by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 34 schools for Men’s Wrestling in Plains States by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Explore the leading programs below:
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Wrestling in Plains States. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public school based in Minneapolis, MN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 65%. The program generates about $25,264 in revenue per athlete, against $77,265 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $27,174 per athlete.
Luther College came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Wrestling in Plains States. Located in Decorah, IA, Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,584, with expenses of about $17,885 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Maryville University of Saint Louis came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Wrestling in Plains States. Maryville University of Saint Louis is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Louis, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,004, with expenses of about $21,788 per participant. The school awards about $6,338 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Iowa is one of the top schools for Men's Wrestling in Plains States, at #4. This public school is set in Iowa City, IA. The team's NCAA APR score is 975, alongside a GSR of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 84%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $71,763, with expenses of about $103,472 per participant. Athletic aid averages $21,176 per athlete.
University of Missouri-Columbia landed the #5 spot for Men's Wrestling in Plains States. This public school is set in Columbia, MO. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, alongside a GSR of 85%. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. Team revenue averages $66,241 per participant, against $66,241 in expenses. The school awards about $16,637 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Northern Iowa came in at #6 in this year's ranking. University of Northern Iowa is a public school based in Cedar Falls, IA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 79%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,528, against $31,528 in expenses. The school awards about $8,720 in athletic aid per athlete.
Cornell College landed the #7 spot this year. Cornell College is a private not-for-profit school based in Mount Vernon, IA. Team revenue averages $9,523 per participant, compared with $6,595 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Dakota State University-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #8 position. North Dakota State University-Main Campus is a public school based in Fargo, ND. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 970, alongside a GSR of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. Team revenue averages $31,025 per participant, against $31,025 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,886.
Loras College came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in Dubuque, IA, Loras College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,568 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,568 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Mary placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Wrestling in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bismarck, ND. Team revenue averages $6,735 per participant, compared with $6,735 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,321 per athlete.
Drury University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Drury University is a private not-for-profit school based in Springfield, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,943, compared with $13,943 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $8,859 per athlete.
University of Nebraska at Kearney did well this year, earning the #12 position. University of Nebraska at Kearney is a public school based in Kearney, NE. Team revenue averages $18,340 per participant, with expenses of about $18,340 per participant. Athletic aid averages $4,590 per athlete.
Iowa State University landed the #13 spot this year. This public school is set in Ames, IA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 982, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 64%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,061, compared with $60,714 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,185.
Nebraska Wesleyan University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling in Plains States. Nebraska Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lincoln, NE. Team revenue averages $3,903 per participant, against $3,783 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wartburg College landed the #15 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waverly, IA. Team revenue averages $5,946 per participant, compared with $5,946 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Newman University did well this year, earning the #16 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wichita, KS. The program generates about $15,490 in revenue per athlete, compared with $15,490 spent per athlete. The school awards about $10,192 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Sioux Falls did well this year, earning the #17 position. Based in Sioux Falls, SD, University of Sioux Falls is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,467 in revenue per athlete, compared with $10,889 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,811 per athlete.
Simpson College placed #18 among the best colleges for Men's Wrestling in Plains States. Based in Indianola, IA, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,794, compared with $6,981 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln landed the #19 spot this year. This public school is set in Lincoln, NE. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 963, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 63%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,345, compared with $93,876 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,793 in athletic aid per athlete.
South Dakota State University placed #20 among the best colleges for Men's Wrestling in Plains States. Located in Brookings, SD, South Dakota State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 978, alongside a GSR of 74%. About 41% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $28,504 per participant, with expenses of about $28,504 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,424 per athlete.
Augsburg University did well this year, earning the #21 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Minneapolis, MN. The program generates about $11,029 in revenue per athlete, against $11,029 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northern State University did well this year, earning the #22 position. Located in Aberdeen, SD, Northern State University is a public institution. The program generates about $21,831 in revenue per athlete, compared with $21,110 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,884 per athlete.
Minnesota State University Moorhead ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling in Plains States. Located in Moorhead, MN, Minnesota State University Moorhead is a public institution. The program generates about $12,002 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $11,267 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,722 per athlete.
Coe College ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Men's Wrestling in Plains States. Based in Cedar Rapids, IA, Coe College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,221 in revenue per athlete, against $7,221 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Central Missouri did well this year, earning the #25 position. University of Central Missouri is a public school based in Warrensburg, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,267, compared with $12,267 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,385.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.
