by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 20 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:
Leading the list is Indiana University-Bloomington, our #1 college for Women's Basketball. Based in Bloomington, IN, Indiana University-Bloomington is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $251,167, against $251,167 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $23,161 per athlete.
University of Notre Dame came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Notre Dame, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 45%. Team revenue averages $754,333 per participant, against $754,333 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,391.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #3. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Terre Haute, IN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,059, compared with $16,059 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Purdue University-Main Campus landed the #4 spot for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in West Lafayette, IN. The team's NCAA APR score is 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. Team revenue averages $566,250 per participant, compared with $327,419 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $19,382 per athlete.
DePauw University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Based in Greencastle, IN, DePauw University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $17,973 in revenue per athlete, compared with $17,973 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Butler University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Indianapolis, IN, Butler University is a private not-for-profit institution. Butler University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $109,274, against $110,362 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $12,113 per athlete.
Valparaiso University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Valparaiso, IN, Valparaiso University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 81%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $120,766, compared with $121,693 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $8,540 per athlete.
Ball State University landed the #8 spot this year. This public school is set in Muncie, IN. Ball State University records an NCAA APR of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 58% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $157,035, compared with $157,035 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,206.
Earlham College landed the #9 spot this year. Located in Richmond, IN, Earlham College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $16,753 per participant, compared with $16,753 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Evansville did well this year, earning the #10 position. University of Evansville is a private not-for-profit school based in Evansville, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 962, alongside a GSR of 86%. The federal graduation rate stands at 47%. The program generates about $134,729 in revenue per athlete, against $134,729 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,525.
University of Southern Indiana ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Evansville, IN, University of Southern Indiana is a public institution. University of Southern Indiana records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 83%. Its federal graduation rate is 70%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $103,923, compared with $103,923 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,037 per athlete.
Trine University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Angola, IN, Trine University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,137 per participant, with expenses of about $12,744 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Indiana University-Indianapolis did well this year, earning the #13 position. Based in Indianapolis, IN, Indiana University-Indianapolis is a public institution. Indiana University-Indianapolis records an NCAA APR of 959, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. Team revenue averages $103,440 per participant, against $103,440 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,962 per athlete.
Hanover College landed the #14 spot this year. Hanover College is a private not-for-profit school based in Hanover, IN. Team revenue averages $16,265 per participant, compared with $16,265 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Purdue University Fort Wayne placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Purdue University Fort Wayne is a public school based in Fort Wayne, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, alongside a GSR of 73%. About 28% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $149,137 per participant, with expenses of about $120,671 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,345.
University of Indianapolis placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. University of Indianapolis is a private not-for-profit school based in Indianapolis, IN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $42,965, compared with $42,965 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,002 per athlete.
Indiana State University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Indiana State University is a public school based in Terre Haute, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 955, alongside a GSR of 71%. About 19% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $114,827 per participant, with expenses of about $114,827 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,961.
Franklin College ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Franklin, IN. The program generates about $10,389 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,244 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Purdue University Northwest did well this year, earning the #19 position. Purdue University Northwest is a public school based in Hammond, IN. The program generates about $28,267 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $28,267 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,013 per athlete.
Manchester University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in North Manchester, IN, Manchester University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,381, against $8,836 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.