by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 44 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is Wake Forest University, our #1 college for Women's Basketball. Based in Winston-Salem, NC, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 86% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $213,767 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $213,767 per participant. Athletic aid averages $38,933 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earned the #2 place for student athletes. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public school based in Chapel Hill, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Team revenue averages $78,962 per participant, with expenses of about $211,863 per participant. Athletic aid averages $17,771 per athlete.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Located in Raleigh, NC, North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 57%. The program generates about $119,867 in revenue per athlete, against $477,126 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,384.
Duke University landed the #4 spot for Women's Basketball. Based in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 990, alongside a GSR of 87%. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. The program generates about $367,260 in revenue per athlete, compared with $723,542 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $34,321 per athlete.
Campbell University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Based in Buies Creek, NC, Campbell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 93%. The program generates about $150,274 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $150,274 per participant. The school awards about $19,433 in athletic aid per athlete.
Davidson College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Davidson, NC. Davidson College records an NCAA APR of 991, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $199,362 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $192,076 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,830 per athlete.
Elon University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Elon, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $101,978 in revenue per athlete, against $101,978 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,795.
East Carolina University did well this year, earning the #8 position. Located in Greenville, NC, East Carolina University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $201,715 in revenue per athlete, compared with $200,704 spent per athlete. The school awards about $12,584 in athletic aid per athlete.
Appalachian State University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Appalachian State University is a public school based in Boone, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. The program generates about $118,976 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $118,976 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,299.
Catawba College did well this year, earning the #10 position. Based in Salisbury, NC, Catawba College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $37,067, compared with $35,864 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,164 per athlete.
High Point University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. High Point University is a private not-for-profit school based in High Point, NC. High Point University records an NCAA APR of 990, alongside a GSR of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 53%. The program generates about $178,601 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $160,343 per participant. Athletic aid averages $18,469 per athlete.
Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte landed the #12 spot this year. Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte is a private not-for-profit school based in Charlotte, NC. The program generates about $12,667 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $12,667 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lenoir-Rhyne University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Based in Hickory, NC, Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $28,191 per participant, with expenses of about $28,191 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,094 per athlete.
Winston-Salem State University placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Winston-Salem, NC, Winston-Salem State University is a public institution. The program generates about $42,887 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $42,887 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,441.
Barton College ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Barton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Wilson, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,900, compared with $19,900 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,654 per athlete.
Wingate University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Wingate University is a private not-for-profit school based in Wingate, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,742, against $40,352 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,748 per athlete.
University of North Carolina Wilmington came in at #17 in this year's ranking. University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public school based in Wilmington, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 984, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Team revenue averages $117,246 per participant, compared with $117,246 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,667.
University of Mount Olive placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Mount Olive, NC, University of Mount Olive is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $20,147 per participant, with expenses of about $19,879 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,775 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte did well this year, earning the #19 position. Based in Charlotte, NC, University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, alongside a GSR of 75%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $256,771, against $174,300 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,522 per athlete.
North Carolina Central University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. North Carolina Central University is a public school based in Durham, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. Team revenue averages $79,957 per participant, with expenses of about $79,957 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,804 per athlete.
Guilford College did well this year, earning the #21 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Greensboro, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,654, against $12,646 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Queens University of Charlotte did well this year, earning the #22 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Charlotte, NC. Queens University of Charlotte records an NCAA APR of 979, alongside a GSR of 92%. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $104,379 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $104,379 per participant. The school awards about $13,282 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro did well this year, earning the #23 position. Located in Greensboro, NC, University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 982, and a 81% Graduation Success Rate. About 46% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $122,211 per participant, with expenses of about $122,211 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,162.
Gardner-Webb University placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Boiling Springs, NC, Gardner-Webb University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 952, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 56%. Team revenue averages $92,997 per participant, with expenses of about $92,997 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,936.
Western Carolina University did well this year, earning the #25 position. This public school is set in Cullowhee, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 31%. Team revenue averages $98,577 per participant, compared with $98,577 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,960.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*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.