by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 24 schools for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Our analysis found Marquette University to be the best college for Women's Basketball in Wisconsin. Marquette University is a private not-for-profit school based in Milwaukee, WI. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 80%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $397,889, against $397,884 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,770 per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire landed the #2 spot for Women's Basketball. Based in Eau Claire, WI, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,872, compared with $17,058 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is a public school based in La Crosse, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,220, with expenses of about $21,718 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Milwaukee School of Engineering landed the #4 spot for Women's Basketball. Based in Milwaukee, WI, Milwaukee School of Engineering is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,788 per participant, against $9,788 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lawrence University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit school based in Appleton, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,251, with expenses of about $11,251 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay landed the #6 spot this year. This public school is set in Green Bay, WI. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $156,585, with expenses of about $156,585 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,741 per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Whitewater, WI, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,988, against $12,781 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee came in at #8 in this year's ranking. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is a public school based in Milwaukee, WI. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee records an NCAA APR of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $105,335, compared with $105,335 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $10,273 per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Platteville ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Platteville, WI, University of Wisconsin-Platteville is a public institution. The program generates about $14,052 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,465 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Concordia University-Wisconsin placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Mequon, WI, Concordia University-Wisconsin is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,072 per participant, compared with $7,681 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Madison placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Madison, WI. University of Wisconsin-Madison records an NCAA APR of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,145, with expenses of about $182,880 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,586.
Beloit College landed the #12 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Beloit, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,051, with expenses of about $6,051 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Wisconsin Lutheran College did well this year, earning the #13 position. Based in Milwaukee, WI, Wisconsin Lutheran College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,868 per participant, against $11,615 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Maranatha Baptist University did well this year, earning the #14 position. Maranatha Baptist University is a private not-for-profit school based in Watertown, WI. Team revenue averages $2,259 per participant, compared with $2,091 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh did well this year, earning the #15 position. University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh is a public school based in Oshkosh, WI. The program generates about $15,473 in revenue per athlete, compared with $15,954 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point landed the #16 spot this year. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is a public school based in Stevens Point, WI. Team revenue averages $14,227 per participant, against $14,224 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Stout did well this year, earning the #17 position. Located in Menomonie, WI, University of Wisconsin-Stout is a public institution. Team revenue averages $20,075 per participant, with expenses of about $20,075 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-River Falls ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in River Falls, WI, University of Wisconsin-River Falls is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,215, compared with $7,215 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Carthage College landed the #19 spot this year. Based in Kenosha, WI, Carthage College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,137, compared with $7,270 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-Parkside ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. University of Wisconsin-Parkside is a public school based in Kenosha, WI. The program generates about $38,392 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $38,392 per participant. Athletic aid averages $4,060 per athlete.
Lakeland University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Plymouth, WI, Lakeland University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $14,233 in revenue per athlete, against $14,233 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $41.
Ripon College did well this year, earning the #22 position. Located in Ripon, WI, Ripon College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,542 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,333 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Superior did well this year, earning the #23 position. Located in Superior, WI, University of Wisconsin-Superior is a public institution. The program generates about $8,325 in revenue per athlete, against $8,325 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Alverno College ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Milwaukee, WI, Alverno College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,623 per participant, compared with $6,715 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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.