point University is a private not-for-profit school based in High Point, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 975, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $39,618 in revenue per athlete, against $35,766 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $18,469 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located 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 981, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 59%. Team revenue averages $28,116 per participant, against $47,370 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,771.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer. This public school is set in Charlotte, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 975, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. The program generates about $42,922 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $43,045 per participant. The school awards about $11,522 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina Wilmington placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Soccer. Located in Wilmington, NC, University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 976, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,431, compared with $32,431 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,667 per athlete.
Lenoir-Rhyne University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer. Located in Hickory, NC, Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,366 per participant, with expenses of about $12,366 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,094.
Wingate University landed the #13 spot this year. Based in Wingate, NC, Wingate University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $19,181 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $18,809 per participant. The school awards about $6,748 in athletic aid per athlete.
Barton College came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Located in Wilson, NC, Barton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,257 in revenue per athlete, against $9,257 in expenses. The school awards about $6,654 in athletic aid per athlete.
Campbell University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Located in Buies Creek, NC, Campbell University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 29%. The program generates about $28,769 in revenue per athlete, against $28,769 in expenses. The school awards about $19,433 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mount Olive did well this year, earning the #16 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Mount Olive, NC. Team revenue averages $9,817 per participant, compared with $9,779 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,775 in athletic aid per athlete.
Guilford College ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer. Based in Greensboro, NC, Guilford College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,231, compared with $3,531 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Queens University of Charlotte landed the #18 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 970, alongside a GSR of 88%. About 83% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,215, with expenses of about $23,215 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,282 per athlete.
Lees-McRae College landed the #19 spot this year. Based in Banner Elk, NC, Lees-McRae College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $17,078 in revenue per athlete, compared with $17,078 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,547 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Located in Greensboro, NC, University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 967, alongside a GSR of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $33,203, against $33,203 in expenses. The school awards about $9,162 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina Asheville ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Men's Soccer. Located in Asheville, NC, University of North Carolina Asheville is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 84%. Its federal graduation rate is 66%. The program generates about $11,858 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,858 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,593 in athletic aid per athlete.
William Peace University landed the #22 spot this year. Based in Raleigh, NC, William Peace University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,283 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,474 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Belmont Abbey College came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Based in Belmont, NC, Belmont Abbey College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,220 in revenue per athlete, against $7,220 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,908.
Gardner-Webb University did well this year, earning the #24 position. Located in Boiling Springs, NC, Gardner-Webb University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 973, alongside a GSR of 81%. About 35% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $13,119 per participant, with expenses of about $13,119 per participant. The school awards about $14,936 in athletic aid per athlete.
Pfeiffer University landed the #25 spot this year. Located in Misenheimer, NC, Pfeiffer University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,965 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,580 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
See our data sources and methodologies.