by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 8 colleges for Men’s Wrestling (Division I) in Plains States by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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:
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Wrestling (Division I) in Plains States. Located in Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 65%. Team revenue averages $25,264 per participant, against $77,265 in expenses. The school awards about $27,174 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Iowa came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Wrestling (Division I) in Plains States. Based in Iowa City, IA, University of Iowa is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 975, alongside a GSR of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 84%. Team revenue averages $71,763 per participant, against $103,472 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,176.
University of Missouri-Columbia landed the #3 spot for Men's Wrestling (Division I) in Plains States. Based in Columbia, MO, University of Missouri-Columbia is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. The federal graduation rate stands at 73%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $66,241, against $66,241 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $16,637 per athlete.
University of Northern Iowa earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Cedar Falls, IA, University of Northern Iowa is a public institution. University of Northern Iowa records an NCAA APR of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. Its federal graduation rate is 79%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,528, with expenses of about $31,528 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,720.
North Dakota State University-Main Campus landed the #5 spot for Men's Wrestling (Division I) in Plains States. Based in Fargo, ND, North Dakota State University-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 970, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. The program generates about $31,025 in revenue per athlete, against $31,025 in expenses. The school awards about $8,886 in athletic aid per athlete.
Iowa State University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in Ames, IA, Iowa State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 982, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. About 64% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $11,061 per participant, with expenses of about $60,714 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,185.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 963, alongside a GSR of 89%. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $15,345 per participant, against $93,876 in expenses. The school awards about $16,793 in athletic aid per athlete.
South Dakota State University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling (Division I) in Plains States. This public school is set in Brookings, SD. South Dakota State University records an NCAA APR of 978, with a Graduation Success Rate of 74%. Its federal graduation rate is 41%. Team revenue averages $28,504 per participant, compared with $28,504 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,424 per athlete.
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
