by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 5 schools for Women’s Basketball (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual scores each program on a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and aid per athlete from the EADA survey), and overall school quality, drawing on NCAA, U.S. Department of Education EADA, and IPEDS data. Learn more about our ranking methodology.
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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Leading the list is University of Washington-Seattle Campus, our #1 college for Women's Basketball (Division I). Based in Seattle, WA, University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. Team revenue averages $81,312 per participant, with expenses of about $313,814 per participant. Athletic aid averages $26,539 per athlete.
Gonzaga University landed the #2 spot for Women's Basketball (Division I). Based in Spokane, WA, Gonzaga University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. About 82% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $365,684 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $356,223 per participant. The school awards about $14,963 in athletic aid per athlete.
Washington State University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division I). Based in Pullman, WA, Washington State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. The program generates about $66,968 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $286,057 per participant. Athletic aid averages $20,338 per athlete.
Seattle University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Seattle, WA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 978, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 64%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $172,813, against $172,813 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,482 per athlete.
Eastern Washington University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division I). Eastern Washington University is a public school based in Cheney, WA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, alongside a GSR of 88%. About 55% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $113,042 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $113,042 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,120 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and athletic aid from the federal EADA survey), and overall school quality. The current methodology measures academic-athletic quality and does not include team win/loss performance.
References
See our data sources and methodologies.