by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 15 programs for Women’s Cross Country (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Mercer University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Located in Macon, GA, Mercer University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. The program generates about $16,064 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $16,064 per participant. The school awards about $23,898 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hampton University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Based in Hampton, VA, Hampton University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Team revenue averages $60,361 per participant, against $61,129 in expenses. The school awards about $18,394 in athletic aid per athlete.
Florida Gulf Coast University landed the #3 spot for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Located in Fort Myers, FL, Florida Gulf Coast University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990. Team revenue averages $31,656 per participant, against $31,656 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $18,812 per athlete.
Stetson University earned the #4 place for student athletes. 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, compared with $28,982 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,035.
College of Charleston ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division I). This public school is set in Charleston, SC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,348, compared with $12,348 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,551 per athlete.
Presbyterian College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Clinton, SC, Presbyterian College is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,838, compared with $12,838 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,454 per athlete.
University of North Alabama ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country (Division I). This public school is set in Florence, AL. University of North Alabama records an NCAA APR of 995. The program generates about $15,490 in revenue per athlete, against $15,490 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,402.
University of South Alabama came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Mobile, AL, University of South Alabama is a public institution. University of South Alabama records an NCAA APR of 985. Team revenue averages $9,857 per participant, against $9,857 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $15,705 per athlete.
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University is a public school based in Tallahassee, FL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989. Team revenue averages $12,038 per participant, compared with $9,789 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,235 per athlete.
East Tennessee State University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division I). East Tennessee State University is a public school based in Johnson City, TN. East Tennessee State University records an NCAA APR of 993. Team revenue averages $6,470 per participant, with expenses of about $6,470 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,444 per athlete.
Gardner-Webb University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Located in Boiling Springs, NC, Gardner-Webb University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 972. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,188, with expenses of about $6,188 per participant. The school awards about $14,936 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Carolina Central University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Located in Durham, NC, North Carolina Central University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 975. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,764, compared with $10,764 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $14,804 per athlete.
Jacksonville State University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Jacksonville State University is a public school based in Jacksonville, AL. Jacksonville State University records an NCAA APR of 980. The program generates about $6,312 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,312 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,761.
Bethune-Cookman University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country (Division I). Bethune-Cookman University is a private not-for-profit school based in Daytona Beach, FL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,396, against $9,396 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,940.
University of New Orleans landed the #15 spot this year. This public school is set in New Orleans, LA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 977. Team revenue averages $9,015 per participant, against $9,015 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,626.
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.