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 Soccer ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Our analysis looked at 188 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for D1 Men's Soccer athletes. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as the athletic competitiveness of the school and the school's overall quality. This means that a school must provide students with a great education in addition to having a good sports team if it wants to rank well.
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to online students or returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
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Top Colleges in the U.S. for D1 Men's Soccer athletes
Wake Forest University tops this year’s ranking as the best school for D1 Men’s Soccer athletes. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,546 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at Wake Forest University brought home $2,349,635 in revenue in a single year. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 980.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, Wake Forest University also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Wake Forest University Sports Report
A rank of #2 on our list means University of Denver is a great place for D1 Men’s Soccer athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. University of Denver is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Denver, Colorado that handed out 1,587 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at DU brought home $1,881,572 in revenue in a single year. The team has a great academic progress rate of 984, signifying that team members care about their grades.
DU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on University of Denver
You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #3 in this year’s ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 2,312 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at Duke made $1,659,278 in revenue. The team had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Duke also took the #2 spot in our overall quality rankings.
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A rank of #4 on our list means Syracuse University is a great place for D1 Men’s Soccer athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Syracuse University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Syracuse, New York that handed out 4,205 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at Syracuse made $1,070,137 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 991 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. In addition to its great ranking here, Syracuse is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Syracuse University
A rank of #5 on our list means Stanford University is a great place for D1 Men’s Soccer athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In , this school awarded 1,699 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at Stanford made $1,821,413 in revenue. Sports aren’t the only thing that the team excels at - they had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. Stanford excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 1% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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University of Maryland - College Park came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. Located in College Park, Maryland, the large public school awarded 9,182 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at UMCP brought home $680,370 in revenue in a single year. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 962.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, UMCP also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full University of Maryland - College Park Sports Report
University of Portland landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. Located in Portland, Oregon, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 1,153 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at University of Portland brought home $1,478,395 in revenue in a single year. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 977.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, University of Portland also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
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Colgate University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. Colgate is located in Hamilton, New York and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 943 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at Colgate made $1,284,531 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 992, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Colgate excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Colgate University Sports Report
Clemson University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. Located in Clemson, South Carolina, the large public school awarded 5,123 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at Clemson brought home $2,558,307 in revenue in a single year. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 992.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Clemson excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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University of Notre Dame landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. Notre Dame is located in Notre Dame, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In , this school awarded 2,829 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at Notre Dame brought home $2,084,173 in revenue in a single year. Sports aren’t the only thing that the team excels at - they had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Notre Dame also is in the top 1% of our overall quality ranking.
Full University of Notre Dame Sports Report
Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, the large public school handed out 7,504 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at IU Bloomington brought home $2,131,855 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 985 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, IU Bloomington also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Indiana University - Bloomington Sports Report
University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 9,741 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at UW - Madison made $252,059 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 979.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. In addition to its great ranking here, UW - Madison is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on University of Wisconsin - Madison
Providence College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Providence, Rhode Island, and it awarded 1,194 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at Providence made $1,836,524 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 995.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. In addition to its great ranking here, Providence is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Providence College Sports Report
With a ranking of #14, Southern Methodist University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. Dallas, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,091 students in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at SMU brought home $2,209,323 in revenue in a single year. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 974.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, SMU is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Southern Methodist University
Creighton University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and it awarded 1,445 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at Creighton took home $1,309,789 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 982 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, Creighton is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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With a ranking of #16, University of Connecticut did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. UCONN is a large public school situated in Storrs, Connecticut. It awarded 5,690 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at UCONN brought home $1,730,640 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 985 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. UCONN excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Boston College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking, coming in at #17. Boston College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3,062 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at Boston College took home $1,385,528 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 990, signifying that team members care about their grades.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, Boston College also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer list. UNC Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 6,451 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at UNC Chapel Hill took home $737,989 in revenue. Sports aren’t the only thing that the team excels at - they had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. On top of its placing in this ranking, UNC Chapel Hill also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Michigan State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 9,247 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at Michigan State made $451,736 in revenue. With a perfect academic progress rate of 1000, the team is showing that they know how to hit the books, too.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, Michigan State is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Michigan State University Sports Report
Villanova University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. Located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,165 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at Villanova brought home $1,432,194 in revenue in a single year. The team has a great academic progress rate of 995, signifying that team members care about their grades.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, Villanova also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Villanova University
Loyola Marymount University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer list. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 1,787 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at Loyola Marymount took home $1,352,349 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 985, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Loyola Marymount excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Loyola Marymount University Sports Report
University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. This large public school is located in Charlottesville, Virginia, and it awarded 5,483 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Men’s Soccer team at University of Virginia brought home $1,763,953 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 984 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. University of Virginia also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Sports Report
Boston University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 4,998 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at Boston U made $1,303,972 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 979 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Boston U also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on Boston University
American University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 1,954 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at The American University took home $1,096,202 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 996.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The American University also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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Virginia Tech came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Men’s Soccer ranking. Virginia Tech is a public institution located in Blacksburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7,289 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Men’s Soccer team at Virginia Tech made $129,077 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 949.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, Virginia Tech is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Rest of the Top 15% Best Colleges for D1 Men's Soccer athletes
Not only did these schools make the top 29 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.
References
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
The academic progress rate (APR) of each team was made available by the NCAA.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.