by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 10 schools for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual weighs 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:
University of Mississippi earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. University of Mississippi is a public school based in University, MS. University of Mississippi records an NCAA APR of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 25%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $565,288, compared with $565,288 spent per athlete. The school awards about $22,457 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Southern Mississippi ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. University of Southern Mississippi is a public school based in Hattiesburg, MS. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. About 55% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $136,702 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $136,702 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,309.
Mississippi State University is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #3. Based in Mississippi State, MS, Mississippi State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 948, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $243,278, against $243,278 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $24,143 per athlete.
Millsaps College is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #4. Millsaps College is a private not-for-profit school based in Jackson, MS. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,485, with expenses of about $8,485 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Jackson State University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Jackson, MS, Jackson State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 975, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. The program generates about $57,586 in revenue per athlete, against $57,586 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,647.
Belhaven University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Jackson, MS, Belhaven University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,357, against $8,357 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Alcorn State University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Alcorn State, MS, Alcorn State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 975, with a Graduation Success Rate of 71%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $81,701 in revenue per athlete, against $81,701 in expenses. The school awards about $6,599 in athletic aid per athlete.
Delta State University landed the #8 spot this year. This public school is set in Cleveland, MS. The program generates about $18,632 in revenue per athlete, against $18,632 in expenses. The school awards about $5,421 in athletic aid per athlete.
Mississippi Valley State University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in Itta Bena, MS, Mississippi Valley State University is a public institution. Mississippi Valley State University records an NCAA APR of 892, and a 74% Graduation Success Rate. About 43% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $34,200 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $34,390 per participant. The school awards about $4,569 in athletic aid per athlete.
Mississippi University for Women came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in Columbus, MS, Mississippi University for Women is a public institution. The program generates about $9,422 in revenue per athlete, against $9,298 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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
See our data sources and methodologies.