by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 5 programs for Men’s Tennis (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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:
University of Kentucky earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Tennis (Division I). Located in Lexington, KY, University of Kentucky is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 17% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $169,542, against $169,542 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,921.
Bellarmine University landed the #2 spot for Men's Tennis (Division I). Based in Louisville, KY, Bellarmine University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 981, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 60%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,927, against $31,927 in expenses. The school awards about $10,105 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Louisville came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Tennis (Division I). Located in Louisville, KY, University of Louisville is a public institution. University of Louisville records an NCAA APR of 968, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 55% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $1,751 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $57,386 per participant. Athletic aid averages $21,083 per athlete.
Northern Kentucky University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Tennis (Division I). Northern Kentucky University is a public school based in Highland Heights, KY. Northern Kentucky University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 83%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $27,301 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $27,301 per participant. The school awards about $6,809 in athletic aid per athlete.
Eastern Kentucky University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Tennis (Division I). This public school is set in Richmond, KY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 980, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 0%. The program generates about $27,419 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $27,419 per participant. Athletic aid averages $12,644 per athlete.
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.