by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 20 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.
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Leading the list is University of Missouri-Columbia, our #1 college for Women's Basketball. University of Missouri-Columbia is a public school based in Columbia, MO. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 64%. Team revenue averages $359,274 per participant, with expenses of about $359,274 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,637.
Washington University in St Louis earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based 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. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Louis University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Saint Louis, MO, Saint Louis University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 42%. The program generates about $219,204 in revenue per athlete, against $219,204 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,446.
Rockhurst University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Kansas City, MO, Rockhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $31,920 in revenue per athlete, compared with $31,920 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,130.
Maryville University of Saint Louis ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. Based in Saint Louis, MO, Maryville University of Saint Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $52,696, against $50,588 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,338.
Lindenwood University landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Saint Charles, MO, Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 986, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $86,634, against $86,634 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,722 per athlete.
Missouri State University-Springfield came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Springfield, MO, Missouri State University-Springfield is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $201,562 per participant, with expenses of about $201,562 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,364.
Drury University landed the #8 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Springfield, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $57,846, against $57,846 in expenses. The school awards about $8,859 in athletic aid per athlete.
Southeast Missouri State University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Cape Girardeau, MO, Southeast Missouri State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 985, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 57%. Team revenue averages $77,736 per participant, against $77,736 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,582 per athlete.
Missouri University of Science and Technology came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in Rolla, MO, Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public institution. Team revenue averages $40,708 per participant, against $40,708 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,772.
Truman State University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Located in Kirksville, MO, Truman State University is a public institution. The program generates about $36,836 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $36,836 per participant. The school awards about $3,206 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Missouri-Kansas City came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Based in Kansas City, MO, University of Missouri-Kansas City is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 958, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 42%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $153,953, with expenses of about $146,119 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,225.
William Jewell College did well this year, earning the #13 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Liberty, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $26,599, with expenses of about $28,791 per participant. The school awards about $7,219 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northwest Missouri State University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Basketball. Based in Maryville, MO, Northwest Missouri State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,701, with expenses of about $48,701 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,287 per athlete.
University of Missouri-St Louis did well this year, earning the #15 position. Located in Saint Louis, MO, University of Missouri-St Louis is a public institution. Team revenue averages $44,386 per participant, against $43,932 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,395.
Webster University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Based in Saint Louis, MO, Webster University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $10,141 per participant, against $10,281 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Central Missouri landed the #17 spot this year. This public school is set in Warrensburg, MO. The program generates about $67,007 in revenue per athlete, compared with $67,007 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,385 in athletic aid per athlete.
Missouri Western State University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Based in Saint Joseph, MO, Missouri Western State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $57,440, compared with $54,461 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,151 per athlete.
Southwest Baptist University placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bolivar, MO. The program generates about $35,869 in revenue per athlete, compared with $35,869 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,015 per athlete.
Missouri Southern State University did well this year, earning the #20 position. Located in Joplin, MO, Missouri Southern State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $34,238 per participant, with expenses of about $33,134 per participant. The school awards about $5,261 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
