by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 58 programs for Men’s Wrestling by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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.
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Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is Northwestern University, our #1 college for Men's Wrestling. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Evanston, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $62,714, against $87,148 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53,919.
Ohio State University-Main Campus came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Wrestling. Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public school based in Columbus, OH. Ohio State University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 989, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. The program generates about $93,674 in revenue per athlete, compared with $93,674 spent per athlete. The school awards about $27,151 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Madison landed the #3 spot for Men's Wrestling. Located in Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 68%. The program generates about $12,625 in revenue per athlete, against $70,623 in expenses. The school awards about $21,586 in athletic aid per athlete.
Case Western Reserve University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Wrestling. Based in Cleveland, OH, Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,733, with expenses of about $7,733 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Chicago ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Wrestling. Based in Chicago, IL, University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,945 per participant, compared with $5,945 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling. This public school is set in Ann Arbor, MI. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 77%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,216, against $85,151 in expenses. The school awards about $28,650 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign did well this year, earning the #7 position. This public school is set in Champaign, IL. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign records an NCAA APR of 993, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 93% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $7,527 in revenue per athlete, against $57,817 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $25,398 per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse landed the #8 spot this year. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is a public school based in La Crosse, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,864, against $9,180 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ohio Northern University landed the #9 spot this year. Located in Ada, OH, Ohio Northern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,228 per participant, against $8,228 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Grand Valley State University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling. This public school is set in Allendale, MI. The program generates about $13,421 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,167 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,088 in athletic aid per athlete.
Milwaukee School of Engineering landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Milwaukee, WI, Milwaukee School of Engineering is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,253 per participant, compared with $6,253 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Michigan State University landed the #12 spot this year. Located in East Lansing, MI, Michigan State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 968, alongside a GSR of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 80%. The program generates about $44,114 in revenue per athlete, against $44,114 in expenses. The school awards about $22,500 in athletic aid per athlete.
John Carroll University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling. This private not-for-profit school is set in University Heights, OH. Team revenue averages $5,952 per participant, with expenses of about $5,952 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Purdue University-Main Campus came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in West Lafayette, IN, Purdue University-Main Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 976, alongside a GSR of 89%. The federal graduation rate stands at 76%. Team revenue averages $9,781 per participant, compared with $54,664 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $19,382 per athlete.
Baldwin Wallace University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Located in Berea, OH, Baldwin Wallace University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,940 in revenue per athlete, against $11,940 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ohio University-Main Campus came in at #16 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Athens, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 975, alongside a GSR of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,828, compared with $21,828 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $17,284 per athlete.
Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #17 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bloomington, IL. Team revenue averages $4,268 per participant, against $4,268 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire came in at #18 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Eau Claire, WI. Team revenue averages $8,425 per participant, compared with $7,003 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Central College ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling. Based in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,577 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,465 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Platteville landed the #20 spot this year. University of Wisconsin-Platteville is a public school based in Platteville, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,568, against $9,608 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ashland University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling. This private not-for-profit school is set in Ashland, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,166, compared with $14,166 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,808 in athletic aid per athlete.
Indiana University-Bloomington did well this year, earning the #22 position. Based in Bloomington, IN, Indiana University-Bloomington is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 961, with a Graduation Success Rate of 72%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $63,830, compared with $63,830 spent per athlete. The school awards about $23,161 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northern Illinois University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Located in Dekalb, IL, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 970, alongside a GSR of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 54%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,530, compared with $19,530 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,138.
University of Mount Union did well this year, earning the #24 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Alliance, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,563, against $7,563 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
McKendree University ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling. Located in Lebanon, IL, McKendree University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,825, against $14,825 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,695.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.