NCAA · Men's Cross Country
Men's Cross Country programs
628 programs across 3 divisions, each with its coaching staff, roster, budget and the school behind it.
628
Programs
314 D1 · 97 D2 · 217 D3
5,297
Roster spots
last season
241,565
High-school players
2024-25
1 in 46
Odds of any NCAA spot · 2.2%
1 in 280 (0.35%) for Division I
17
D-I roster cap
11 of 314 programs over it last season
$166k
Median D-I budget
$13,101 per player
4 in Alaska, Hawaii or abroad not shown
Division IDivision IIDivision III
When coaches may contact you
The first date a coach in each division may email or call a recruit, by high-school graduation year — the general NCAA rule for men's cross country. You may write to any coach at any time.
| Grad year | Division I | Division II | Division III |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | June 15, 2025 | June 15, 2025 | Any time |
| 2028 | June 15, 2026 | June 15, 2026 | Any time |
| 2029 | June 15, 2027 | June 15, 2027 | Any time |
| 2030 | June 15, 2028 | June 15, 2028 | Any time |
The full guide: eligibility, what to send, and how the roster cap changes the math.
Division by division
| Division | Programs | Spots | Median budget | Per player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division I | 314 | 854 | $166k | $13k |
| Division II | 97 | 1,285 | $87k | $7k |
| Division III | 217 | 3,158 | $37k | $3k |
Division I roster cap 17 from 2025-26: last season 11 programs carried more, 5 were exactly at it and 45 had room. Players already on a roster may stay, so the squeeze lands on the next classes. How the caps work.
Odds: 2.2% of high-school players hold an NCAA roster spot (1 in 46); 1 in 280 (0.35%) in Division I. Transfers and international players hold some of those spots. The honest version · every sport.
Biggest team budgets · Division I
| # | School | Team budget | Roster | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara University West Coast Conference | $1.1M | 22 | 1000 | |
| 2 | Stanford University Atlantic Coast Conference | $559k | 17 | 1000 | |
| 3 | Vanderbilt University Southeastern Conference | $550k | 12 | — | |
| 4 | Temple University American Conference | $541k | 11 | 1000 | |
| 5 | Merrimack College Metro Conference | $487k | 20 | — | |
| 6 | Saint Mary's College of California West Coast Conference | $480k | 34 | 993 | |
| 7 | Seton Hall University BIG EAST Conference | $422k | 15 | 979 | |
| 8 | The University of Tulsa American Conference | $419k | 24 | 983 | |
| 9 | Siena University Metro Conference | $366k | 28 | 1000 | |
| 10 | Mercer University Southern Conference | $352k | 16 | 1000 |
Best Academic Progress Rates · Division I
| # | School | APR | Roster | Budget | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abilene Christian University United Athletic Conference | 1000 | — | — | |
| 2 | Baylor University Big 12 Conference | 1000 | — | — | |
| 3 | Belmont University Missouri Valley Conference | 1000 | — | — | |
| 4 | Boston College Atlantic Coast Conference | 1000 | — | — | |
| 5 | Boston University Patriot League | 1000 | — | — | |
| 6 | Bowling Green State University Mid-American Conference | 1000 | 12 | $92k | |
| 7 | Bucknell University Patriot League | 1000 | — | — | |
| 8 | California State University, Northridge Big West Conference | 1000 | — | — | |
| 9 | Campbell University Coastal Athletic Association | 1000 | — | — | |
| 10 | Clemson University Atlantic Coast Conference | 1000 | — | — |
Most room on the roster · Division I
| # | School | Room under the cap | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lindenwood University Ohio Valley Conference | 16 | — | |
| 2 | Hampton University Coastal Athletic Association | 12 | 998 | |
| 3 | Mercyhurst University Northeast Conference | 10 | — | |
| 4 | Austin Peay State University United Athletic Conference | 9 | 978 | |
| 5 | Florida Atlantic University American Conference | 9 | 1000 | |
| 6 | North Carolina Central University Mid-Eastern Athletic Conf. | 9 | 966 | |
| 7 | Tennessee Technological University Southern Conference | 9 | 993 | |
| 8 | University of San Diego West Coast Conference | 9 | 1000 | |
| 9 | Florida Gulf Coast University Atlantic Sun Conference | 8 | 978 | |
| 10 | LSU New Orleans Southland Conference | 8 | 984 |
Lowest net price · Division I
| # | School | Net price | Roster | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio University Mid-American Conference | $3,897 | — | — | |
| 2 | California State University, Fullerton Big West Conference | $6,283 | — | 939 | |
| 3 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Southland Conference | $6,978 | — | 957 | |
| 4 | California State University, Fresno Pac-12 Conference | $7,303 | — | — | |
| 5 | University of New Mexico Mountain West Conference | $7,528 | — | 982 | |
| 6 | Coppin State University Mid-Eastern Athletic Conf. | $7,684 | — | 942 | |
| 7 | Northern Kentucky University Horizon League | $8,151 | — | 993 | |
| 8 | California State University, Northridge Big West Conference | $8,222 | — | 1000 | |
| 9 | New Mexico State University Conference USA | $8,353 | 14 | 949 | |
| 10 | Utah Valley University Big West Conference | $8,650 | — | 962 |
Every men's cross country coach's email, filters for roster room, budget, admission rate, majors and cost — and one reviewed email per school from your own Gmail.Start your board