by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 29 colleges 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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Leading the list is University of Colorado Boulder, our #1 college for Women's Basketball. University of Colorado Boulder is a public school based in Boulder, CO. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $97,394 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $215,718 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $29,674.
Colorado State University-Fort Collins earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Fort Collins, CO, Colorado State University-Fort Collins is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 23%. The program generates about $173,319 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $173,319 per participant. The school awards about $21,001 in athletic aid per athlete.
Boise State University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Boise, ID. Boise State University records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 36%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $166,425, against $166,425 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $29,790 per athlete.
University of Denver came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. University of Denver is a private not-for-profit school based in Denver, CO. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 987, alongside a GSR of 92%. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $170,998 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $170,998 per participant. Athletic aid averages $42,890 per athlete.
Colorado College landed the #5 spot for Women's Basketball. Colorado College is a private not-for-profit school based in Colorado Springs, CO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,216, compared with $26,885 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,478 in athletic aid per athlete.
Montana State University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Montana State University is a public school based in Bozeman, MT. The team's NCAA APR score is 996, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 53%. Team revenue averages $132,962 per participant, with expenses of about $160,264 per participant. Athletic aid averages $16,472 per athlete.
Colorado School of Mines ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Golden, CO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $54,518, against $54,518 in expenses. The school awards about $7,984 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Utah ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. University of Utah is a public school based in Salt Lake City, UT. University of Utah records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 42%. Team revenue averages $54,627 per participant, compared with $358,269 spent per athlete. The school awards about $29,047 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wyoming came in at #9 in this year's ranking. University of Wyoming is a public school based in Laramie, WY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 57%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $85,907, against $85,907 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,612.
Brigham Young University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Provo, UT, Brigham Young University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 975, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $97,922 in revenue per athlete, compared with $317,678 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,191 in athletic aid per athlete.
Idaho State University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Pocatello, ID, Idaho State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 58%. Team revenue averages $112,787 per participant, against $112,787 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,538.
University of Idaho came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Based in Moscow, ID, University of Idaho is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, alongside a GSR of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 65%. The program generates about $103,796 in revenue per athlete, against $103,796 in expenses. The school awards about $12,739 in athletic aid per athlete.
Utah Valley University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Orem, UT. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 44%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $97,923, against $97,923 in expenses. The school awards about $7,013 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northwest Nazarene University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Nampa, ID, Northwest Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $53,660, against $53,660 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,381 per athlete.
The University of Montana came in at #15 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Missoula, MT. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 974, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. About 79% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $83,499 per participant, against $143,104 in expenses. The school awards about $12,798 in athletic aid per athlete.
Weber State University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Weber State University is a public school based in Ogden, UT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 42%. Team revenue averages $69,439 per participant, against $69,439 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $10,446 per athlete.
Utah State University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Based in Logan, UT, Utah State University is a public institution. Utah State University records an NCAA APR of 955, and a 87% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 39%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $99,297, compared with $99,297 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $14,542 per athlete.
University of Colorado Colorado Springs ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Colorado Springs, CO, University of Colorado Colorado Springs is a public institution. The program generates about $56,363 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $54,223 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,988.
University of Northern Colorado landed the #19 spot this year. University of Northern Colorado is a public school based in Greeley, CO. University of Northern Colorado records an NCAA APR of 990, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 43%. Team revenue averages $62,968 per participant, compared with $62,968 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $12,220 per athlete.
Colorado Christian University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Lakewood, CO, Colorado Christian University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $33,083 in revenue per athlete, compared with $33,083 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,910 per athlete.
Southern Utah University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Southern Utah University is a public school based in Cedar City, UT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 965, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $73,442 in revenue per athlete, against $80,422 in expenses. The school awards about $10,065 in athletic aid per athlete.
Western Colorado University landed the #22 spot this year. Western Colorado University is a public school based in Gunnison, CO. Team revenue averages $38,826 per participant, against $38,826 in expenses. The school awards about $3,480 in athletic aid per athlete.
Utah Tech University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Based in Saint George, UT, Utah Tech University is a public institution. Utah Tech University records an NCAA APR of 968, alongside a GSR of 83%. Its federal graduation rate is 33%. Team revenue averages $94,090 per participant, against $93,481 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,796 per athlete.
Colorado Mesa University did well this year, earning the #24 position. Based in Grand Junction, CO, Colorado Mesa University is a public institution. The program generates about $34,686 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $34,711 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,175.
Metropolitan State University of Denver did well this year, earning the #25 position. Located in Denver, CO, Metropolitan State University of Denver is a public institution. Team revenue averages $65,775 per participant, with expenses of about $65,762 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,924.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*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.