by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 5 schools for Women’s Cross Country (Division III) 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:
California Institute of Technology tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Based in Pasadena, CA, California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,897, compared with $7,897 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Chapman University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Chapman University is a private not-for-profit school based in Orange, CA. Team revenue averages $3,856 per participant, against $3,856 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Redlands ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Redlands, CA. The program generates about $6,381 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,630 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
California Lutheran University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Based in Thousand Oaks, CA, California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $2,945 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $2,945 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of La Verne came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Based in La Verne, CA, University of La Verne is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,569 in revenue per athlete, against $3,680 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.