by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 59 colleges for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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:
New York University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $37,386, against $36,897 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hamilton College is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #2. Based in Clinton, NY, Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $21,383 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $21,383 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Colgate University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Hamilton, NY, Colgate University is a private not-for-profit institution. Colgate University records an NCAA APR of 996, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 93%. Team revenue averages $158,391 per participant, against $158,391 in expenses. The school awards about $22,658 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Rochester landed the #4 spot for Women's Basketball. University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. The program generates about $16,762 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $18,560 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Union College ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Schenectady, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,927, compared with $14,432 spent per athlete. The school awards about $2,499 in athletic aid per athlete.
Syracuse University landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Syracuse, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 47% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $151,424 per participant, with expenses of about $461,083 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $33,068.
Vassar College ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Poughkeepsie, NY, Vassar College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,311 in revenue per athlete, against $12,540 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fordham University landed the #8 spot this year. Located in Bronx, NY, Fordham University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 56%. Team revenue averages $188,583 per participant, against $188,583 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $32,443 per athlete.
St. John's University-New York did well this year, earning the #9 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Queens, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $477,808, with expenses of about $477,808 per participant. The school awards about $29,040 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute landed the #10 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Troy, NY. Team revenue averages $13,946 per participant, against $9,740 in expenses. The school awards about $3,263 in athletic aid per athlete.
Manhattan University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Riverdale, NY, Manhattan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 77%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $137,002, compared with $136,510 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,484.
Yeshiva University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Yeshiva University is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,065, against $9,065 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Hofstra University placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Hempstead, NY, Hofstra University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 980, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 92%. The program generates about $208,058 in revenue per athlete, compared with $208,058 spent per athlete. The school awards about $22,514 in athletic aid per athlete.
Skidmore College ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Saratoga Springs, NY, Skidmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,146, compared with $9,146 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Binghamton University landed the #15 spot this year. This public school is set in Vestal, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 986, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 77%. Team revenue averages $141,297 per participant, compared with $141,297 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,522 in athletic aid per athlete.
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The program generates about $211,755 in revenue per athlete, compared with $211,755 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Stony Brook University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Located in Stony Brook, NY, Stony Brook University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, alongside a GSR of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 73%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $169,238, against $169,238 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,341.
Ithaca College did well this year, earning the #18 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Ithaca, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,088, compared with $13,088 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Nazareth University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY. Team revenue averages $17,680 per participant, compared with $14,916 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rochester Institute of Technology placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Rochester Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. Team revenue averages $15,243 per participant, against $14,378 in expenses. The school awards about $3,070 in athletic aid per athlete.
Adelphi University placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Adelphi University is a private not-for-profit school based in Garden City, NY. The program generates about $31,728 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $31,728 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,963.
St. John Fisher University placed #22 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Rochester, NY, St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $10,407 per participant, compared with $9,580 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Niagara University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Niagara University is a private not-for-profit school based in Niagara University, NY. Niagara University records an NCAA APR of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. Team revenue averages $146,018 per participant, against $146,018 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,462.
Clarkson University ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Potsdam, NY, Clarkson University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,202 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,566 per participant. The school awards about $4,842 in athletic aid per athlete.
Le Moyne College came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Syracuse, NY, Le Moyne College is a private not-for-profit institution. Le Moyne College records an NCAA APR of 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. The program generates about $115,479 in revenue per athlete, compared with $106,984 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,944 in athletic aid per athlete.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.