by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 10 schools for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Saint Anselm College earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Saint Anselm College is a private not-for-profit school based in Manchester, NH. Team revenue averages $67,267 per participant, against $65,521 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,219.
Dartmouth College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Hanover, NH, Dartmouth College is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The program generates about $74,690 in revenue per athlete, against $74,690 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Rivier University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Rivier University is a private not-for-profit school based in Nashua, NH. The program generates about $8,577 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,577 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Durham, NH. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $112,408 in revenue per athlete, compared with $112,408 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,869.
Colby-Sawyer College ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in New London, NH. The program generates about $5,376 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,376 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Keene State College placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Keene, NH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,871, compared with $12,575 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Southern New Hampshire University placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Manchester, NH. The program generates about $47,897 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $47,897 per participant. Athletic aid averages $4,849 per athlete.
Franklin Pierce University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Rindge, NH, Franklin Pierce University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $34,074 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $34,074 per participant. The school awards about $292 in athletic aid per athlete.
Plymouth State University landed the #9 spot this year. Plymouth State University is a public school based in Plymouth, NH. The program generates about $4,799 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,943 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
New England College landed the #10 spot this year. Based in Henniker, NH, New England College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,385 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,385 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.