by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 6 colleges 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 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Seton Hall University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Located in South Orange, NJ, Seton Hall University is a private not-for-profit institution. Seton Hall University records an NCAA 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.
University of Delaware landed the #2 spot for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Based in Newark, DE, University of Delaware is a public institution. University of Delaware records an NCAA APR of 983. Team revenue averages $17,868 per participant, with expenses of about $17,868 per participant. The school awards about $24,002 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola University Maryland is one of the top schools for Women's Cross Country (Division I), at #3. Based in Baltimore, MD, Loyola University Maryland is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,615, compared with $8,615 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,638.
Niagara University is one of the top schools for Women's Cross Country (Division I), at #4. Niagara University is a private not-for-profit school based in Niagara University, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. The program generates about $14,943 in revenue per athlete, compared with $14,798 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,462.
Saint Francis University is one of the top schools for Women's Cross Country (Division I), at #5. This private not-for-profit school is set in Loretto, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,133, with expenses of about $2,133 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,253.
University at Albany landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Albany, NY, University at Albany is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989. Team revenue averages $1,143 per participant, with expenses of about $1,332 per participant. The school awards about $13,856 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.