by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 24 programs for Men’s Tennis by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual scores each program on 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 Chicago earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Tennis. Based in Chicago, IL, University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,010, against $14,010 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Northwestern University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Tennis. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Evanston, IL. Northwestern University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $62,226 in revenue per athlete, compared with $100,117 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $53,919 per athlete.
University of Illinois Chicago is one of the top schools for Men's Tennis, at #3. Based in Chicago, IL, University of Illinois Chicago is a public institution. University of Illinois Chicago records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 89%. Team revenue averages $46,828 per participant, with expenses of about $46,828 per participant. Athletic aid averages $15,167 per athlete.
Illinois Institute of Technology earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Chicago, IL, Illinois Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,228 per participant, against $11,228 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Illinois Wesleyan University is one of the top schools for Men's Tennis, at #5. Based in Bloomington, IL, Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,357 in revenue per athlete, compared with $3,357 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Illinois State University landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Normal, IL, Illinois State University is a public institution. Illinois State University records an NCAA APR of 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. The program generates about $43,981 in revenue per athlete, against $43,981 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,477 per athlete.
DePaul University did well this year, earning the #7 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 982, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. Team revenue averages $71,478 per participant, with expenses of about $71,478 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,928.
Lewis University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Tennis. Based in Romeoville, IL, Lewis University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,480, against $21,447 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,669.
North Central College landed the #9 spot this year. Based in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,839 per participant, compared with $5,193 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lake Forest College did well this year, earning the #10 position. Based in Lake Forest, IL, Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,343 in revenue per athlete, against $6,343 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in Champaign, IL, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 980, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 58%. Team revenue averages $35,474 per participant, with expenses of about $204,296 per participant. The school awards about $25,398 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northern Illinois University landed the #12 spot this year. This public school is set in Dekalb, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 981, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. Team revenue averages $34,504 per participant, with expenses of about $34,504 per participant. The school awards about $16,138 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Illinois Springfield landed the #13 spot this year. Based in Springfield, IL, University of Illinois Springfield is a public institution. Team revenue averages $16,763 per participant, compared with $16,763 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $4,768 per athlete.
Elmhurst University placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Tennis. Located in Elmhurst, IL, Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $1,021 per participant, against $1,021 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Chicago State University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Tennis. Based in Chicago, IL, Chicago State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 29% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,916, compared with $17,916 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,877 per athlete.
Eastern Illinois University placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Tennis. Based in Charleston, IL, Eastern Illinois University is a public institution. Student-athletes graduate at a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 40% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $15,519 per participant, against $15,519 in expenses. The school awards about $7,653 in athletic aid per athlete.
McKendree University ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Tennis. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lebanon, IL. The program generates about $13,730 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,730 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,695.
Illinois College placed #18 among the best colleges for Men's Tennis. Based in Jacksonville, IL, Illinois College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,688, with expenses of about $3,688 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Quincy University did well this year, earning the #19 position. Located in Quincy, IL, Quincy University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $30,670 per participant, compared with $31,178 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,507 in athletic aid per athlete.
Millikin University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Tennis. Millikin University is a private not-for-profit school based in Decatur, IL. The program generates about $6,694 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,694 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Roosevelt University placed #21 among the best colleges for Men's Tennis. Roosevelt University is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,747, against $13,747 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,633 per athlete.
Concordia University-Chicago placed #22 among the best colleges for Men's Tennis. Located in River Forest, IL, Concordia University-Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,568, against $4,458 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Greenville University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Greenville University is a private not-for-profit school based in Greenville, IL. The program generates about $3,714 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,976 per participant. 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.