by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 144 programs for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual evaluates each program using 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 Chicago tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. Team revenue averages $23,177 per participant, with expenses of about $23,177 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Northwestern University is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #2. Based in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Northwestern University records an NCAA APR of 998, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $102,876 in revenue per athlete, compared with $365,754 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53,919.
Case Western Reserve University is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #3. Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cleveland, OH. Team revenue averages $14,573 per participant, compared with $14,573 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Indiana University-Bloomington is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #4. Indiana University-Bloomington is a public school based in Bloomington, IN. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $251,167 in revenue per athlete, against $251,167 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,161.
Marquette University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Milwaukee, WI, Marquette University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $397,889, against $397,884 in expenses. The school awards about $14,770 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois Wesleyan University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bloomington, IL. Team revenue averages $16,414 per participant, with expenses of about $16,414 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Dayton landed the #7 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Dayton, OH. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $116,562, with expenses of about $275,184 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,913.
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus landed the #8 spot this year. This public school is set in Cincinnati, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 62% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $338,478 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $338,478 per participant. The school awards about $20,882 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology landed the #9 spot this year. Located in Terre Haute, IN, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $16,059 in revenue per athlete, against $16,059 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Notre Dame did well this year, earning the #10 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Notre Dame, IN. University of Notre Dame records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. About 45% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $754,333 in revenue per athlete, compared with $754,333 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $34,391 per athlete.
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Bowling Green State University-Main Campus is a public school based in Bowling Green, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. Team revenue averages $141,293 per participant, with expenses of about $139,739 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,840.
DePauw University placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Greencastle, IN, DePauw University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,973, against $17,973 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Northern Illinois University landed the #13 spot this year. Located in Dekalb, IL, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. About 83% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $220,672, with expenses of about $220,005 per participant. The school awards about $16,138 in athletic aid per athlete.
Michigan Technological University placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Michigan Technological University is a public school based in Houghton, MI. Team revenue averages $48,664 per participant, with expenses of about $48,664 per participant. The school awards about $13,159 in athletic aid per athlete.
Denison University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Denison University is a private not-for-profit school based in Granville, OH. The program generates about $12,474 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,474 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Toledo placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Toledo, OH, University of Toledo is a public institution. University of Toledo records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Team revenue averages $171,624 per participant, against $171,624 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $21,660 per athlete.
Hope College came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Holland, MI. The program generates about $15,694 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,138 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ohio University-Main Campus ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Ohio University-Main Campus is a public school based in Athens, OH. Ohio University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 79%. The program generates about $123,087 in revenue per athlete, against $123,087 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,284.
Cedarville University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cedarville, OH. The program generates about $52,224 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $52,224 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,791.
John Carroll University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. John Carroll University is a private not-for-profit school based in University Heights, OH. Team revenue averages $14,642 per participant, compared with $14,642 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Butler University placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Butler University is a private not-for-profit school based in Indianapolis, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $109,274 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $110,362 per participant. The school awards about $12,113 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Based in Ann Arbor, MI, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,625, with expenses of about $162,747 per participant. The school awards about $28,650 in athletic aid per athlete.
Miami University-Oxford came in at #23 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Oxford, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 85%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $69,575, against $69,575 in expenses. The school awards about $17,790 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Champaign, IL, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public institution. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign records an NCAA APR of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $84,096, with expenses of about $279,171 per participant. Athletic aid averages $25,398 per athlete.
Kent State University at Kent landed the #25 spot this year. Kent State University at Kent is a public school based in Kent, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $137,797, against $137,797 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,976.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.