by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 17 schools for Men’s Wrestling (Division I) 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? Use the shortcuts below.
Explore the leading programs below:
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Wrestling (Division I). University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus is a public school based in Pittsburgh, PA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 986, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $57,689, with expenses of about $57,689 per participant. Athletic aid averages $30,613 per athlete.
Hofstra University is one of the top schools for Men's Wrestling (Division I), at #2. Based in Hempstead, NY, Hofstra University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 85%. The program generates about $45,120 in revenue per athlete, compared with $45,120 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,514.
Rutgers University-New Brunswick earned the #3 place for student athletes. Located in New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers University-New Brunswick is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 987, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $80,818 per participant, with expenses of about $80,818 per participant. Athletic aid averages $26,379 per athlete.
University of Maryland-College Park landed the #4 spot for Men's Wrestling (Division I). Based in College Park, MD, University of Maryland-College Park is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 71%. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. The program generates about $10,441 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $62,884 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $30,606.
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus is one of the top schools for Men's Wrestling (Division I), at #5. This public school is set in University Park, PA. Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 983, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. The program generates about $149,111 in revenue per athlete, compared with $174,681 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $25,170 per athlete.
Bucknell University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Bucknell University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lewisburg, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 996, with a Graduation Success Rate of 82%. About 64% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $36,226, compared with $36,226 spent per athlete. The school awards about $19,655 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lehigh University placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Wrestling (Division I). Based in Bethlehem, PA, Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $52,975, compared with $52,975 spent per athlete. The school awards about $19,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
Drexel University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Philadelphia, PA. The team's NCAA APR score is 985, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 63%. Team revenue averages $36,349 per participant, compared with $36,349 spent per athlete. The school awards about $25,843 in athletic aid per athlete.
American University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Washington, DC, American University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, alongside a GSR of 78%. About 55% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $50,684, compared with $50,684 spent per athlete. The school awards about $18,519 in athletic aid per athlete.
Columbia University in the City of New York did well this year, earning the #10 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, alongside a GSR of 97%. The program generates about $24,785 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $24,785 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Princeton University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Princeton University is a private not-for-profit school based in Princeton, NJ. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The program generates about $38,978 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $38,978 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Binghamton University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Vestal, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, alongside a GSR of 73%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $33,514, against $33,514 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,522.
University of Pennsylvania came in at #13 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Philadelphia, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, alongside a GSR of 97%. The program generates about $34,293 in revenue per athlete, compared with $34,293 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Rider University landed the #14 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lawrenceville, NJ. The team's NCAA APR score is 977, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,373, with expenses of about $25,373 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,540.
Morgan State University landed the #15 spot this year. Located in Baltimore, MD, Morgan State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 973. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $58,800, against $39,016 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,399 per athlete.
Cornell University landed the #16 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Ithaca, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 974, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. Team revenue averages $34,063 per participant, against $33,034 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University at Buffalo did well this year, earning the #17 position. This public school is set in Buffalo, NY. University at Buffalo records an NCAA APR of 976, and a 78% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. The program generates about $29,438 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $29,438 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,340 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
See our data sources and methodologies.