by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 24 programs for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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.
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Pick a path below.
Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is Emory University, our #1 college for Women's Basketball. Emory University is a private not-for-profit school based in Atlanta, GA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,876, compared with $28,223 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #2. Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus is a public school based in Atlanta, GA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, alongside a GSR of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $43,571 per participant, against $237,657 in expenses. The school awards about $22,289 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Georgia earned the #3 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Athens, GA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 978, alongside a GSR of 85%. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $64,036, compared with $237,921 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $18,925 per athlete.
Mercer University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Macon, GA, Mercer University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 975, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $141,434 per participant, with expenses of about $141,434 per participant. Athletic aid averages $23,898 per athlete.
Berry College ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Mount Berry, GA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,621, compared with $17,877 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of West Georgia landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Carrollton, GA, University of West Georgia is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 72%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $80,940 per participant, against $80,940 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,051 per athlete.
Clark Atlanta University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Located in Atlanta, GA, Clark Atlanta University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $45,596 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $45,596 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,630.
Covenant College landed the #8 spot this year. Covenant College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lookout Mountain, GA. Team revenue averages $11,622 per participant, compared with $11,028 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Georgia State University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in Atlanta, GA, Georgia State University is a public institution. Georgia State University records an NCAA APR of 973, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 56%. Team revenue averages $134,969 per participant, with expenses of about $134,969 per participant. Athletic aid averages $21,875 per athlete.
Georgia Southern University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Georgia Southern University is a public school based in Statesboro, GA. The team's NCAA APR score is 945, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. Team revenue averages $109,376 per participant, with expenses of about $109,376 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,953.
Oglethorpe University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Based in Atlanta, GA, Oglethorpe University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,381, with expenses of about $13,381 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kennesaw State University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Kennesaw State University is a public school based in Kennesaw, GA. The team's NCAA APR score is 975, with a Graduation Success Rate of 82%. The federal graduation rate stands at 47%. Team revenue averages $141,204 per participant, compared with $141,204 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,283.
Young Harris College came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Young Harris, GA, Young Harris College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $27,901 per participant, compared with $27,901 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,301 per athlete.
Valdosta State University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Valdosta, GA, Valdosta State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,710, compared with $39,710 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,542.
University of North Georgia landed the #15 spot this year. Based in Dahlonega, GA, University of North Georgia is a public institution. The program generates about $47,021 in revenue per athlete, against $43,745 in expenses. The school awards about $6,411 in athletic aid per athlete.
Columbus State University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Columbus, GA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,629, compared with $19,629 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,670.
LaGrange College ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Lagrange, GA, LaGrange College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,590, with expenses of about $9,590 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Shorter University landed the #18 spot this year. Based in Rome, GA, Shorter University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $24,056 per participant, compared with $24,056 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,563 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fort Valley State University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Fort Valley State University is a public school based in Fort Valley, GA. Team revenue averages $19,161 per participant, against $19,161 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,378.
Piedmont University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Based in Demorest, GA, Piedmont University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $14,126 per participant, with expenses of about $14,126 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Clayton State University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Located in Morrow, GA, Clayton State University is a public institution. The program generates about $28,383 in revenue per athlete, compared with $22,800 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,906 per athlete.
Georgia Southwestern State University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Georgia Southwestern State University is a public school based in Americus, GA. Team revenue averages $31,572 per participant, compared with $31,572 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,453.
Middle Georgia State University landed the #23 spot this year. Middle Georgia State University is a public school based in Macon, GA. Team revenue averages $16,193 per participant, compared with $16,193 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,016.
Savannah State University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in Savannah, GA, Savannah State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,778, with expenses of about $17,778 per participant. Athletic aid averages $2,151 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.