by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 41 colleges for Men’s Outdoor Track and Field (Division III) 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
No school ranked higher than Hamilton College this year for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Clinton, NY. Team revenue averages $3,234 per participant, compared with $3,234 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Vassar College came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Poughkeepsie, NY. Team revenue averages $4,448 per participant, against $4,223 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Franklin and Marshall College is one of the top schools for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III), at #3. Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lancaster, PA. The program generates about $2,437 in revenue per athlete, against $1,953 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53.
Ithaca College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). Located in Ithaca, NY, Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,657, compared with $2,657 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
St. John Fisher University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). Based in Rochester, NY, St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $2,108 in revenue per athlete, compared with $2,053 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
St Lawrence University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). Based in Canton, NY, St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $1,803 in revenue per athlete, compared with $1,803 spent per athlete. The school awards about $3,126 in athletic aid per athlete.
DeSales University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Center Valley, PA, DeSales University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,899 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,825 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Scranton ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). Based in Scranton, PA, University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,184, compared with $1,184 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Dickinson College came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Dickinson College is a private not-for-profit school based in Carlisle, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $887, with expenses of about $697 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Rochester Institute of Technology placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). Based in Rochester, NY, Rochester Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,110, compared with $2,100 spent per athlete. The school awards about $3,070 in athletic aid per athlete.
Chatham University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Pittsburgh, PA. Team revenue averages $4,896 per participant, compared with $4,896 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Juniata College landed the #12 spot this year. Juniata College is a private not-for-profit school based in Huntingdon, PA. The program generates about $2,716 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $2,389 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Drew University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). Located in Madison, NJ, Drew University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,838, compared with $1,838 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bard College did well this year, earning the #14 position. Based in Annandale-On-Hudson, NY, Bard College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $1,352 in revenue per athlete, against $1,352 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Vincent College ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). Saint Vincent College is a private not-for-profit school based in Latrobe, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,747, with expenses of about $1,747 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lancaster Bible College placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Lancaster, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,853, compared with $1,301 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
McDaniel College did well this year, earning the #17 position. McDaniel College is a private not-for-profit school based in Westminster, MD. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,709, with expenses of about $2,777 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lebanon Valley College came in at #18 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Annville, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $802, against $766 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Widener University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). Widener University is a private not-for-profit school based in Chester, PA. The program generates about $2,251 in revenue per athlete, compared with $2,161 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
State University of New York at Cortland ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). Based in Cortland, NY, State University of New York at Cortland is a public institution. The program generates about $1,439 in revenue per athlete, against $1,439 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stevenson University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Stevenson University is a private not-for-profit school based in Owings Mills, MD. Team revenue averages $1,363 per participant, against $1,341 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Montclair State University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). Based in Montclair, NJ, Montclair State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,641, compared with $1,832 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Alfred University placed #23 among the best colleges for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Alfred, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,715, with expenses of about $2,657 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Carlow University placed #24 among the best colleges for Men's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). Located in Pittsburgh, PA, Carlow University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,268, with expenses of about $10,268 per participant. The school awards about $2,353 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hood College landed the #25 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Frederick, MD. The program generates about $2,647 in revenue per athlete, against $2,647 in expenses. 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. 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.