With all of the options student athletes have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for Division I Women's Basketball in California ranking.
We analyzed 21 colleges and universities across California to determine which were the best for D1 Women's Basketball athletes in California. Our ranking methodology focuses a number of different objective factors - such as the overall quality of the school, the school's athletic competitiveness, and the amount of athletic aid per student - to make this determination. Having a great sports team is not enough - the school must also focus on academic excellence.
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.
We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don't have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
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Top Colleges in California for D1 Women's Basketball athletes in California
Stanford University tops this year’s ranking as the best school for D1 Women’s Basketball athletes in California. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Stanford, California that handed out 1,699 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Basketball team at Stanford brought home $8,049,798 in revenue in a single year. The team had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Stanford also took the #2 spot in our overall quality rankings.
Full Stanford University Sports Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D1 Women’s Basketball athletes in California list. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 9,851 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at UCLA made $5,635,343 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 989 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. UCLA also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Read full sports report on University of California - Los Angeles
A rank of #3 on our list means University of San Francisco is a great place for D1 Women’s Basketball athletes in California working on their bachelor’s degree. USFCA is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,626 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at USFCA took home $2,949,056 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 991, signifying that team members care about their grades.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full sports report on University of San Francisco
You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #4 in this year’s ranking. University of California - Davis is a large public school located in Davis, California that handed out 9,615 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at UC Davis took home $1,937,497 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 91%. On top of its placing in this ranking, UC Davis also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on University of California - Davis
You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #5 in this year’s ranking. Located in Berkeley, California, the large public school handed out 10,103 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Basketball team at UC Berkeley brought home $1,330,479 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 983 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 96%. UC Berkeley also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Full University of California - Berkeley Sports Report
Loyola Marymount University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California list. Loyola Marymount University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 1,787 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Loyola Marymount took home $2,969,431 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 981, 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 also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Full Loyola Marymount University Sports Report
University of San Diego ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 1,688 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Basketball team at USD brought home $2,215,332 in revenue in a single year. With a perfect academic progress rate of 1000, the team is showing that they know how to hit the books, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. USD also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Full University of San Diego Sports Report
University of Southern California ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 5,642 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at USC took home $5,687,731 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 980, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, USC also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full University of Southern California Sports Report
Santa Clara University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California ranking. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Santa Clara, California. It awarded 1,587 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Basketball team at SCU brought home $2,695,020 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 984.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. SCU 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 California - Santa Barbara came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 6,839 students in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at UCSB took home $1,914,942 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 958.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. UCSB also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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University of the Pacific ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California list. Located in Stockton, California, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 869 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Pacific took home $2,109,493 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 987, signifying that team members care about their grades.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Pacific also is in the top 20% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on University of the Pacific
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California ranking, coming in at #12. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,259 students in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at CSULB made $1,896,338 in revenue.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full California State University - Long Beach Sports Report
Pepperdine University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California list. Pepperdine University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Malibu, California that handed out 921 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Pepperdine took home $2,245,114 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 93%. Pepperdine also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #14, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California ranking. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 5,880 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at UCR made $1,560,844 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 953.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of California - Riverside Sports Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public institution located in San Luis Obispo, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,987 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo took home $1,665,391 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 980 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 95%. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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San Diego State University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California ranking. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 8,969 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at SDSU took home $1,569,773 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 991.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Read full sports report on San Diego State University
With a ranking of #17, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California ranking. Located in San Jose, California, the large public school handed out 7,362 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at San Jose State made $2,021,472 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 991 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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University of California - Irvine landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California ranking. University of California - Irvine is a large public school located in Irvine, California that handed out 9,011 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at UC Irvine made $2,128,584 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 962.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UC Irvine also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on University of California - Irvine
With a ranking of #19, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California ranking. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5,191 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Fresno State took home $2,310,117 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 983 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Read full sports report on California State University - Fresno
California State University - Sacramento landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California ranking. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 7,486 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Sac State took home $1,515,233 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 983 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Read More…
With a ranking of #21, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball in California ranking. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 9,717 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Cal State Fullerton made $1,391,364 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 971.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read More…
Best Colleges for D1 Women's Basketball in the Far Western US Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 21 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%.
