by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 6 schools for Women’s Cross Country (Division III) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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:
Colby College tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Colby College is a private not-for-profit school based in Waterville, ME. Team revenue averages $8,112 per participant, compared with $8,112 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Maine Maritime Academy landed the #2 spot for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Based in Castine, ME, Maine Maritime Academy is a public institution. Team revenue averages $6,033 per participant, with expenses of about $6,033 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of New England ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Biddeford, ME. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,844, with expenses of about $2,844 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Husson University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Located 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. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Thomas College ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country (Division III). Thomas College is a private not-for-profit school based in Waterville, ME. The program generates about $6,436 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,382 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $244 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.