by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 36 schools for Women’s Cross Country (Division III) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Learn more about these schools below:
Colby College tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Located in Waterville, ME, Colby College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,112 per participant, with expenses of about $8,112 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Williams College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Williams College is a private not-for-profit school based in Williamstown, MA. The program generates about $3,874 in revenue per athlete, compared with $3,874 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Wellesley College earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Wellesley, MA, Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,954 in revenue per athlete, against $4,954 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Middlebury College earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Middlebury, VT, Middlebury College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,044 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,044 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Located in Cambridge, MA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $2,919 in revenue per athlete, against $2,919 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Amherst College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Amherst, MA. The program generates about $3,123 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,123 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Wentworth Institute of Technology did well this year, earning the #7 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boston, MA. The program generates about $8,777 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,595 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Western New England University placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Located in Springfield, MA, Western New England University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,978 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,149 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Connecticut College came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in New London, CT, Connecticut College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $2,808 per participant, with expenses of about $2,808 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Endicott College placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Based in Beverly, MA, Endicott College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,256, against $3,256 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Maine Maritime Academy did well this year, earning the #11 position. This public school is set in Castine, ME. Team revenue averages $6,033 per participant, with expenses of about $6,033 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Emerson College placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Boston, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,425, with expenses of about $2,340 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Norwich University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Northfield, VT, Norwich University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,729 per participant, against $5,729 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gordon College placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Wenham, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,856, against $3,268 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Roger Williams University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Roger Williams University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bristol, RI. Team revenue averages $3,006 per participant, with expenses of about $2,816 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy landed the #16 spot this year. This public school is set in Buzzards Bay, MA. Team revenue averages $1,110 per participant, compared with $1,552 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Hartford landed the #17 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in West Hartford, CT. Team revenue averages $7,218 per participant, compared with $2,127 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $587 per athlete.
Salve Regina University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Based in Newport, RI, Salve Regina University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $2,215 per participant, with expenses of about $2,079 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Johnson & Wales University-Providence landed the #19 spot this year. Johnson & Wales University-Providence is a private not-for-profit school based in Providence, RI. Team revenue averages $5,625 per participant, compared with $5,625 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of New England placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Located in Biddeford, ME, University of New England is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,844, against $2,844 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Husson University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Based in Bangor, ME, Husson University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,370 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,370 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Worcester State University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Located in Worcester, MA, Worcester State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,034, against $3,011 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Thomas College came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Located in Waterville, ME, Thomas College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,436, with expenses of about $6,382 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $244.
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth came in at #24 in this year's ranking. University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth is a public school based in North Dartmouth, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,089, compared with $3,927 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Rivier University landed the #25 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Nashua, NH. The program generates about $1,133 in revenue per athlete, against $1,133 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*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.