by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 15 programs for Women’s Basketball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual scores each program on 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Norman, OK, University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. The program generates about $109,107 in revenue per athlete, against $364,847 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $27,789 per athlete.
University of Tulsa came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Located in Tulsa, OK, University of Tulsa is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. 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.
Oklahoma Baptist University landed the #3 spot for Women's Basketball. Located in Shawnee, OK, Oklahoma Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $48,536 per participant, with expenses of about $44,780 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,273 per athlete.
Oklahoma Christian University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball. Located in Edmond, OK, Oklahoma Christian University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,903, against $30,650 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,286.
University of Central Oklahoma earned the #5 place for student athletes. Located in Edmond, OK, University of Central Oklahoma is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $41,483, against $39,232 in expenses. The school awards about $6,477 in athletic aid per athlete.
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Oklahoma State University-Main Campus is a public school based in Stillwater, OK. The team's NCAA APR score is 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. About 45% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $168,669 per participant, with expenses of about $337,039 per participant. Athletic aid averages $12,335 per athlete.
Southern Nazarene University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Southern Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bethany, OK. The program generates about $23,090 in revenue per athlete, compared with $21,920 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,122.
Oral Roberts University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Tulsa, OK, Oral Roberts University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 963, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 36%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $138,224, compared with $138,224 spent per athlete. The school awards about $15,443 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northeastern State University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Tahlequah, OK. Team revenue averages $29,132 per participant, with expenses of about $29,132 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,449.
Southwestern Oklahoma State University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Weatherford, OK. The program generates about $34,495 in revenue per athlete, compared with $34,495 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,204.
Southeastern Oklahoma State University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a public school based in Durant, OK. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,495, against $31,495 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,833.
Northwestern Oklahoma State University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. This public school is set in Alva, OK. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,253, with expenses of about $24,601 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,134.
Rogers State University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Rogers State University is a public school based in Claremore, OK. Team revenue averages $38,182 per participant, against $38,182 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,881.
East Central University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Located in Ada, OK, East Central University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $30,598, with expenses of about $30,598 per participant. Athletic aid averages $4,432 per athlete.
Cameron University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Lawton, OK. Team revenue averages $25,397 per participant, with expenses of about $24,717 per participant. The school awards about $7,117 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
