by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 9 schools for Men’s Wrestling by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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.
Not quite what you need? Use the shortcuts below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Stanford University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Wrestling. This private not-for-profit school is set in Stanford, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 965, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $71,448, against $71,448 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $42,012.
Linfield University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Wrestling. Linfield University is a private not-for-profit school based in McMinnville, OR. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,259, against $5,583 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Oregon State University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Wrestling. This public school is set in Corvallis, OR. Oregon State University records an NCAA APR of 966, alongside a GSR of 85%. Its federal graduation rate is 78%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $58,527, against $58,527 in expenses. The school awards about $19,022 in athletic aid per athlete.
Menlo College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Wrestling. Located in Atherton, CA, Menlo College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $25,088 per participant, compared with $25,088 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,086.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is one of the top schools for Men's Wrestling, at #5. This public school is set in San Luis Obispo, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 966, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $30,099 per participant, against $30,099 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,344.
California Baptist University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling. California Baptist University is a private not-for-profit school based in Riverside, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 966, with a Graduation Success Rate of 76%. Its federal graduation rate is 42%. Team revenue averages $51,766 per participant, compared with $47,198 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $23,790 per athlete.
California State University-Bakersfield did well this year, earning the #7 position. Located in Bakersfield, CA, California State University-Bakersfield is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 966, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. The federal graduation rate stands at 73%. The program generates about $21,285 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $21,285 per participant. Athletic aid averages $10,121 per athlete.
San Francisco State University landed the #8 spot this year. This public school is set in San Francisco, CA. Team revenue averages $14,146 per participant, compared with $14,146 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $2,480 per athlete.
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Wrestling. Located in Arcata, CA, California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt is a public institution. Team revenue averages $20,530 per participant, against $12,355 in expenses. The school awards about $4,418 in athletic aid per athlete.
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.
