by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 6 schools for Women’s Cross Country (Division II) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual evaluates each program using 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:
No school ranked higher than Texas A & M International University this year for Women's Cross Country (Division II). This public school is set in Laredo, TX. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,131, with expenses of about $20,131 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,327.
Southern Nazarene University is one of the top schools for Women's Cross Country (Division II), at #2. Located in Bethany, OK, Southern Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,455 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,246 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,122.
The University of Texas Permian Basin earned the #3 place for student athletes. The University of Texas Permian Basin is a public school based in Odessa, TX. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $38,783, compared with $10,109 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,982 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Texas at Tyler ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division II). This public school is set in Tyler, TX. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,786, against $9,786 in expenses. The school awards about $6,209 in athletic aid per athlete.
Western New Mexico University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Western New Mexico University is a public school based in Silver City, NM. The program generates about $10,953 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,507 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,177 per athlete.
Northwestern Oklahoma State University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Alva, OK, Northwestern Oklahoma State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $4,660 per participant, with expenses of about $4,658 per participant. The school awards about $2,134 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.
