by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 42 schools 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Our analysis found Amherst College to be the best college for Women's Basketball in Massachusetts. 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. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Williams College came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Williamstown, MA. The program generates about $18,781 in revenue per athlete, against $18,781 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Tufts University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Medford, MA, Tufts University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,362, compared with $17,790 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology earned the #4 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cambridge, MA. The program generates about $10,656 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,656 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wellesley College is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #5. Located in Wellesley, MA, Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $21,828 in revenue per athlete, against $21,828 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bentley University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Bentley University is a private not-for-profit school based in Waltham, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $96,059, with expenses of about $87,028 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,029.
Northeastern University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Boston, MA, Northeastern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Team revenue averages $177,601 per participant, against $177,601 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $24,558 per athlete.
College of the Holy Cross placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 92%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $157,485, with expenses of about $157,485 per participant. The school awards about $17,801 in athletic aid per athlete.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute did well this year, earning the #9 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. The program generates about $18,182 in revenue per athlete, against $18,182 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Boston University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based 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, against $152,546 in expenses. The school awards about $27,954 in athletic aid per athlete.
Babson College placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Wellesley, MA, Babson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,653, compared with $15,653 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Brandeis University landed the #12 spot this year. Brandeis University is a private not-for-profit school based in Waltham, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,073, with expenses of about $24,073 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Boston College placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Chestnut Hill, MA, Boston College is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 63%. Team revenue averages $135,686 per participant, with expenses of about $414,554 per participant. Athletic aid averages $29,391 per athlete.
Emerson College did well this year, earning the #14 position. Emerson College is a private not-for-profit school based in Boston, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,459, with expenses of about $16,450 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Assumption University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Located in Worcester, MA, Assumption University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $56,583 per participant, with expenses of about $56,131 per participant. The school awards about $4,778 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stonehill College landed the #16 spot this year. Located in Easton, MA, Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 90%. Team revenue averages $68,902 per participant, against $68,902 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,278 per athlete.
Harvard University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cambridge, MA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $117,629, compared with $117,629 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Wentworth Institute of Technology ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Boston, MA, Wentworth Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $14,325 per participant, with expenses of about $12,933 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wheaton College (Massachusetts) landed the #19 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Norton, MA. The program generates about $13,302 in revenue per athlete, against $13,302 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Merrimack College did well this year, earning the #20 position. Merrimack College is a private not-for-profit school based in North Andover, MA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. About 83% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $93,446, against $93,446 in expenses. The school awards about $20,394 in athletic aid per athlete.
Endicott College came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Endicott College is a private not-for-profit school based in Beverly, MA. Team revenue averages $9,566 per participant, with expenses of about $9,567 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Springfield College came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Based in Springfield, MA, Springfield College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $19,162 per participant, against $19,162 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Western New England University landed the #23 spot this year. Western New England University is a private not-for-profit school based in Springfield, MA. The program generates about $17,147 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $14,069 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Massachusetts-Lowell did well this year, earning the #24 position. University of Massachusetts-Lowell is a public school based in Lowell, MA. University of Massachusetts-Lowell records an NCAA APR of 974, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. About 54% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $134,416 per participant, against $134,416 in expenses. The school awards about $11,361 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Amherst, MA, University of Massachusetts-Amherst is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 978, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 29%. The program generates about $63,053 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $63,053 per participant. The school awards about $17,175 in athletic aid per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.