by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 5 schools for Women’s Cross Country (Division II) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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:
Leading the list is Michigan Technological University, our #1 college for Women's Cross Country (Division II). Located in Houghton, MI, Michigan Technological University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,314, with expenses of about $8,253 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,159 per athlete.
Cedarville University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division II). Located in Cedarville, OH, Cedarville University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,438 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,438 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,791.
Northern Michigan University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division II). Based in Marquette, MI, Northern Michigan University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $12,879 per participant, compared with $13,384 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,323.
Shawnee State University landed the #4 spot for Women's Cross Country (Division II). This public school is set in Portsmouth, OH. Team revenue averages $9,227 per participant, against $10,231 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $3,174 per athlete.
Purdue University Northwest earned the #5 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Hammond, IN. The program generates about $6,956 in revenue per athlete, against $6,956 in expenses. The school awards about $3,013 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. 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.