by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 69 colleges 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Learn more about these schools below:
Our analysis found Rice University to be the best college for Women's Basketball in the Southwest Region. Rice University is a private not-for-profit school based in Houston, TX. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 85%. The program generates about $288,407 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $288,407 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $41,166.
Southern Methodist University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Dallas, TX. The team's NCAA APR score is 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 77%. Team revenue averages $563,691 per participant, against $563,691 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $56,388.
University of Tulsa came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Tulsa, OK. University of Tulsa records an NCAA APR of 991, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 87%. The program generates about $276,721 in revenue per athlete, against $276,721 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,797.
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus landed the #4 spot for Women's Basketball. University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus is a public school based in Norman, OK. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Team revenue averages $109,107 per participant, against $364,847 in expenses. The school awards about $27,789 in athletic aid per athlete.
Baylor University landed the #5 spot for Women's Basketball. Located in Waco, TX, Baylor University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. About 59% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $274,382, with expenses of about $274,382 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $30,455.
Abilene Christian University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Abilene Christian University is a private not-for-profit school based in Abilene, TX. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $136,397 per participant, against $152,694 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $26,012 per athlete.
Arizona State University Campus Immersion ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Arizona State University Campus Immersion is a public school based in Tempe, AZ. The team's NCAA APR score is 990, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. Team revenue averages $240,486 per participant, against $240,486 in expenses. The school awards about $27,490 in athletic aid per athlete.
Texas A&M University-College Station placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Texas A&M University-College Station is a public school based in College Station, TX. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $94,214 per participant, against $604,158 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,123.
Texas Christian University landed the #9 spot this year. Located in Fort Worth, TX, Texas Christian University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 964, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 54%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $684,806, with expenses of about $684,806 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $37,174.
University of North Texas did well this year, earning the #10 position. Based in Denton, TX, University of North Texas is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 94%. Its federal graduation rate is 54%. The program generates about $222,355 in revenue per athlete, compared with $222,355 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,504 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Arizona landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Tucson, AZ, University of Arizona is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 40%. Team revenue averages $533,424 per participant, compared with $533,424 spent per athlete. The school awards about $20,887 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of New Mexico-Main Campus landed the #12 spot this year. Based in Albuquerque, NM, University of New Mexico-Main Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. About 31% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $226,062 per participant, with expenses of about $220,821 per participant. The school awards about $19,510 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Dallas did well this year, earning the #13 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Irving, TX. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,413, compared with $11,413 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #14 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Austin, TX. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 990, alongside a GSR of 83%. About 57% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $76,423 per participant, compared with $325,008 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $22,650 per athlete.
Austin College landed the #15 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Sherman, TX. Team revenue averages $12,339 per participant, with expenses of about $12,509 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Texas State University came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Texas State University is a public school based in San Marcos, TX. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. About 62% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $219,957 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $219,957 per participant. The school awards about $16,371 in athletic aid per athlete.
Houston Christian University landed the #17 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Houston, TX. The team's NCAA APR score is 990, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 81%. The program generates about $100,054 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $100,054 per participant. Athletic aid averages $20,924 per athlete.
The University of Texas at San Antonio ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in San Antonio, TX, The University of Texas at San Antonio is a public institution. The University of Texas at San Antonio records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. The program generates about $91,124 in revenue per athlete, against $91,124 in expenses. The school awards about $16,155 in athletic aid per athlete.
Texas Tech University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Located in Lubbock, TX, Texas Tech University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, alongside a GSR of 86%. About 25% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $147,725 in revenue per athlete, against $473,348 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,662 per athlete.
Oklahoma Baptist University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Shawnee, OK. The program generates about $48,536 in revenue per athlete, compared with $44,780 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,273 in athletic aid per athlete.
LeTourneau University did well this year, earning the #21 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Longview, TX. Team revenue averages $10,916 per participant, against $10,916 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Oklahoma Christian University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Oklahoma Christian University is a private not-for-profit school based in Edmond, OK. Team revenue averages $32,903 per participant, with expenses of about $30,650 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,286 per athlete.
Lubbock Christian University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Located in Lubbock, TX, Lubbock Christian University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $62,667 per participant, compared with $62,667 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,404 in athletic aid per athlete.
Texas Lutheran University ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Seguin, TX, Texas Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,988, against $7,133 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor placed #25 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. University of Mary Hardin-Baylor is a private not-for-profit school based in Belton, TX. Team revenue averages $15,949 per participant, against $15,949 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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.
