by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 31 programs for Women’s Cross Country by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual scores each program on 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Leading the list is Loyola Marymount University, our #1 college for Women's Cross Country. Located in Los Angeles, CA, Loyola Marymount University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. The program generates about $40,439 in revenue per athlete, against $40,439 in expenses. The school awards about $40,056 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stanford University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 992. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,826, with expenses of about $48,826 per participant. Athletic aid averages $42,012 per athlete.
California Institute of Technology ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Pasadena, CA. Team revenue averages $7,897 per participant, with expenses of about $7,897 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Saint Mary's College of California earned the #4 place for student athletes. Saint Mary's College of California is a private not-for-profit school based in Moraga, CA. Saint Mary's College of California records an NCAA APR of 993. Team revenue averages $18,498 per participant, with expenses of about $18,498 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,999.
Santa Clara University earned the #5 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Santa Clara, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988. The program generates about $17,233 in revenue per athlete, compared with $17,233 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,355.
Chapman University did well this year, earning the #6 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Orange, CA. The program generates about $3,856 in revenue per athlete, against $3,856 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of California-Irvine placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Located in Irvine, CA, University of California-Irvine is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995. The program generates about $1,295 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $1,295 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,955 per athlete.
University of California-Santa Barbara placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Based in Santa Barbara, CA, University of California-Santa Barbara is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 992. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,721, with expenses of about $9,721 per participant. The school awards about $11,355 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of the Pacific placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Located in Stockton, CA, University of the Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution. University of the Pacific records an NCAA APR of 968. The program generates about $24,125 in revenue per athlete, compared with $24,125 spent per athlete. The school awards about $21,596 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lewis & Clark College placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Lewis & Clark College is a private not-for-profit school based in Portland, OR. Team revenue averages $5,982 per participant, with expenses of about $5,982 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Redlands placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Redlands, CA. Team revenue averages $6,381 per participant, against $6,630 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
California Lutheran University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. 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. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Sonoma State University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Based in Rohnert Park, CA, Sonoma State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $27,655 per participant, compared with $27,655 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,732.
Willamette University landed the #14 spot this year. Located in Salem, OR, Willamette University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $3,321 per participant, compared with $3,321 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Pacific Lutheran University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Pacific Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit school based in Tacoma, WA. The program generates about $5,570 in revenue per athlete, against $5,570 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
California State University-San Bernardino landed the #16 spot this year. Based in San Bernardino, CA, California State University-San Bernardino is a public institution. Team revenue averages $27,973 per participant, with expenses of about $27,520 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,698 per athlete.
Portland State University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Located in Portland, OR, Portland State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,591, with expenses of about $15,591 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,026 per athlete.
University of California-Merced came in at #18 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Merced, CA. The program generates about $8,666 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,666 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $1,179.
Whitworth University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Located in Spokane, WA, Whitworth University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,531 in revenue per athlete, compared with $3,180 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of La Verne did well this year, earning the #20 position. Located in La Verne, CA, University of La Verne is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $3,569 per participant, against $3,680 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
California State University-Chico came in at #21 in this year's ranking. California State University-Chico is a public school based in Chico, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,257, with expenses of about $6,505 per participant. The school awards about $2,367 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Los Angeles ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Based in Los Angeles, CA, California State University-Los Angeles is a public institution. Team revenue averages $11,510 per participant, against $11,510 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,687.
San Francisco State University ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Located in San Francisco, CA, San Francisco State University is a public institution. The program generates about $10,595 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,595 per participant. Athletic aid averages $2,480 per athlete.
University of Hawaii at Hilo came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in Hilo, HI, University of Hawaii at Hilo is a public institution. The program generates about $17,272 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $17,272 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,498.
University of Alaska Anchorage ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. This public school is set in Anchorage, AK. Team revenue averages $20,941 per participant, compared with $20,941 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,371 in athletic aid per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on 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
See our data sources and methodologies.
