by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 8 schools for Women’s Basketball (Division III) 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Occidental College tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division III). Based in Los Angeles, CA, Occidental College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,353, with expenses of about $19,279 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
California Institute of Technology earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Pasadena, CA, California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,530, against $15,530 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Chapman University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division III). Chapman University is a private not-for-profit school based in Orange, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,935, with expenses of about $18,935 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of California-Santa Cruz earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Santa Cruz, CA, University of California-Santa Cruz is a public institution. The program generates about $19,016 in revenue per athlete, compared with $19,016 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Redlands is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball (Division III), at #5. Based in Redlands, CA, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $16,498 in revenue per athlete, against $16,746 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
California Lutheran University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball (Division III). Located in Thousand Oaks, CA, California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,013 per participant, compared with $12,013 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of La Verne came in at #7 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in La Verne, CA. Team revenue averages $11,282 per participant, against $11,700 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Whittier College placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball (Division III). Based in Whittier, CA, Whittier College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,500 per participant, against $11,750 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.