by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 14 schools for Men’s Wrestling (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:
No school ranked higher than Northwestern University this year for Men's Wrestling (Division I). Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Evanston, IL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 996, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $62,714, with expenses of about $87,148 per participant. Athletic aid averages $53,919 per athlete.
Ohio State University-Main Campus ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Wrestling (Division I). This public school is set in Columbus, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 86% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $93,674, against $93,674 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,151.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor earned the #3 place for student athletes. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a public school based in Ann Arbor, MI. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor records an NCAA APR of 983, alongside a GSR of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 77%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,216, compared with $85,151 spent per athlete. The school awards about $28,650 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Madison landed the #4 spot for Men's Wrestling (Division I). Based in Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 68% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $12,625 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $70,623 per participant. Athletic aid averages $21,586 per athlete.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Wrestling (Division I). This public school is set in Champaign, IL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 93%. Team revenue averages $7,527 per participant, against $57,817 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $25,398 per athlete.
Michigan State University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Based in East Lansing, MI, Michigan State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 968, alongside a GSR of 91%. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $44,114, compared with $44,114 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,500.
Purdue University-Main Campus placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Wrestling (Division I). Located in West Lafayette, IN, Purdue University-Main Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 976, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. The federal graduation rate stands at 76%. Team revenue averages $9,781 per participant, with expenses of about $54,664 per participant. The school awards about $19,382 in athletic aid per athlete.
Indiana University-Bloomington placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Wrestling (Division I). Based in Bloomington, IN, Indiana University-Bloomington is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 961, alongside a GSR of 72%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $63,830, against $63,830 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,161.
Ohio University-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Athens, OH, Ohio University-Main Campus is a public institution. Ohio University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 975, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,828, against $21,828 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,284 per athlete.
Northern Illinois University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Located in Dekalb, IL, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. Northern Illinois University records an NCAA APR of 970, with a Graduation Success Rate of 75%. About 54% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,530, compared with $19,530 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,138.
Kent State University at Kent ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling (Division I). Based in Kent, OH, Kent State University at Kent is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 967, with a Graduation Success Rate of 67%. Its federal graduation rate is 51%. The program generates about $24,869 in revenue per athlete, against $24,869 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,976 per athlete.
Central Michigan University landed the #12 spot this year. Located in Mount Pleasant, MI, Central Michigan University is a public institution. Central Michigan University records an NCAA APR of 956, with a Graduation Success Rate of 82%. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. The program generates about $26,006 in revenue per athlete, against $26,006 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $12,123 per athlete.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public school based in Edwardsville, IL. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville records an NCAA APR of 959, alongside a GSR of 83%. About 70% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $19,681 in revenue per athlete, compared with $19,681 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,334.
Cleveland State University placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Wrestling (Division I). Located in Cleveland, OH, Cleveland State University is a public institution. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $9,912 per participant, with expenses of about $11,394 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,645.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.