by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 14 programs for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual weighs 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:
Leading the list is University of Colorado Boulder, our #1 college for Women's Basketball. Based in Boulder, CO, University of Colorado Boulder is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. The program generates about $97,394 in revenue per athlete, compared with $215,718 spent per athlete. The school awards about $29,674 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colorado School of Mines is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #2. Colorado School of Mines is a public school based in Golden, CO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $54,518, with expenses of about $54,518 per participant. The school awards about $7,984 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colorado State University-Fort Collins ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Fort Collins, CO. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 23%. The program generates about $173,319 in revenue per athlete, against $173,319 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,001.
Colorado College earned the #4 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Colorado Springs, CO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,216, against $26,885 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,478.
University of Denver came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. University of Denver is a private not-for-profit school based in Denver, CO. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 987, alongside a GSR of 92%. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $170,998 per participant, compared with $170,998 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $42,890 per athlete.
University of Colorado Colorado Springs came in at #6 in this year's ranking. University of Colorado Colorado Springs is a public school based in Colorado Springs, CO. Team revenue averages $56,363 per participant, against $54,223 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,988.
University of Northern Colorado landed the #7 spot this year. This public school is set in Greeley, CO. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. About 43% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $62,968, against $62,968 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $12,220 per athlete.
Colorado Christian University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located 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. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,910.
Western Colorado University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Gunnison, CO, Western Colorado University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $38,826 per participant, compared with $38,826 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,480 per athlete.
Metropolitan State University of Denver placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Denver, CO, Metropolitan State University of Denver is a public institution. The program generates about $65,775 in revenue per athlete, against $65,762 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,924.
Colorado State University Pueblo came in at #11 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Pueblo, CO. The program generates about $37,126 in revenue per athlete, compared with $37,126 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,320 per athlete.
Colorado Mesa University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Colorado Mesa University is a public school based in Grand Junction, CO. Team revenue averages $34,686 per participant, against $34,711 in expenses. The school awards about $4,175 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fort Lewis College came in at #13 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Durango, CO. Team revenue averages $26,717 per participant, compared with $26,717 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,356.
Adams State University placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Adams State University is a public school based in Alamosa, CO. Team revenue averages $50,994 per participant, against $50,994 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $3,419 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
See our data sources and methodologies.