by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 24 programs for Women’s Bowling by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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.
Not quite what you need? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Vanderbilt University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Bowling. Based in Nashville, TN, Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $162,146, with expenses of about $162,146 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $42,235.
Tulane University of Louisiana landed the #2 spot for Women's Bowling. Based in New Orleans, LA, Tulane University of Louisiana is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. Team revenue averages $216,896 per participant, compared with $82,317 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $36,413 per athlete.
Jacksonville State University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Jacksonville, AL, Jacksonville State University is a public institution. Jacksonville State University records an NCAA APR of 1000. Team revenue averages $81,528 per participant, with expenses of about $81,528 per participant. The school awards about $14,761 in athletic aid per athlete.
Louisiana Tech University is one of the top schools for Women's Bowling, at #4. Based in Ruston, LA, Louisiana Tech University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 88%. The program generates about $41,812 in revenue per athlete, against $41,812 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,736 per athlete.
Barton College landed the #5 spot for Women's Bowling. Based in Wilson, NC, Barton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,766, against $14,766 in expenses. The school awards about $6,654 in athletic aid per athlete.
Arkansas State University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Jonesboro, AR, Arkansas State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 972, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 43%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $52,956, compared with $52,956 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,588 per athlete.
University of Alabama at Birmingham landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Birmingham, AL, University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 967, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $33,132 per participant, against $29,293 in expenses. The school awards about $17,655 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Carolina A & T State University landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Greensboro, NC, North Carolina A & T State University is a public institution. North Carolina A & T State University records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $62,170, with expenses of about $62,170 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,465.
Jackson State University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Bowling. Located in Jackson, MS, Jackson State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $25,892 in revenue per athlete, compared with $25,892 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,647.
Norfolk State University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Bowling. Norfolk State University is a public school based in Norfolk, VA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 979, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $37,410, compared with $37,410 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,545 in athletic aid per athlete.
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Tallahassee, FL, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 956, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 82% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,593, compared with $32,863 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,235 per athlete.
Alabama State University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Located in Montgomery, AL, Alabama State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 949, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $42,902, compared with $42,902 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $8,418 per athlete.
Elizabeth City State University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Bowling. Located in Elizabeth City, NC, Elizabeth City State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $6,401 per participant, against $6,401 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,147.
Belmont Abbey College landed the #14 spot this year. Based in Belmont, NC, Belmont Abbey College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,431, against $12,431 in expenses. The school awards about $2,908 in athletic aid per athlete.
Southern University and A & M College landed the #15 spot this year. Southern University and A & M College is a public school based in Baton Rouge, LA. The team's NCAA APR score is 971, alongside a GSR of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. The program generates about $39,154 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $22,166 per participant. The school awards about $8,045 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fayetteville State University landed the #16 spot this year. Based in Fayetteville, NC, Fayetteville State University is a public institution. The program generates about $25,055 in revenue per athlete, compared with $25,055 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,674.
Grambling State University placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Bowling. This public school is set in Grambling, LA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 979, alongside a GSR of 75%. About 43% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $24,979 per participant, with expenses of about $24,979 per participant. The school awards about $8,778 in athletic aid per athlete.
Virginia State University landed the #18 spot this year. Virginia State University is a public school based in Petersburg, VA. The program generates about $13,208 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,208 per participant. Athletic aid averages $4,082 per athlete.
Alabama A & M University landed the #19 spot this year. Based in Normal, AL, Alabama A & M University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 944, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $13,033 per participant, with expenses of about $22,437 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,274.
Virginia Union University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Bowling. Based in Richmond, VA, Virginia Union University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,228 in revenue per athlete, against $7,864 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,465.
Thomas More University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Based in Crestview Hills, KY, Thomas More University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,904 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,815 spent per athlete. The school awards about $4,453 in athletic aid per athlete.
Johnson C Smith University did well this year, earning the #22 position. Located in Charlotte, NC, Johnson C Smith University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,868, with expenses of about $9,868 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,550 per athlete.
Shaw University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Shaw University is a private not-for-profit school based in Raleigh, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,104, against $17,104 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,825.
Livingstone College landed the #24 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Salisbury, NC. The program generates about $12,272 in revenue per athlete, against $12,272 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,211 per athlete.
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.