by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 90 schools for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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.
Not quite what you need? Pick a path below.
Explore the leading programs below:
No school ranked higher than Bowdoin College this year for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Brunswick, ME. The program generates about $37,578 in revenue per athlete, against $31,282 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Amherst College came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Amherst College is a private not-for-profit school based in Amherst, MA. The program generates about $28,227 in revenue per athlete, compared with $28,227 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Williams College ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Williamstown, MA, Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,781, compared with $18,781 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Tufts University landed the #4 spot for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Medford, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,362, with expenses of about $17,790 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Middlebury College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Middlebury, VT. The program generates about $20,607 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $20,607 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wellesley College did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Wellesley, MA, Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,828, against $21,828 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bates College ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Bates College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lewiston, ME. Team revenue averages $24,772 per participant, compared with $23,122 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bentley University landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Waltham, MA, Bentley University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $96,059 per participant, with expenses of about $87,028 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,029.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Cambridge, MA. Team revenue averages $10,656 per participant, against $10,656 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Colby College landed the #10 spot this year. Based in Waterville, ME, Colby College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $22,103 per participant, against $22,103 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Babson College did well this year, earning the #11 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wellesley, MA. Team revenue averages $15,653 per participant, compared with $15,653 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit school based in Worcester, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,182, with expenses of about $18,182 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Brandeis University landed the #13 spot this year. Based in Waltham, MA, Brandeis University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $24,073 per participant, with expenses of about $24,073 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Northeastern University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boston, MA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. Team revenue averages $177,601 per participant, against $177,601 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $24,558 per athlete.
Fairfield University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Fairfield, CT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 85%. The program generates about $209,449 in revenue per athlete, against $209,449 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,587 per athlete.
University of Connecticut placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Storrs, CT, University of Connecticut is a public institution. University of Connecticut records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 58%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $901,331, with expenses of about $901,331 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,776.
College of the Holy Cross placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. College of the Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit school based in Worcester, MA. College of the Holy Cross records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. The program generates about $157,485 in revenue per athlete, compared with $157,485 spent per athlete. The school awards about $17,801 in athletic aid per athlete.
Boston University placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Boston, MA, Boston University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $152,546 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $152,546 per participant. Athletic aid averages $27,954 per athlete.
Saint Anselm College placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Saint Anselm College is a private not-for-profit school based in Manchester, NH. The program generates about $67,267 in revenue per athlete, compared with $65,521 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,219.
Boston College ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chestnut Hill, MA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 63%. Team revenue averages $135,686 per participant, against $414,554 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $29,391 per athlete.
Providence College landed the #21 spot this year. Providence College is a private not-for-profit school based in Providence, RI. Providence College records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 53%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $344,772, with expenses of about $344,772 per participant. Athletic aid averages $25,955 per athlete.
Emerson College did well this year, earning the #22 position. Located in Boston, MA, Emerson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $16,459 per participant, compared with $16,450 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Connecticut College landed the #23 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in New London, CT. Team revenue averages $13,782 per participant, with expenses of about $13,782 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Assumption University did well this year, earning the #24 position. Located in Worcester, MA, Assumption University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $56,583 per participant, against $56,131 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $4,778 per athlete.
Saint Michael's College came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Colchester, VT, Saint Michael's College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $60,664, with expenses of about $60,664 per participant. The school awards about $7,634 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.