by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 79 colleges for Women’s Basketball in Plains States 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Washington University in St Louis tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Basketball in Plains States. Located in St. Louis, MO, Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $30,848 in revenue per athlete, against $29,226 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Missouri-Columbia ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball in Plains States. Located in Columbia, MO, University of Missouri-Columbia is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 64%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $359,274, with expenses of about $359,274 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,637.
University of Iowa landed the #3 spot for Women's Basketball in Plains States. Based in Iowa City, IA, University of Iowa is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 81%. Team revenue averages $164,807 per participant, compared with $292,505 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $21,176 per athlete.
Iowa State University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball in Plains States. Based in Ames, IA, Iowa State University is a public institution. Iowa State University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 77%. Team revenue averages $80,082 per participant, compared with $352,188 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,185 per athlete.
Carleton College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Basketball in Plains States. Carleton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Northfield, MN. The program generates about $11,227 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,917 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Drake University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball in Plains States. Drake University is a private not-for-profit school based in Des Moines, IA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. The program generates about $75,346 in revenue per athlete, compared with $75,346 spent per athlete. The school awards about $10,413 in athletic aid per athlete.
Creighton University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Omaha, NE, Creighton University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $116,504, against $287,825 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,224 per athlete.
Macalester College placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball in Plains States. Located in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $16,775 per participant, against $16,171 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Maryville University of Saint Louis ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Louis, MO. The program generates about $52,696 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $50,588 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,338.
Rockhurst University landed the #10 spot this year. Located in Kansas City, MO, Rockhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,920, compared with $31,920 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,130 in athletic aid per athlete.
Grinnell College came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Based in Grinnell, IA, Grinnell College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,923 in revenue per athlete, against $8,923 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Louis University did well this year, earning the #12 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Louis, MO. Saint Louis University records an NCAA APR of 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 42%. Team revenue averages $219,204 per participant, with expenses of about $219,204 per participant. The school awards about $13,446 in athletic aid per athlete.
South Dakota State University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Located in Brookings, SD, South Dakota State University is a public institution. South Dakota State University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 79% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $143,775, with expenses of about $143,775 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,424 per athlete.
University of South Dakota placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball in Plains States. Based in Vermillion, SD, University of South Dakota is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 79% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $110,889 per participant, compared with $110,889 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,323.
St Olaf College landed the #15 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Northfield, MN. The program generates about $13,962 in revenue per athlete, against $13,962 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gustavus Adolphus College came in at #16 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Peter, MN. The program generates about $13,860 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,860 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Mary came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Based in Bismarck, ND, University of Mary is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $45,055 in revenue per athlete, compared with $45,055 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,321 per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball in Plains States. Based in Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public institution. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities records an NCAA APR of 995, alongside a GSR of 91%. About 45% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $78,039 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $313,682 per participant. The school awards about $27,174 in athletic aid per athlete.
Cornell College landed the #19 spot this year. Located in Mount Vernon, IA, Cornell College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,645, compared with $18,372 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball in Plains States. University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a public school based in Lincoln, NE. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. The program generates about $39,935 in revenue per athlete, compared with $121,842 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,793 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Northern Iowa ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball in Plains States. This public school is set in Cedar Falls, IA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. The program generates about $64,185 in revenue per athlete, against $64,185 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,720 per athlete.
Missouri State University-Springfield did well this year, earning the #22 position. Missouri State University-Springfield is a public school based in Springfield, MO. The team's NCAA APR score is 984, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $201,562 in revenue per athlete, compared with $201,562 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,364.
University of Kansas ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball in Plains States. This public school is set in Lawrence, KS. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 980, alongside a GSR of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 55%. The program generates about $392,295 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $392,295 per participant. Athletic aid averages $21,506 per athlete.
Kansas State University landed the #24 spot this year. Kansas State University is a public school based in Manhattan, KS. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 75% Graduation Success Rate. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $148,860 in revenue per athlete, against $148,860 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,682.
Missouri University of Science and Technology ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball in Plains States. Located in Rolla, MO, Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public institution. Team revenue averages $40,708 per participant, with expenses of about $40,708 per participant. The school awards about $5,772 in athletic aid per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
