by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 39 schools for Men’s Tennis in Plains States by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
No school ranked higher than Washington University in St Louis this year for Men's Tennis in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in St. Louis, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,794, compared with $17,814 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Carleton College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Carleton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Northfield, MN. Team revenue averages $16,037 per participant, with expenses of about $16,000 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Drake University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Des Moines, IA, Drake University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $44,261, with expenses of about $44,261 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,413.
Rockhurst University is one of the top schools for Men's Tennis in Plains States, at #4. Rockhurst University is a private not-for-profit school based in Kansas City, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,457, with expenses of about $23,457 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,130 per athlete.
Macalester College landed the #5 spot for Men's Tennis in Plains States. Based in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,614 in revenue per athlete, against $6,253 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Creighton University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Creighton University is a private not-for-profit school based in Omaha, NE. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. The program generates about $23,974 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $40,616 per participant. The school awards about $17,224 in athletic aid per athlete.
Grinnell College landed the #7 spot this year. Grinnell College is a private not-for-profit school based in Grinnell, IA. Team revenue averages $6,201 per participant, compared with $6,201 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Olaf College landed the #8 spot this year. Located in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,330 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,723 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Maryville University of Saint Louis placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Tennis in Plains States. Maryville University of Saint Louis is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Louis, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,961, against $15,919 in expenses. The school awards about $6,338 in athletic aid per athlete.
Luther College placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Tennis in Plains States. Based in Decorah, IA, Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,057 in revenue per athlete, against $8,683 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Gustavus Adolphus College ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Tennis in Plains States. Based in Saint Peter, MN, Gustavus Adolphus College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,325 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,325 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of North Dakota landed the #12 spot this year. University of North Dakota is a public school based in Grand Forks, ND. The team's NCAA APR score is 988, alongside a GSR of 71%. Its federal graduation rate is 0%. The program generates about $47,626 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $47,626 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,250.
Cornell College did well this year, earning the #13 position. Cornell College is a private not-for-profit school based in Mount Vernon, IA. Team revenue averages $8,504 per participant, against $7,418 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wichita State University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Wichita, KS. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 982, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $64,886, compared with $64,886 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,114 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Louis University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Saint Louis University is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Louis, MO. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 957, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $26,428 in revenue per athlete, compared with $26,428 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,446 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota did well this year, earning the #16 position. Located in Winona, MN, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,381, with expenses of about $6,381 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Nebraska at Kearney came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Kearney, NE. The program generates about $39,197 in revenue per athlete, compared with $39,194 spent per athlete. The school awards about $4,590 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln landed the #18 spot this year. This public school is set in Lincoln, NE. University of Nebraska-Lincoln records an NCAA APR of 987, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,234, compared with $103,746 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,793 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northwest Missouri State University landed the #19 spot this year. Based in Maryville, MO, Northwest Missouri State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $95,596 per participant, against $95,596 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,287.
Martin Luther College landed the #20 spot this year. Based in New Ulm, MN, Martin Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,093 in revenue per athlete, compared with $3,093 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Nebraska Wesleyan University did well this year, earning the #21 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lincoln, NE. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,963, with expenses of about $4,963 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Drury University placed #22 among the best colleges for Men's Tennis in Plains States. Drury University is a private not-for-profit school based in Springfield, MO. Team revenue averages $13,823 per participant, with expenses of about $13,823 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,859.
William Jewell College ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Men's Tennis in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Liberty, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,817, compared with $9,631 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,219 per athlete.
Loras College placed #24 among the best colleges for Men's Tennis in Plains States. Loras College is a private not-for-profit school based in Dubuque, IA. Team revenue averages $3,968 per participant, with expenses of about $3,968 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Northwestern-St Paul landed the #25 spot this year. University of Northwestern-St Paul is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Paul, MN. Team revenue averages $4,748 per participant, compared with $4,748 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.