by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 5 programs for Women’s Basketball (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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:
University of Arkansas tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division I). University of Arkansas is a public school based in Fayetteville, AR. University of Arkansas records an NCAA APR of 990, alongside a GSR of 88%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $21,034 per participant, compared with $480,784 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,062.
Arkansas State University landed the #2 spot for Women's Basketball (Division I). Based in Jonesboro, AR, Arkansas State University is a public institution. Arkansas State University records an NCAA APR of 963, with a Graduation Success Rate of 83%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $163,313 per participant, against $163,313 in expenses. The school awards about $16,588 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Central Arkansas ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division I). Based in Conway, AR, University of Central Arkansas is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 952, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 55% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $102,696 in revenue per athlete, against $102,696 in expenses. The school awards about $8,449 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Arkansas at Little Rock ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division I). This public school is set in Little Rock, AR. University of Arkansas at Little Rock records an NCAA APR of 941, alongside a GSR of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 47%. The program generates about $111,103 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $111,103 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,309 per athlete.
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division I). This public school is set in Pine Bluff, AR. The team's NCAA APR score is 961, with a Graduation Success Rate of 75%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $68,160 per participant, compared with $68,160 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,028 in athletic aid 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.