by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 43 schools for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual weighs 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:
Case Western Reserve University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Located in Cleveland, OH, Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $14,573 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $14,573 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Dayton came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Located in Dayton, OH, University of Dayton is a private not-for-profit institution. University of Dayton records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $116,562, compared with $275,184 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,913 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus landed the #3 spot for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Cincinnati, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 62%. The program generates about $338,478 in revenue per athlete, against $338,478 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $20,882 per athlete.
Denison University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Granville, OH, Denison University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,474, against $12,474 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #5. Located in Bowling Green, OH, Bowling Green State University-Main Campus is a public institution. Bowling Green State University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR 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.
Cedarville University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Based in Cedarville, OH, Cedarville University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $52,224 in revenue per athlete, compared with $52,224 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,791 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Toledo ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Toledo, OH. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Team revenue averages $171,624 per participant, compared with $171,624 spent per athlete. The school awards about $21,660 in athletic aid per athlete.
John Carroll University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. John Carroll University is a private not-for-profit school based in University Heights, OH. The program generates about $14,642 in revenue per athlete, against $14,642 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Oberlin College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Oberlin, OH, Oberlin College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $14,530 in revenue per athlete, against $14,530 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ohio University-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #10 position. Based in Athens, OH, Ohio University-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 79%. The program generates about $123,087 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $123,087 per participant. Athletic aid averages $17,284 per athlete.
Kenyon College ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Gambier, OH, Kenyon College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,316 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,316 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Miami University-Oxford did well this year, earning the #12 position. This public school is set in Oxford, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 990, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 85%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $69,575, against $69,575 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,790.
Kent State University at Kent came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Kent, OH, Kent State University at Kent is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $137,797, compared with $137,797 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,976.
Ohio Northern University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Ada, OH. The program generates about $11,038 in revenue per athlete, against $11,038 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Xavier University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Located in Cincinnati, OH, Xavier University is a private not-for-profit institution. Xavier University records an NCAA APR of 981, with a Graduation Success Rate of 86%. The federal graduation rate stands at 64%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $231,022, with expenses of about $231,022 per participant. Athletic aid averages $20,280 per athlete.
The College of Wooster came in at #16 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wooster, OH. The program generates about $13,177 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $12,106 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ohio State University-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #17 position. Located in Columbus, OH, Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public institution. Ohio State University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 973, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 25%. The program generates about $511,683 in revenue per athlete, compared with $511,683 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,151.
Franciscan University of Steubenville did well this year, earning the #18 position. Located in Steubenville, OH, Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,043, against $4,517 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ashland University placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Ashland, OH, Ashland University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $70,097, against $70,097 in expenses. The school awards about $5,808 in athletic aid per athlete.
Baldwin Wallace University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Berea, OH. The program generates about $11,963 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,963 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Cleveland State University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Based in Cleveland, OH, Cleveland State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 985, alongside a GSR of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 57%. Team revenue averages $123,557 per participant, with expenses of about $144,236 per participant. The school awards about $8,645 in athletic aid per athlete.
Capital University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Columbus, OH, Capital University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,552, compared with $13,552 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Youngstown State University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Youngstown State University is a public school based in Youngstown, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 85%. About 44% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $98,589 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $98,589 per participant. The school awards about $8,634 in athletic aid per athlete.
Walsh University placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Walsh University is a private not-for-profit school based in North Canton, OH. The program generates about $26,400 in revenue per athlete, compared with $25,023 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,087 per athlete.
Otterbein University did well this year, earning the #25 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Westerville, OH. Team revenue averages $10,667 per participant, compared with $9,117 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*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.