by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 10 schools for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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:
Bowdoin College tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Brunswick, ME, Bowdoin College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $37,578 per participant, with expenses of about $31,282 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bates College landed the #2 spot for Women's Basketball. Based in Lewiston, ME, Bates College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $24,772 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $23,122 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colby College is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #3. Located in Waterville, ME, Colby College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,103, with expenses of about $22,103 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Maine ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Orono, ME, University of Maine is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 53%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $116,248, with expenses of about $116,248 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,613.
Maine Maritime Academy is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #5. Located in Castine, ME, Maine Maritime Academy is a public institution. Team revenue averages $11,350 per participant, against $11,350 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of New England did well this year, earning the #6 position. University of New England is a private not-for-profit school based in Biddeford, ME. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,079, with expenses of about $11,589 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Husson University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Bangor, ME, Husson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,699 per participant, compared with $12,050 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Southern Maine landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Portland, ME, University of Southern Maine is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,654, against $9,980 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Thomas College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Thomas College is a private not-for-profit school based in Waterville, ME. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,988, with expenses of about $7,890 per participant. The school awards about $244 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Maine at Presque Isle placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Presque Isle, ME, University of Maine at Presque Isle is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,154, against $5,154 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.