by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 75 schools for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual evaluates each program using 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Carnegie Mellon University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $19,738 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $18,921 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Swarthmore College landed the #2 spot for Women's Basketball. Based in Swarthmore, PA, Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $16,315 in revenue per athlete, against $14,160 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Franklin and Marshall College earned the #3 place for student athletes. Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lancaster, PA. The program generates about $16,274 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,038 per participant. The school awards about $53 in athletic aid per athlete.
Haverford College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Haverford, PA. Team revenue averages $16,792 per participant, with expenses of about $16,270 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Scranton landed the #5 spot for Women's Basketball. University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit school based in Scranton, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,034, with expenses of about $18,034 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lehigh University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Bethlehem, PA, Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $163,515 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $163,515 per participant. The school awards about $19,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gettysburg College landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Gettysburg, PA, Gettysburg College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,433 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,433 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Villanova University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Villanova, PA, Villanova University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 92% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $184,230, against $184,230 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $25,480 per athlete.
Drexel University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Drexel University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 92% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $103,672, against $103,672 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,843.
Dickinson College did well this year, earning the #10 position. Dickinson College is a private not-for-profit school based in Carlisle, PA. Team revenue averages $10,975 per participant, against $11,684 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Muhlenberg College did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in Allentown, PA, Muhlenberg College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,593, compared with $14,330 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia did well this year, earning the #12 position. Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia is a private not-for-profit school based in Philadelphia, PA. Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. The program generates about $201,367 in revenue per athlete, compared with $201,367 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,694 in athletic aid per athlete.
Thomas Jefferson University placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $61,612 per participant, against $61,612 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,341 per athlete.
Bucknell University landed the #14 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lewisburg, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 92% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $112,582 per participant, against $112,582 in expenses. The school awards about $19,655 in athletic aid per athlete.
Messiah University placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Mechanicsburg, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,205, compared with $10,068 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Gannon University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Gannon University is a private not-for-profit school based in Erie, PA. Team revenue averages $65,534 per participant, with expenses of about $65,534 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,313.
West Chester University of Pennsylvania did well this year, earning the #17 position. Located in West Chester, PA, West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a public institution. The program generates about $35,590 in revenue per athlete, against $37,460 in expenses. The school awards about $2,168 in athletic aid per athlete.
Susquehanna University landed the #18 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Selinsgrove, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,110, with expenses of about $14,110 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Elizabethtown College ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Elizabethtown, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,073, with expenses of about $9,073 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Moravian University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Bethlehem, PA, Moravian University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $16,353 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,963 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lafayette College placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Lafayette College is a private not-for-profit school based in Easton, PA. Lafayette College records an NCAA APR of 990, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $181,839 per participant, with expenses of about $181,839 per participant. Athletic aid averages $18,987 per athlete.
Seton Hill University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Greensburg, PA. The program generates about $23,660 in revenue per athlete, compared with $23,660 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,657.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus landed the #23 spot this year. Located in Pittsburgh, PA, University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 56%. Team revenue averages $213,826 per participant, against $213,826 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $30,613 per athlete.
Lebanon Valley College placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Annville, PA, Lebanon Valley College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,162 per participant, compared with $10,376 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ursinus College ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Collegeville, PA. The program generates about $9,622 in revenue per athlete, against $9,622 in expenses. The school awards about $0 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 ranking is produced 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.