by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 7 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Brigham Young University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Provo, UT, Brigham Young University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 975, alongside a GSR of 93%. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $97,922 in revenue per athlete, against $317,678 in expenses. The school awards about $13,191 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Utah came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Salt Lake City, UT. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 42%. The program generates about $54,627 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $358,269 per participant. The school awards about $29,047 in athletic aid per athlete.
Utah Valley University landed the #3 spot for Women's Basketball. Located in Orem, UT, Utah Valley University is a public institution. 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, with expenses of about $97,923 per participant. The school awards about $7,013 in athletic aid per athlete.
Utah State University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Logan, UT. Utah State University records an NCAA APR of 955, with a Graduation Success Rate of 87%. Its federal graduation rate is 39%. Team revenue averages $99,297 per participant, compared with $99,297 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,542.
Weber State University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Weber State University is a public school based in Ogden, UT. Weber State University records an NCAA 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. The school awards about $10,446 in athletic aid per athlete.
Southern Utah University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Cedar City, UT. Southern Utah University records an NCAA APR of 965, alongside a GSR of 89%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $73,442 per participant, compared with $80,422 spent per athlete. The school awards about $10,065 in athletic aid per athlete.
Utah Tech University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Utah Tech University is a public school based in Saint George, UT. Utah Tech University records an NCAA APR of 968, and a 83% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 33%. The program generates about $94,090 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $93,481 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,796 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
See our data sources and methodologies.