by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 21 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Stevens Institute of Technology earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Stevens Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Hoboken, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,441, with expenses of about $21,441 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
New Jersey Institute of Technology earned the #2 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Newark, NJ. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. The program generates about $121,443 in revenue per athlete, against $118,124 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,477.
The College of New Jersey landed the #3 spot for Women's Basketball. Located in Ewing, NJ, The College of New Jersey is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,021, against $13,021 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Monmouth University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Monmouth University is a private not-for-profit school based in West Long Branch, NJ. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. About 62% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $178,098 in revenue per athlete, compared with $178,098 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $20,376 per athlete.
Rider University landed the #5 spot for Women's Basketball. Located in Lawrenceville, NJ, Rider University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. The program generates about $130,780 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $130,780 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,540 per athlete.
Stockton University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Galloway, NJ, Stockton University is a public institution. The program generates about $14,891 in revenue per athlete, against $14,891 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rowan University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Glassboro, NJ. Team revenue averages $15,769 per participant, with expenses of about $14,955 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Seton Hall University placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in South Orange, NJ, Seton Hall University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 979, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 33% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $292,561 in revenue per athlete, against $292,561 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $32,496 per athlete.
Rutgers University-New Brunswick landed the #9 spot this year. Rutgers University-New Brunswick is a public school based in New Brunswick, NJ. Rutgers University-New Brunswick records an NCAA APR of 953, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 55%. Team revenue averages $242,850 per participant, compared with $242,850 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,379.
Drew University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in Madison, NJ, Drew University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,959, against $9,959 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Montclair State University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in Montclair, NJ, Montclair State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,257, against $17,103 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Princeton University placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Princeton University is a private not-for-profit school based in Princeton, NJ. Princeton University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Team revenue averages $105,314 per participant, compared with $105,314 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Peter's University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Located in Jersey City, NJ, Saint Peter's University is a private not-for-profit institution. Saint Peter's University records an NCAA APR of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 22% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $107,601, against $107,601 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $10,025 per athlete.
Caldwell University did well this year, earning the #14 position. Based in Caldwell, NJ, Caldwell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,415, against $22,219 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,698.
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus did well this year, earning the #15 position. Based in Teaneck, NJ, Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus is a private not-for-profit institution. Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus records an NCAA APR of 981, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. Its federal graduation rate is 63%. Team revenue averages $104,205 per participant, compared with $104,205 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $12,185 per athlete.
Georgian Court University did well this year, earning the #16 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lakewood, NJ. Team revenue averages $30,064 per participant, against $30,064 in expenses. The school awards about $5,874 in athletic aid per athlete.
Felician University ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Lodi, NJ, Felician University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $35,594 per participant, against $35,594 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,189 per athlete.
William Paterson University of New Jersey placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Wayne, NJ, William Paterson University of New Jersey is a public institution. The program generates about $11,478 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,023 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kean University placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Kean University is a public school based in Union, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,747, compared with $13,747 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Elizabeth University landed the #20 spot this year. Located in Morristown, NJ, Saint Elizabeth University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,376 per participant, against $5,264 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
New Jersey City University placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. New Jersey City University is a public school based in Jersey City, NJ. The program generates about $10,394 in revenue per athlete, against $10,570 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
