by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 22 colleges 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Vanderbilt University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Nashville, TN, Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 64%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $297,136, with expenses of about $297,136 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $42,235.
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #2. Located in Knoxville, TN, The University of Tennessee-Knoxville is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 45%. Team revenue averages $145,078 per participant, against $251,994 in expenses. The school awards about $29,054 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lipscomb University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Located in Nashville, TN, Lipscomb University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. About 85% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $167,922, with expenses of about $167,922 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,176.
Belmont University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Nashville, TN, Belmont University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $229,261, with expenses of about $229,261 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,742.
Union University landed the #5 spot for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Jackson, TN. The program generates about $58,752 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $55,203 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,895.
Rhodes College landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Memphis, TN, Rhodes College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $20,808 in revenue per athlete, against $20,808 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Middle Tennessee State University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Murfreesboro, TN, Middle Tennessee State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, alongside a GSR of 82%. About 38% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $219,947 per participant, compared with $219,947 spent per athlete. The school awards about $20,110 in athletic aid per athlete.
Tennessee Technological University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Cookeville, TN, Tennessee Technological University is a public institution. Tennessee Technological University records an NCAA APR of 984, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 85%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $139,680, against $139,680 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,453.
University of Memphis did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Memphis, TN, University of Memphis is a public institution. University of Memphis records an NCAA APR of 980, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $235,931 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $235,931 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,106.
Lee University landed the #10 spot this year. Based in Cleveland, TN, Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $42,763 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $42,763 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,272 per athlete.
Austin Peay State University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Austin Peay State University is a public school based in Clarksville, TN. Austin Peay State University records an NCAA APR of 971, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. The program generates about $127,272 in revenue per athlete, compared with $127,272 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,483.
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga did well this year, earning the #12 position. This public school is set in Chattanooga, TN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 975, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 58%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $113,029, compared with $113,029 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,025 per athlete.
East Tennessee State University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Johnson City, TN, East Tennessee State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 81%. About 54% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $112,180 in revenue per athlete, compared with $112,180 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,444 in athletic aid per athlete.
Christian Brothers University did well this year, earning the #14 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Memphis, TN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,648, against $33,572 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,833.
Lincoln Memorial University placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Located in Harrogate, TN, Lincoln Memorial University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $43,866 in revenue per athlete, against $43,811 in expenses. The school awards about $8,449 in athletic aid per athlete.
Trevecca Nazarene University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Trevecca Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit school based in Nashville, TN. Team revenue averages $30,705 per participant, with expenses of about $30,209 per participant. The school awards about $5,766 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Tennessee-Martin came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Located in Martin, TN, The University of Tennessee-Martin is a public institution. The University of Tennessee-Martin records an NCAA APR of 974, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $73,342, against $73,751 in expenses. The school awards about $9,021 in athletic aid per athlete.
Carson-Newman University placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Carson-Newman University is a private not-for-profit school based in Jefferson City, TN. Team revenue averages $52,864 per participant, with expenses of about $49,665 per participant. The school awards about $10,904 in athletic aid per athlete.
Tennessee State University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Tennessee State University is a public school based in Nashville, TN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 931, alongside a GSR of 82%. About 33% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $117,387 in revenue per athlete, compared with $117,387 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,651 per athlete.
King University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Bristol, TN, King University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $27,488 in revenue per athlete, compared with $29,835 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,932 per athlete.
Tusculum University placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Greeneville, TN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,068, against $23,074 in expenses. The school awards about $6,457 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lane College landed the #22 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Jackson, TN. The program generates about $20,820 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $20,340 per participant. The school awards about $3,306 in athletic aid 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.