by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 5 schools 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.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
No school ranked higher than University of North Dakota this year for Women's Basketball. Based in Grand Forks, ND, University of North Dakota is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 60%. Team revenue averages $108,738 per participant, compared with $108,738 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,250.
University of Mary landed the #2 spot for Women's Basketball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bismarck, ND. The program generates about $45,055 in revenue per athlete, against $45,055 in expenses. The school awards about $6,321 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Dakota State University-Main Campus landed the #3 spot for Women's Basketball. Located in Fargo, ND, North Dakota State University-Main Campus is a public institution. North Dakota State University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 964, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 33%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $131,045, compared with $131,045 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,886 in athletic aid per athlete.
Minot State University is one of the top schools for Women's Basketball, at #4. Located in Minot, ND, Minot State University is a public institution. The program generates about $29,317 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $29,317 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,491 per athlete.
University of Jamestown earned the #5 place for student athletes. Based in Jamestown, ND, University of Jamestown is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $18,975 in revenue per athlete, against $18,975 in expenses. The school awards about $5,474 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
See our data sources and methodologies.
