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2023 Top Plains States Region Men's D1 Football Schools

8 Colleges
$19,725 Avg Tuition & Fees*
41% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

When pursuing a degree in today's world, student athletes have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Division I Men's Football in the Plains States Region ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Our analysis looked at 8 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for D1 Men's Football athletes in the Plains States Region. Our ranking is based on several objective factors, including the school's overall quality and the athletic competitiveness of the school. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. So, even if a school has a great team, it won't place well if it is also considered a low quality college or university.

Find out more about our ranking methodology.

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We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.

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Top Colleges in the Plains States Region for D1 Men's Football athletes in the Plains States Region

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1
Top 20% in Quality in the Plains States Region
$6,137,469 Team Revenue
986 Academic Progress Rate

North Dakota State University - Main Campus tops this year’s ranking as the best school for D1 Men’s Football athletes in the Plains States Region. Fargo, North Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,382 students in . Speaking financially, the FCS Men’s Football team at North Dakota State University took home $6,137,469 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 986. In addition to its great ranking here, North Dakota State University is in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list. Full North Dakota State University - Main Campus Sports Report

2
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, Iowa
#11 in Quality in the Plains States Region
$1,324,637 Team Revenue
969 Academic Progress Rate

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Drake University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D1 Men’s Football athletes in the Plains States Region list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Des Moines, Iowa, and it awarded 813 bachelor’s degrees in . The FCS Men’s Football team at Drake brought home $1,324,637 in revenue in a single year. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 969. Drake also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. Read More…

3
UND crest
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Top 25% in Quality in the Plains States Region
$5,390,299 Team Revenue
962 Academic Progress Rate

The excellent sports programs at University of North Dakota helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 Men’s Football athletes in the Plains States Region. UND is a fairly large public school situated in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It awarded 1,904 bachelor’s degrees in . The FCS Men’s Football team at UND brought home $5,390,299 in revenue in a single year. The academic progress rate of the team is 962. Read full sports report on University of North Dakota

4
South Dakota State crest
South Dakota State University
Brookings, South Dakota

A rank of #4 on our list means South Dakota State University is a great place for D1 Men’s Football athletes in the Plains States Region working on their bachelor’s degree. Brookings, South Dakota is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,023 students in . Speaking financially, the FCS Men’s Football team at South Dakota State took home $4,739,477 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 978 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too. Read More…

5
UNI crest
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Top 20% in Quality in the Plains States Region
$3,825,124 Team Revenue
969 Academic Progress Rate

You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #5 in this year’s ranking. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the medium-sized public school awarded 2,246 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . The FCS Men’s Football team at UNI brought home $3,825,124 in revenue in a single year. The academic progress rate of the team is 969. UNI also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. Read full sports report on University of Northern Iowa

6
USD crest
University of South Dakota
Vermillion, South Dakota

University of South Dakota came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Football in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Vermillion, South Dakota, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,293 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the FCS Men’s Football team at USD took home $4,089,212 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 968. Read More…

7

Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Football in the Plains States Region ranking. Springfield, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 3,449 students in . On the financial side of things, the FCS Men’s Football team at Missouri State made $4,641,692 in revenue. Read full sports report on Missouri State University - Springfield

8
Southeast Missouri State University crest
Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Southeast Missouri State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Football in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #8. Southeast Missouri State University is a public institution located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,629 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the FCS Men’s Football team at Southeast Missouri State University made $3,240,627 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 959. Read full sports report on Southeast Missouri State University

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 8 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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