by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 7 schools for Women’s Cross Country (Division II) 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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Leading the list is California State University-San Bernardino, our #1 college for Women's Cross Country (Division II). This public school is set in San Bernardino, CA. The program generates about $27,973 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $27,520 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,698.
Sonoma State University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Rohnert Park, CA, Sonoma State University is a public institution. The program generates about $27,655 in revenue per athlete, against $27,655 in expenses. The school awards about $3,732 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Merced came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country (Division II). University of California-Merced is a public school based in Merced, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,666, against $8,666 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $1,179 per athlete.
California State University-Chico came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country (Division II). Located in Chico, CA, California State University-Chico is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,257, compared with $6,505 spent per athlete. The school awards about $2,367 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Los Angeles is one of the top schools for Women's Cross Country (Division II), at #5. Based in Los Angeles, CA, California State University-Los Angeles is a public institution. Team revenue averages $11,510 per participant, with expenses of about $11,510 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,687.
San Francisco State University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in San Francisco, CA. The program generates about $10,595 in revenue per athlete, against $10,595 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,480.
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Arcata, CA, California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,849, with expenses of about $11,366 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,418.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on 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.
