by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 55 schools for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Learn more about these schools below:
University of California-Los Angeles tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Los Angeles, CA, University of California-Los Angeles is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $334,154, with expenses of about $334,154 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,306.
Stanford University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. Stanford University records an NCAA APR of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $328,629, compared with $328,629 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $42,012.
University of San Francisco earned the #3 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Francisco, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. Team revenue averages $269,032 per participant, with expenses of about $269,032 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $31,788.
University of California-Berkeley landed the #4 spot for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Berkeley, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 90%. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $325,762, compared with $325,762 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,267.
Pepperdine University is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #5. Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit school based in Malibu, CA. Pepperdine University records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 74%. Team revenue averages $177,408 per participant, with expenses of about $177,408 per participant. The school awards about $27,861 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola Marymount University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Loyola Marymount University is a private not-for-profit school based in Los Angeles, CA. Loyola Marymount University records an NCAA APR of 990, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. The program generates about $294,581 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $294,581 per participant. Athletic aid averages $40,056 per athlete.
University of Southern California came in at #7 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Los Angeles, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 990, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 60%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $320,344, compared with $320,344 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $40,006 per athlete.
Santa Clara University landed the #8 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Santa Clara, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 55%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $210,378, with expenses of about $210,378 per participant. The school awards about $19,355 in athletic aid per athlete.
California Institute of Technology landed the #9 spot this year. Located in Pasadena, CA, California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $15,530 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,530 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Chapman University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Orange, CA, Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $18,935 per participant, with expenses of about $18,935 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Occidental College placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Occidental College is a private not-for-profit school based in Los Angeles, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,353, compared with $19,279 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Point Loma Nazarene University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Diego, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $57,655, with expenses of about $57,655 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,927.
San Diego State University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. San Diego State University is a public school based in San Diego, CA. San Diego State University records an NCAA APR of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 85%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $78,529, with expenses of about $117,144 per participant. Athletic aid averages $21,450 per athlete.
University of the Pacific came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in Stockton, CA, University of the Pacific 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. The federal graduation rate stands at 56%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $159,902, against $159,902 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $21,596 per athlete.
University of San Diego landed the #15 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Diego, CA. University of San Diego records an NCAA APR of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 77% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $178,759, with expenses of about $178,759 per participant. The school awards about $19,537 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Santa Cruz did well this year, earning the #16 position. Located in Santa Cruz, CA, University of California-Santa Cruz is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,016, with expenses of about $19,016 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Santa Barbara came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Based in Santa Barbara, CA, University of California-Santa Barbara is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 58%. Team revenue averages $154,206 per participant, with expenses of about $154,206 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,355 per athlete.
University of California-Davis came in at #18 in this year's ranking. University of California-Davis is a public school based in Davis, CA. University of California-Davis records an NCAA APR of 990, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $100,377, against $100,377 in expenses. The school awards about $14,267 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Irvine landed the #19 spot this year. University of California-Irvine is a public school based in Irvine, CA. University of California-Irvine records an NCAA APR of 980, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 73%. Team revenue averages $180,252 per participant, compared with $180,252 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,955 in athletic aid per athlete.
Dominican University of California ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Rafael, CA. The program generates about $42,206 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $42,206 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,270.
Saint Mary's College of California landed the #21 spot this year. Based in Moraga, CA, Saint Mary's College of California is a private not-for-profit institution. Saint Mary's College of California records an NCAA APR of 986, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $191,608, against $191,608 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $18,999 per athlete.
California Lutheran University placed #22 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit school based in Thousand Oaks, CA. The program generates about $12,013 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,013 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Biola University did well this year, earning the #23 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in La Mirada, CA. Team revenue averages $53,734 per participant, against $53,157 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,338.
California Baptist University placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Riverside, CA, California Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 973, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 47% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $209,470, with expenses of about $196,358 per participant. Athletic aid averages $23,790 per athlete.
University of Redlands did well this year, earning the #25 position. Based in Redlands, CA, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $16,498 per participant, against $16,746 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on 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.
