by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 14 schools for Men’s Wrestling 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:
Northwestern University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Wrestling. Located in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $62,714 in revenue per athlete, compared with $87,148 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $53,919 per athlete.
University of Chicago came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Wrestling. Located in Chicago, IL, University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,945, compared with $5,945 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign earned the #3 place for student athletes. Located in Champaign, IL, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 93%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,527, with expenses of about $57,817 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,398.
Illinois Wesleyan University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bloomington, IL. The program generates about $4,268 in revenue per athlete, against $4,268 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Central College earned the #5 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Naperville, IL. The program generates about $5,577 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,465 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
McKendree University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Based in Lebanon, IL, McKendree University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $14,825 in revenue per athlete, compared with $14,825 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,695 in athletic aid per athlete.
Elmhurst University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Elmhurst, IL, Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,598 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,627 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Northern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Northern Illinois University is a public school based in Dekalb, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 970, with a Graduation Success Rate of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 54%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,530, compared with $19,530 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,138 per athlete.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #9 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, with a Graduation Success Rate of 83%. The federal graduation rate stands at 70%. The program generates about $19,681 in revenue per athlete, against $19,681 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,334 per athlete.
Millikin University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Located in Decatur, IL, Millikin University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,344 in revenue per athlete, against $10,344 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Aurora University did well this year, earning the #11 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Aurora, IL. The program generates about $5,918 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,918 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Quincy University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Quincy, IL. The program generates about $12,832 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $12,833 per participant. The school awards about $8,507 in athletic aid per athlete.
Blackburn College ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling. Based in Carlinville, IL, Blackburn College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,359, with expenses of about $9,359 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Eureka College did well this year, earning the #14 position. Located in Eureka, IL, Eureka College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,753 per participant, with expenses of about $4,753 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.