by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 18 programs for Women’s Basketball (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual weighs 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Our analysis found St. John's University-New York to be the best college for Women's Basketball (Division I) in New York. This private not-for-profit school is set in Queens, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $477,808, with expenses of about $477,808 per participant. The school awards about $29,040 in athletic aid per athlete.
Syracuse University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Syracuse, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 47%. Team revenue averages $151,424 per participant, compared with $461,083 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $33,068.
Colgate University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division I). Located in Hamilton, NY, Colgate University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 93%. The program generates about $158,391 in revenue per athlete, against $158,391 in expenses. The school awards about $22,658 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fordham University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball (Division I). Fordham University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bronx, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. About 56% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $188,583, compared with $188,583 spent per athlete. The school awards about $32,443 in athletic aid per athlete.
Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball (Division I), at #5. This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Team revenue averages $211,755 per participant, with expenses of about $211,755 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hofstra University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Hempstead, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 980, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 92%. Team revenue averages $208,058 per participant, compared with $208,058 spent per athlete. The school awards about $22,514 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stony Brook University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Stony Brook, NY, Stony Brook University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 984, alongside a GSR of 94%. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. The program generates about $169,238 in revenue per athlete, against $169,238 in expenses. The school awards about $15,341 in athletic aid per athlete.
Manhattan University did well this year, earning the #8 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Riverdale, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 77%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $137,002, with expenses of about $136,510 per participant. The school awards about $14,484 in athletic aid per athlete.
Niagara University placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division I). Based in Niagara University, NY, Niagara University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 985, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. The program generates about $146,018 in revenue per athlete, against $146,018 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,462 per athlete.
University at Buffalo ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball (Division I). Based in Buffalo, NY, University at Buffalo is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 971, alongside a GSR of 90%. About 41% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $188,429 per participant, with expenses of about $188,429 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,340.
Binghamton University landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Vestal, NY, Binghamton University is a public institution. Binghamton University records an NCAA APR of 986, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 77%. The program generates about $141,297 in revenue per athlete, compared with $141,297 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,522.
St Bonaventure University landed the #12 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Bonaventure, NY. St Bonaventure University records an NCAA APR of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 38%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $182,836, compared with $182,836 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $12,194 per athlete.
Marist University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Marist University is a private not-for-profit school based in Poughkeepsie, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 985, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. The program generates about $137,061 in revenue per athlete, compared with $137,061 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,661 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wagner College placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division I). Located in Staten Island, NY, Wagner College is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 40% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $112,849 in revenue per athlete, against $112,849 in expenses. The school awards about $15,661 in athletic aid per athlete.
Cornell University did well this year, earning the #15 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Ithaca, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $73,551, against $72,312 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University at Albany came in at #16 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Albany, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, alongside a GSR of 77%. The federal graduation rate stands at 47%. The program generates about $124,824 in revenue per athlete, against $115,619 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,856.
Canisius University placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division I). Canisius University is a private not-for-profit school based in Buffalo, NY. Canisius University records an NCAA APR of 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $116,641, against $116,641 in expenses. The school awards about $9,300 in athletic aid per athlete.
Iona University placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division I). Iona University is a private not-for-profit school based in New Rochelle, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 971, and a 87% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 25%. Team revenue averages $144,388 per participant, with expenses of about $144,388 per participant. Athletic aid averages $10,814 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology weighs 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.