by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 18 schools for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual evaluates each program using 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:
No school ranked higher than Samford University this year for Women's Basketball. Samford University is a private not-for-profit school based in Birmingham, AL. Samford University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $115,862, against $107,148 in expenses. The school awards about $20,864 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Alabama landed the #2 spot for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Tuscaloosa, AL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 58%. Team revenue averages $181,119 per participant, compared with $181,119 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,760.
University of Alabama at Birmingham ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Birmingham, AL. University of Alabama at Birmingham records an NCAA APR of 987, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 79%. The program generates about $171,850 in revenue per athlete, compared with $162,352 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,655.
Auburn University is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #4. This public school is set in Auburn, AL. Auburn University records an NCAA APR of 990, alongside a GSR of 83%. The federal graduation rate stands at 38%. The program generates about $40,376 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $276,772 per participant. Athletic aid averages $28,233 per athlete.
University of Alabama in Huntsville came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Located in Huntsville, AL, University of Alabama in Huntsville is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $38,818, against $38,818 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $5,175 per athlete.
University of North Alabama ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Florence, AL, University of North Alabama is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 83%. Its federal graduation rate is 56%. Team revenue averages $95,495 per participant, with expenses of about $95,495 per participant. The school awards about $13,402 in athletic aid per athlete.
Jacksonville State University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Jacksonville, AL, Jacksonville State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 968, alongside a GSR of 89%. Its federal graduation rate is 54%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $131,528, against $131,528 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,761 per athlete.
Troy University landed the #8 spot this year. This public school is set in Troy, AL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 961, alongside a GSR of 90%. The federal graduation rate stands at 55%. Team revenue averages $145,101 per participant, against $143,115 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,487 per athlete.
Spring Hill College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Mobile, AL, Spring Hill College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,562, with expenses of about $39,988 per participant. The school awards about $7,824 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of South Alabama landed the #10 spot this year. This public school is set in Mobile, AL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, alongside a GSR of 80%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Team revenue averages $125,360 per participant, compared with $128,353 spent per athlete. The school awards about $15,705 in athletic aid per athlete.
Tuskegee University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Tuskegee, AL, Tuskegee University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $33,091 per participant, against $33,091 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,470.
University of West Alabama placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. University of West Alabama is a public school based in Livingston, AL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $41,724, with expenses of about $40,808 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,323 per athlete.
University of Montevallo ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Montevallo, AL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,740, against $31,740 in expenses. The school awards about $4,698 in athletic aid per athlete.
Alabama A & M University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Alabama A & M University is a public school based in Normal, AL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 944, alongside a GSR of 87%. About 56% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $64,682, against $59,155 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,274 per athlete.
Huntingdon College came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Located in Montgomery, AL, Huntingdon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,446 per participant, against $9,770 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $1,932 per athlete.
Auburn University at Montgomery ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Montgomery, AL, Auburn University at Montgomery is a public institution. Team revenue averages $34,727 per participant, against $34,727 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,718 per athlete.
Alabama State University placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Montgomery, AL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 970, and a 81% Graduation Success Rate. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $66,461, with expenses of about $66,461 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,418.
Miles College did well this year, earning the #18 position. Located in Fairfield, AL, Miles College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,866, compared with $32,866 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $4,563 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.