by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 40 schools for Women’s Cross Country (Division I) 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Jump to the options below.
Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is Northwestern University, our #1 college for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Located in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,824, against $51,028 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $53,919 per athlete.
Loyola Marymount University landed the #2 spot for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Loyola Marymount University is a private not-for-profit school based in Los Angeles, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,439, against $40,439 in expenses. The school awards about $40,056 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stanford University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Based in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 992. Team revenue averages $48,826 per participant, compared with $48,826 spent per athlete. The school awards about $42,012 in athletic aid per athlete.
Seton Hall University is one of the top schools for Women's Cross Country (Division I), at #4. Located in South Orange, NJ, Seton Hall University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. Team revenue averages $26,641 per participant, against $26,641 in expenses. The school awards about $32,496 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Tulsa earned the #5 place for student athletes. Located in Tulsa, OK, University of Tulsa is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 993. The program generates about $19,358 in revenue per athlete, compared with $19,358 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $34,797 per athlete.
Mercer University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Mercer University is a private not-for-profit school based in Macon, GA. Mercer University records an NCAA APR of 1000. The program generates about $16,064 in revenue per athlete, against $16,064 in expenses. The school awards about $23,898 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fairfield University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in Fairfield, CT, Fairfield University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. The program generates about $9,433 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,433 per participant. The school awards about $19,587 in athletic aid per athlete.
Santa Clara University landed the #8 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Santa Clara, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 988. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,233, against $17,233 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,355.
Saint Mary's College of California placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Saint Mary's College of California is a private not-for-profit school based in Moraga, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 993. The program generates about $18,498 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $18,498 per participant. Athletic aid averages $18,999 per athlete.
Merrimack College ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Based in North Andover, MA, Merrimack College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 992. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $26,278, compared with $26,278 spent per athlete. The school awards about $20,394 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Delaware did well this year, earning the #11 position. This public school is set in Newark, DE. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983. Team revenue averages $17,868 per participant, compared with $17,868 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,002.
Hampton University did well this year, earning the #12 position. Located in Hampton, VA, Hampton University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. The program generates about $60,361 in revenue per athlete, compared with $61,129 spent per athlete. The school awards about $18,394 in athletic aid per athlete.
Niagara University placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Located in Niagara University, NY, Niagara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Niagara University records an NCAA APR of 1000. Team revenue averages $14,943 per participant, compared with $14,798 spent per athlete. The school awards about $17,462 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola University Maryland ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Loyola University Maryland is a private not-for-profit school based in Baltimore, MD. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. The program generates about $8,615 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,615 per participant. The school awards about $14,638 in athletic aid per athlete.
Florida Gulf Coast University placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division I). This public school is set in Fort Myers, FL. The team's NCAA APR score is 990. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,656, compared with $31,656 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,812.
University of the Pacific ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Stockton, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 968. The program generates about $24,125 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $24,125 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,596.
University of California-Irvine came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Based in Irvine, CA, University of California-Irvine is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995. The program generates about $1,295 in revenue per athlete, compared with $1,295 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,955.
Stetson University did well this year, earning the #18 position. Located in DeLand, FL, Stetson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,982, against $28,982 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,035.
Northern Illinois University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Dekalb, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,237, against $40,237 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,138.
College of Charleston ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country (Division I). College of Charleston is a public school based in Charleston, SC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Team revenue averages $12,348 per participant, compared with $12,348 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,551 in athletic aid per athlete.
Brown University did well this year, earning the #21 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Providence, RI. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993. Team revenue averages $8,437 per participant, against $8,437 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Santa Barbara ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Located in Santa Barbara, CA, University of California-Santa Barbara is a public institution. University of California-Santa Barbara records an NCAA APR of 992. The program generates about $9,721 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,721 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,355 per athlete.
University of North Alabama came in at #23 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Florence, AL. The team's NCAA APR score is 995. The program generates about $15,490 in revenue per athlete, compared with $15,490 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,402 in athletic aid per athlete.
Presbyterian College came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in Clinton, SC, Presbyterian College is a private not-for-profit institution. Presbyterian College records an NCAA APR of 1000. The program generates about $12,838 in revenue per athlete, against $12,838 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,454.
Saint Francis University did well this year, earning the #25 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Loretto, PA. Team revenue averages $2,133 per participant, compared with $2,133 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,253.
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
See our data sources and methodologies.