by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 35 programs for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Northwestern University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Evanston, IL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 998, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $102,876 in revenue per athlete, against $365,754 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $53,919 per athlete.
University of Chicago ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. The program generates about $23,177 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $23,177 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bloomington, IL. Team revenue averages $16,414 per participant, against $16,414 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Northern Illinois University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Dekalb, IL, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. The program generates about $220,672 in revenue per athlete, compared with $220,005 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,138 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bradley University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit school based in Peoria, IL. Bradley University records an NCAA APR of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 56%. Team revenue averages $114,827 per participant, compared with $114,827 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,583.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Champaign, IL, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, alongside a GSR of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $84,096, compared with $279,171 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,398.
Loyola University Chicago ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 970, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. The program generates about $238,330 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $238,330 per participant. Athletic aid averages $23,325 per athlete.
Illinois State University landed the #8 spot this year. Illinois State University is a public school based in Normal, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 53%. Team revenue averages $145,504 per participant, compared with $145,504 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,477.
DePaul University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in Chicago, IL, DePaul University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, alongside a GSR of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 62%. Team revenue averages $344,959 per participant, against $344,959 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $23,928 per athlete.
Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in Chicago, IL, Illinois Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,986 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,986 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Illinois Chicago did well this year, earning the #11 position. This public school is set in Chicago, IL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 982, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $174,334 per participant, compared with $174,334 spent per athlete. The school awards about $15,167 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lewis University placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Romeoville, IL. The program generates about $43,176 in revenue per athlete, compared with $43,176 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,669 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Central College ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,435, compared with $9,149 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did well this year, earning the #14 position. Based in Edwardsville, IL, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, alongside a GSR of 94%. Its federal graduation rate is 85%. Team revenue averages $54,576 per participant, compared with $54,576 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $8,334 per athlete.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale did well this year, earning the #15 position. This public school is set in Carbondale, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 957, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. The program generates about $118,003 in revenue per athlete, compared with $118,003 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,525 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lake Forest College did well this year, earning the #16 position. Located in Lake Forest, IL, Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,141, with expenses of about $8,141 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Eastern Illinois University did well this year, earning the #17 position. This public school is set in Charleston, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 47%. The program generates about $49,908 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $49,908 per participant. The school awards about $7,653 in athletic aid per athlete.
Knox College ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Galesburg, IL. The program generates about $12,795 in revenue per athlete, against $13,187 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Elmhurst University placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Elmhurst, IL. Team revenue averages $9,799 per participant, compared with $9,718 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Illinois Springfield ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Springfield, IL, University of Illinois Springfield is a public institution. Team revenue averages $37,067 per participant, with expenses of about $37,067 per participant. The school awards about $4,768 in athletic aid per athlete.
Western Illinois University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Based in Macomb, IL, Western Illinois University is a public institution. Western Illinois University records an NCAA APR of 974, alongside a GSR of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 58%. Team revenue averages $84,166 per participant, with expenses of about $84,166 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,303.
McKendree University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. McKendree University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lebanon, IL. Team revenue averages $38,615 per participant, compared with $38,615 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,695 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Park University did well this year, earning the #23 position. North Park University is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL. The program generates about $14,170 in revenue per athlete, against $14,170 in expenses. The school awards about $32 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois College ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Jacksonville, IL, Illinois College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,435, compared with $10,435 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Millikin University ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Decatur, IL, Millikin University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,764 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,764 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.