by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 25 colleges for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Florida Gulf Coast University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Fort Myers, FL, Florida Gulf Coast University is a public institution. Florida Gulf Coast University records an NCAA APR of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. The program generates about $179,843 in revenue per athlete, compared with $179,843 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $18,812 per athlete.
University of Central Florida is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #2. University of Central Florida is a public school based in Orlando, FL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. Its federal graduation rate is 43%. Team revenue averages $279,712 per participant, compared with $279,712 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,195.
University of Florida landed the #3 spot for Women's Basketball. Located in Gainesville, FL, University of Florida is a public institution. University of Florida records an NCAA APR of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 36% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $16,940 per participant, against $394,094 in expenses. The school awards about $23,180 in athletic aid per athlete.
Florida State University is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #4. Located in Tallahassee, FL, Florida State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $478,002, compared with $478,002 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,364.
University of South Florida earned the #5 place for student athletes. University of South Florida is a public school based in Tampa, FL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 47%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $363,102, with expenses of about $363,102 per participant. Athletic aid averages $15,287 per athlete.
University of Miami came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in Coral Gables, FL, University of Miami is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 979, alongside a GSR of 92%. About 55% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $495,403, with expenses of about $495,403 per participant. Athletic aid averages $38,474 per athlete.
Eckerd College ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Saint Petersburg, FL, Eckerd College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $67,289 in revenue per athlete, against $67,289 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $16,706 per athlete.
Rollins College did well this year, earning the #8 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Winter Park, FL. Team revenue averages $65,535 per participant, against $65,535 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,632.
Florida International University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Miami, FL, Florida International University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. About 17% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $78,587 per participant, with expenses of about $78,587 per participant. Athletic aid averages $16,058 per athlete.
Nova Southeastern University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Nova Southeastern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $73,409, against $73,409 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,636.
Florida Southern College placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Lakeland, FL, Florida Southern College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $59,366 per participant, with expenses of about $59,366 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,785.
Florida Institute of Technology did well this year, earning the #12 position. Located in Melbourne, FL, Florida Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $47,915, with expenses of about $47,915 per participant. The school awards about $13,103 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stetson University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Stetson University is a private not-for-profit school based in DeLand, FL. Stetson University records an NCAA APR of 989, alongside a GSR of 82%. Its federal graduation rate is 35%. Team revenue averages $148,225 per participant, with expenses of about $148,225 per participant. Athletic aid averages $17,035 per athlete.
Florida Atlantic University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Florida Atlantic University is a public school based in Boca Raton, FL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 979, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 47%. Team revenue averages $122,432 per participant, with expenses of about $122,432 per participant. Athletic aid averages $16,971 per athlete.
University of North Florida placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. University of North Florida is a public school based in Jacksonville, FL. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 38%. Team revenue averages $95,949 per participant, against $95,949 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,675 per athlete.
Jacksonville University landed the #16 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Jacksonville, FL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 949, alongside a GSR of 93%. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $132,853, against $132,853 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,287.
University of West Florida did well this year, earning the #17 position. This public school is set in Pensacola, FL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,190, with expenses of about $49,269 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,536.
Palm Beach Atlantic University placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in West Palm Beach, FL. Team revenue averages $47,649 per participant, compared with $46,916 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $10,383 per athlete.
Flagler College did well this year, earning the #19 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Augustine, FL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $63,718, against $63,718 in expenses. The school awards about $9,076 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lynn University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boca Raton, FL. Team revenue averages $43,743 per participant, compared with $43,743 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,987.
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Based in Tallahassee, FL, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University is a public institution. Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University records an NCAA APR of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 57%. About 21% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $20,903 per participant, against $51,871 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,235.
Bethune-Cookman University placed #22 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Daytona Beach, FL, Bethune-Cookman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Bethune-Cookman University records an NCAA APR of 964, alongside a GSR of 92%. About 58% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $78,150, with expenses of about $78,150 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,940.
Barry University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Based in Miami, FL, Barry University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $37,246 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $37,246 per participant. The school awards about $10,733 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Leo University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Leo, FL. The program generates about $34,693 in revenue per athlete, against $31,422 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $5,812 per athlete.
Edward Waters University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Located in Jacksonville, FL, Edward Waters University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,792, against $17,789 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $4,248 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.