by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 22 programs for Women’s Cross Country (Division III) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Hamilton College earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Clinton, NY. The program generates about $4,983 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,983 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Vassar College came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Located in Poughkeepsie, NY, Vassar College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,225 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,119 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Yeshiva University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,007, compared with $3,007 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ithaca College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Located in Ithaca, NY, Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,098 in revenue per athlete, against $5,098 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Rochester Institute of Technology came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,912, against $5,893 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,070.
St Lawrence University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Canton, NY. The program generates about $3,160 in revenue per athlete, against $3,160 in expenses. The school awards about $3,126 in athletic aid per athlete.
St. John Fisher University landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Rochester, NY, St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $3,492 per participant, with expenses of about $2,997 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
State University of New York at New Paltz placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Based in New Paltz, NY, State University of New York at New Paltz is a public institution. Team revenue averages $5,321 per participant, against $5,282 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bard College placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Annandale-On-Hudson, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,238, with expenses of about $3,238 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Clarkson University landed the #10 spot this year. Clarkson University is a private not-for-profit school based in Potsdam, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,956, compared with $2,037 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $4,842 per athlete.
Hobart William Smith Colleges placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Geneva, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,743, against $1,743 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $50.
State University of New York at Cortland placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Located in Cortland, NY, State University of New York at Cortland is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,399, with expenses of about $2,399 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Utica University landed the #13 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Utica, NY. The program generates about $4,780 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,342 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Sarah Lawrence College landed the #14 spot this year. Located in Bronxville, NY, Sarah Lawrence College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $652 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $652 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Manhattanville University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Purchase, NY. Team revenue averages $5,186 per participant, against $3,323 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Alfred University came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Based in Alfred, NY, Alfred University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $2,738 per participant, against $2,574 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mount Saint Vincent did well this year, earning the #17 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bronx, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,687, compared with $1,232 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Farmingdale State College landed the #18 spot this year. Farmingdale State College is a public school based in Farmingdale, NY. The program generates about $1,041 in revenue per athlete, against $1,030 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Hartwick College placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Hartwick College is a private not-for-profit school based in Oneonta, NY. The program generates about $3,896 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,896 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Keuka College ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Keuka College is a private not-for-profit school based in Keuka Park, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,304, against $2,304 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hilbert College did well this year, earning the #21 position. Hilbert College is a private not-for-profit school based in Hamburg, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,157, with expenses of about $1,094 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.