by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 250 programs 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:
Leading the list is Wake Forest University, our #1 college for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Winston-Salem, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Team revenue averages $213,767 per participant, against $213,767 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $38,933 per athlete.
University of Kentucky earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Lexington, KY, University of Kentucky is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $589,199 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $589,199 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,921.
Vanderbilt University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit school based in Nashville, TN. Vanderbilt University records an NCAA APR of 989, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 64%. The program generates about $297,136 in revenue per athlete, against $297,136 in expenses. The school awards about $42,235 in athletic aid per athlete.
Emory University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Atlanta, GA, Emory University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,876, against $28,223 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Chapel Hill, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $78,962, compared with $211,863 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $17,771 per athlete.
Duke University landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Durham, NC. Duke University records an NCAA APR of 990, and a 87% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $367,260, with expenses of about $723,542 per participant. The school awards about $34,321 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Raleigh, NC, North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 57%. Team revenue averages $119,867 per participant, with expenses of about $477,126 per participant. Athletic aid averages $18,384 per athlete.
Clemson University landed the #8 spot this year. This public school is set in Clemson, SC. Clemson University records an NCAA APR of 995, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 57%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $388,672, compared with $388,672 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,730.
Samford University placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Birmingham, AL, Samford University is a private not-for-profit institution. Samford University records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $115,862 per participant, against $107,148 in expenses. The school awards about $20,864 in athletic aid per athlete.
Tulane University of Louisiana landed the #10 spot this year. Based in New Orleans, LA, Tulane University of Louisiana is a private not-for-profit institution. Tulane University of Louisiana records an NCAA APR of 984, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 87%. Team revenue averages $249,965 per participant, compared with $247,246 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $36,413.
University of Richmond came in at #11 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in University of Richmond, VA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 86% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 61%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $271,906, compared with $271,906 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,609.
Elon University placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Elon, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $101,978, against $101,978 in expenses. The school awards about $25,795 in athletic aid per athlete.
Furman University landed the #13 spot this year. Located in Greenville, SC, Furman 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 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $150,658, with expenses of about $150,658 per participant. Athletic aid averages $28,699 per athlete.
William & Mary came in at #14 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Williamsburg, VA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 86% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $94,684 per participant, with expenses of about $179,431 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,943.
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville landed the #15 spot this year. The University of Tennessee-Knoxville is a public school based in Knoxville, TN. The University of Tennessee-Knoxville records an NCAA APR of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 45%. The program generates about $145,078 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $251,994 per participant. The school awards about $29,054 in athletic aid per athlete.
Campbell University landed the #16 spot this year. Campbell University is a private not-for-profit school based in Buies Creek, NC. Campbell University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 93%. Team revenue averages $150,274 per participant, compared with $150,274 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $19,433 per athlete.
University of Mississippi landed the #17 spot this year. This public school is set in University, MS. University of Mississippi records an NCAA APR of 994, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 25%. The program generates about $565,288 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $565,288 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,457.
University of South Carolina-Columbia came in at #18 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Columbia, SC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 55% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $423,205 per participant, against $423,205 in expenses. The school awards about $18,645 in athletic aid per athlete.
James Madison University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. James Madison University is a public school based in Harrisonburg, VA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $132,490 in revenue per athlete, against $132,490 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,945.
Washington and Lee University did well this year, earning the #20 position. Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lexington, VA. The program generates about $16,928 in revenue per athlete, against $16,883 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Liberty University placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lynchburg, VA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 94%. About 64% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $213,390 per participant, with expenses of about $213,390 per participant. Athletic aid averages $16,589 per athlete.
Florida Gulf Coast University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Fort Myers, FL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Team revenue averages $179,843 per participant, with expenses of about $179,843 per participant. The school awards about $18,812 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lipscomb University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Lipscomb University is a private not-for-profit school based in Nashville, TN. Lipscomb University records an NCAA APR of 994, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 85%. Team revenue averages $167,922 per participant, against $167,922 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $18,176 per athlete.
Belmont University did well this year, earning the #24 position. Located in Nashville, TN, Belmont University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $229,261, compared with $229,261 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $21,742 per athlete.
Davidson College did well this year, earning the #25 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Davidson, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $199,362 in revenue per athlete, compared with $192,076 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,830 in athletic aid per athlete.
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. The methodology weighs 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.