by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 183 schools for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
No school ranked higher than Johns Hopkins University this year for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Baltimore, MD. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,271, against $20,271 in expenses. The school awards about $2,612 in athletic aid per athlete.
New York University is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #2. Located in New York, NY, New York University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $37,386 in revenue per athlete, compared with $36,897 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Carnegie Mellon University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit school based in Pittsburgh, PA. The program generates about $19,738 in revenue per athlete, compared with $18,921 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Hamilton College is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #4. Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Clinton, NY. Team revenue averages $21,383 per participant, against $21,383 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Stevens Institute of Technology ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Hoboken, NJ, Stevens Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,441, against $21,441 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Swarthmore College landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Swarthmore, PA, Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,315, with expenses of about $14,160 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lehigh University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Bethlehem, PA, Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $163,515, with expenses of about $163,515 per participant. The school awards about $19,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colgate University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Colgate University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hamilton, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 996, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 93%. The program generates about $158,391 in revenue per athlete, against $158,391 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $22,658 per athlete.
University of Rochester ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Rochester, NY, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $16,762 per participant, compared with $18,560 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Villanova University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Villanova University is a private not-for-profit school based in Villanova, PA. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 92% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $184,230 in revenue per athlete, compared with $184,230 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $25,480 per athlete.
Franklin and Marshall College landed the #11 spot this year. Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lancaster, PA. Team revenue averages $16,274 per participant, against $15,038 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53.
Haverford College did well this year, earning the #12 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Haverford, PA. Team revenue averages $16,792 per participant, compared with $16,270 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Union College landed the #13 spot this year. Located in Schenectady, NY, Union College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $18,927 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $14,432 per participant. Athletic aid averages $2,499 per athlete.
Georgetown University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Located in Washington, DC, Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution. Georgetown University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 42% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $224,143 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $224,143 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,232.
Syracuse University placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Syracuse, NY, Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 47%. The program generates about $151,424 in revenue per athlete, compared with $461,083 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $33,068 per athlete.
Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia is a private not-for-profit institution. Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. Team revenue averages $201,367 per participant, with expenses of about $201,367 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,694.
Drexel University did well this year, earning the #17 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Philadelphia, PA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 92%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $103,672, with expenses of about $103,672 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,843.
The College of New Jersey did well this year, earning the #18 position. This public school is set in Ewing, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,021, compared with $13,021 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Fordham University landed the #19 spot this year. Located in Bronx, NY, Fordham University is a private not-for-profit institution. Fordham University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 56%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $188,583, with expenses of about $188,583 per participant. Athletic aid averages $32,443 per athlete.
New Jersey Institute of Technology ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Newark, NJ, New Jersey Institute of Technology is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. Team revenue averages $121,443 per participant, against $118,124 in expenses. The school awards about $15,477 in athletic aid per athlete.
St. John's University-New York came in at #21 in this year's ranking. St. John's University-New York is a private not-for-profit school based in Queens, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $477,808 in revenue per athlete, compared with $477,808 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $29,040 per athlete.
University of Scranton ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Scranton, PA, University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $18,034 per participant, with expenses of about $18,034 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
American University ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Washington, DC. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 85%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $140,853, against $140,853 in expenses. The school awards about $18,519 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Troy, NY, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,946, compared with $9,740 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,263 per athlete.
Vassar College came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Poughkeepsie, NY, Vassar College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,311, against $12,540 in expenses. 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 ranking is produced 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
See our data sources and methodologies.