by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 303 schools for Women’s Cross Country by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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:
Leading the list is Northwestern University, our #1 college for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Evanston, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,824, compared with $51,028 spent per athlete. The school awards about $53,919 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola Marymount University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Loyola Marymount University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Team revenue averages $40,439 per participant, against $40,439 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $40,056 per athlete.
California Institute of Technology ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Pasadena, CA. Team revenue averages $7,897 per participant, compared with $7,897 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Colby College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country. Based in Waterville, ME, Colby College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,112 in revenue per athlete, against $8,112 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Washington and Lee University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lexington, VA. The program generates about $6,275 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,275 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Seton Hall University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in South Orange, NJ. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. The program generates about $26,641 in revenue per athlete, against $26,641 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $32,496 per athlete.
Stanford University landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. Stanford University records an NCAA APR of 992. Team revenue averages $48,826 per participant, against $48,826 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $42,012 per athlete.
Colorado School of Mines came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Golden, CO. Team revenue averages $7,513 per participant, with expenses of about $7,513 per participant. The school awards about $7,984 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fairfield University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Fairfield University is a private not-for-profit school based in Fairfield, CT. Fairfield University records an NCAA APR of 1000. Team revenue averages $9,433 per participant, against $9,433 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,587.
Wellesley College landed the #10 spot this year. Located in Wellesley, MA, Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,954 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,954 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hamilton College did well this year, earning the #11 position. Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Clinton, NY. Team revenue averages $4,983 per participant, with expenses of about $4,983 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Case Western Reserve University did well this year, earning the #12 position. Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cleveland, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,360, with expenses of about $4,360 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Middlebury College did well this year, earning the #13 position. Middlebury College is a private not-for-profit school based in Middlebury, VT. Team revenue averages $4,044 per participant, with expenses of about $4,044 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Williams College placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Williams College is a private not-for-profit school based in Williamstown, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,874, with expenses of about $3,874 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Mercer University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Based in Macon, GA, Mercer University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,064, against $16,064 in expenses. The school awards about $23,898 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Tulsa ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Located in Tulsa, OK, University of Tulsa is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,358, with expenses of about $19,358 per participant. The school awards about $34,797 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola University Maryland placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Baltimore, MD. Loyola University Maryland records an NCAA APR of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,615, against $8,615 in expenses. The school awards about $14,638 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colorado College came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Colorado College is a private not-for-profit school based in Colorado Springs, CO. Team revenue averages $5,935 per participant, with expenses of about $6,110 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,478.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology did well this year, earning the #19 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cambridge, MA. Team revenue averages $2,919 per participant, compared with $2,919 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Thomas Jefferson University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Philadelphia, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,254, compared with $18,254 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,341.
Niagara University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Based in Niagara University, NY, Niagara University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. The program generates about $14,943 in revenue per athlete, compared with $14,798 spent per athlete. The school awards about $17,462 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Olaf College ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Located in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,232 per participant, against $6,079 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Mary's College of California did well this year, earning the #23 position. Based in Moraga, CA, Saint Mary's College of California is a private not-for-profit institution. Saint Mary's College of California records an NCAA APR of 993. The program generates about $18,498 in revenue per athlete, against $18,498 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,999.
Union University did well this year, earning the #24 position. Union University is a private not-for-profit school based in Jackson, TN. Team revenue averages $16,405 per participant, with expenses of about $14,851 per participant. The school awards about $17,895 in athletic aid per athlete.
Chapman University did well this year, earning the #25 position. Located in Orange, CA, Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $3,856 per participant, compared with $3,856 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
These colleges narrowly missed the top tiers:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Presbyterian College | Clinton, SC |
| 52 | Grinnell College | Grinnell, IA |
| 53 | Hampton University | Hampton, VA |
| 54 | Ouachita Baptist University | Arkadelphia, AR |
| 55 | Molloy University | Rockville Centre, NY |
| 56 | Lewis & Clark College | Portland, OR |
| 57 | Gannon University | Erie, PA |
| 58 | Kalamazoo College | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 59 | Connecticut College | New London, CT |
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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.