by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 48 programs for Men’s Wrestling by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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.
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Learn more about these schools below:
Our analysis found North Carolina State University at Raleigh to be the best college for Men's Wrestling in the Southeast Region. This public school is set in Raleigh, NC. North Carolina State University at Raleigh records an NCAA APR of 989, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 76%. The program generates about $31,967 in revenue per athlete, against $59,048 in expenses. The school awards about $18,384 in athletic aid per athlete.
Duke University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Duke University is a private not-for-profit school based in Durham, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,836, with expenses of about $39,023 per participant. Athletic aid averages $34,321 per athlete.
University of Virginia-Main Campus landed the #3 spot for Men's Wrestling. Based in Charlottesville, VA, University of Virginia-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 979, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 90%. The program generates about $46,775 in revenue per athlete, against $46,775 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $26,976 per athlete.
Washington and Lee University landed the #4 spot for Men's Wrestling. Located in Lexington, VA, Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,935, against $9,140 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Davidson College earned the #5 place for student athletes. Based in Davidson, NC, Davidson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Davidson College records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Team revenue averages $16,571 per participant, with expenses of about $23,140 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,830 per athlete.
Citadel Military College of South Carolina placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Wrestling. Located in Charleston, SC, Citadel Military College of South Carolina is a public institution. Citadel Military College of South Carolina records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 73% Graduation Success Rate. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $31,549 per participant, with expenses of about $21,710 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,439.
West Virginia University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in Morgantown, WV, West Virginia University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, and a 83% Graduation Success Rate. About 32% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $25,741 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $25,741 per participant. The school awards about $19,705 in athletic aid per athlete.
Campbell University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Campbell University is a private not-for-profit school based in Buies Creek, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 986, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,762, compared with $24,762 spent per athlete. The school awards about $19,433 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Chapel Hill, NC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 964, with a Graduation Success Rate of 78%. Its federal graduation rate is 78%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $33,789, against $54,489 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,771 per athlete.
Ouachita Baptist University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling. Based in Arkadelphia, AR, Ouachita Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $12,446 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,518 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,935 per athlete.
Shenandoah University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling. This private not-for-profit school is set in Winchester, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,330, compared with $4,330 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Appalachian State University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Based in Boone, NC, Appalachian State University is a public institution. Appalachian State University records an NCAA APR of 978, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 55%. The program generates about $28,273 in revenue per athlete, against $28,273 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,299.
George Mason University landed the #13 spot this year. George Mason University is a public school based in Fairfax, VA. George Mason University records an NCAA APR of 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 59%. The federal graduation rate stands at 33%. Team revenue averages $35,075 per participant, with expenses of about $35,075 per participant. The school awards about $11,956 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lyon College came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in Batesville, AR, Lyon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,801 per participant, compared with $12,801 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lincoln Memorial University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Lincoln Memorial University is a private not-for-profit school based in Harrogate, TN. Team revenue averages $9,891 per participant, against $9,583 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,449.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling. Located in Blacksburg, VA, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 953, alongside a GSR of 81%. Its federal graduation rate is 63%. The program generates about $16,518 in revenue per athlete, against $68,989 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $29,706 per athlete.
Roanoke College placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Wrestling. This private not-for-profit school is set in Salem, VA. The program generates about $4,179 in revenue per athlete, against $4,179 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga placed #18 among the best colleges for Men's Wrestling. The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga is a public school based in Chattanooga, TN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 978, with a Graduation Success Rate of 83%. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $33,197 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $33,197 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,025 per athlete.
Gardner-Webb University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Based in Boiling Springs, NC, Gardner-Webb University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 979, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. About 42% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $16,924 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $16,924 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,936.
Kentucky Wesleyan College ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling. Based in Owensboro, KY, Kentucky Wesleyan College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,629 per participant, against $13,232 in expenses. The school awards about $8,522 in athletic aid per athlete.
Presbyterian College came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Based in Clinton, SC, Presbyterian College is a private not-for-profit institution. Presbyterian College records an NCAA APR of 963. Team revenue averages $15,937 per participant, compared with $15,937 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,454.
West Liberty University did well this year, earning the #22 position. West Liberty University is a public school based in West Liberty, WV. The program generates about $11,610 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,610 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,841.
Lander University ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling. This public school is set in Greenwood, SC. Team revenue averages $19,101 per participant, compared with $16,870 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,383 per athlete.
Emory & Henry University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Emory, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,217, with expenses of about $9,217 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,871 per athlete.
University of Mount Olive landed the #25 spot this year. Based in Mount Olive, NC, University of Mount Olive is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,229, compared with $14,113 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,775.
These programs also stood out among the best 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.