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2023 Top Illinois Women's D3 Softball Schools

21 Colleges
$38,175 Avg Tuition & Fees*
54% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

When it comes to choosing a college, student athletes have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Division III Women's Softball in Illinois ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Our analysis looked at 21 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for D3 Women's Softball athletes in Illinois. 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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Top Colleges in Illinois for D3 Women's Softball athletes in Illinois

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Our 2023 rankings named University of Chicago the best school for D3 Women’s Softball athletes in Illinois working on their bachelor’s degree. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In , this school awarded 2,425 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. The D3 Women’s Softball team at UChicago brought home $284,584 in revenue in a single year. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UChicago is ranked #2 for overall quality in Illinois. Full University of Chicago Sports Report

2
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Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Wesleyan University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D3 Women’s Softball athletes in Illinois list. Illinois Wesleyan is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bloomington, Illinois. It awarded 404 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Illinois Wesleyan made $164,546 in revenue. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Illinois Wesleyan also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking. Read full sports report on Illinois Wesleyan University

3
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Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, Illinois

A rank of #3 on our list means Lake Forest College is a great place for D3 Women’s Softball athletes in Illinois working on their bachelor’s degree. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Lake Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 466 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Lake Forest took home $108,717 in revenue. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Full Lake Forest College Sports Report

4
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Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois

A rank of #4 on our list means Dominican University is a great place for D3 Women’s Softball athletes in Illinois working on their bachelor’s degree. Dominican U is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 525 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Dominican U took home $162,163 in revenue. Read full sports report on Dominican University

5
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Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois

The excellent sports programs at Millikin University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D3 Women’s Softball athletes in Illinois. Decatur, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 414 students in . Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Millikin took home $189,753 in revenue. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Read More…

6
Illinois College crest
Illinois College
Jacksonville, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Illinois College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking. Illinois College is located in Jacksonville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 323 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Illinois College made $153,051 in revenue. Read full sports report on Illinois College

7
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Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 755 bachelor’s degrees in . The D3 Women’s Softball team at Augustana brought home $173,938 in revenue in a single year. Augustana 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 Augustana College

8
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North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Naperville, Illinois. It awarded 653 bachelor’s degrees in . North Central brought in $242,883 while tallying up $195,851 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Softball team. Thus, the team actually made $47,032, which isn’t bad at all. Read full sports report on North Central College

9
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Benedictine University
Lisle, Illinois

Benedictine University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois list. Benedictine University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Lisle, Illinois that handed out 686 bachelor’s degrees in . The team at Benedictine U took home $441,494 in revenue and paid out $398,624 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $42,870 for the sports team. Read More…

10
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Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 831 bachelor’s degrees in . Elmhurst brought in $127,819 while tallying up $126,113 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Softball team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $1,706. Full Elmhurst University Sports Report

11
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Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking. Located in Wheaton, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 648 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . The D3 Women’s Softball team at Wheaton College Illinois brought home $143,138 in revenue in a single year. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Wheaton College Illinois is ranked #4 for overall quality in Illinois. Read full sports report on Wheaton College Illinois

12
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Monmouth College
Monmouth, Illinois

Monmouth College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking. Located in Monmouth, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 189 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Monmouth took home $73,391 in revenue. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Read full sports report on Monmouth College

13
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Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking. Aurora is located in Aurora, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In , this school awarded 1,249 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Aurora made $143,126 in revenue. Full Aurora University Sports Report

14
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Greenville University
Greenville, Illinois

Greenville University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking. Greenville is a private not-for-profit institution located in Greenville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 205 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Greenville took home $72,808 in revenue. Full Greenville University Sports Report

15
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Concordia University, Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #15, Concordia University, Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking. Concordia University, Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in River Forest, Illinois. It awarded 329 bachelor’s degrees in . The D3 Women’s Softball team at Concordia University, Chicago made $212,107 in revenue, while incurring $188,004 in expenses. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $24,103. Read full sports report on Concordia University, Chicago

16
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Eureka College
Eureka, Illinois

Eureka College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Eureka, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 143 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Eureka College took home $70,003 in revenue. Full Eureka College Sports Report

17
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Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking, coming in at #17. Knox College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Galesburg, Illinois that handed out 332 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Knox took home $109,071 in revenue. Knox 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 Knox College

18
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Blackburn College
Carlinville, Illinois

Blackburn College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois list. Blackburn is a private not-for-profit institution located in Carlinville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 90 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Blackburn made $88,929 in revenue. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Read More…

19
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North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

North Park University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 369 bachelor’s degrees in . The D3 Women’s Softball team at North Park brought home $102,634 in revenue in a single year. Read More…

20
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Rockford University
Rockford, Illinois

Rockford University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking. Rockford is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Rockford, Illinois. It awarded 254 bachelor’s degrees in . The D3 Women’s Softball team at Rockford brought home $128,852 in revenue in a single year. Read full sports report on Rockford University

21

Best Colleges for D3 Women's Softball in the Great Lakes 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

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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