by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 44 colleges for Women’s Cross Country 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the best college for Women's Cross Country in the Great Lakes Region. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Evanston, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,824, compared with $51,028 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $53,919 per athlete.
Case Western Reserve University landed the #2 spot for Women's Cross Country. Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cleveland, OH. Team revenue averages $4,360 per participant, with expenses of about $4,360 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Terre Haute, IN. Team revenue averages $5,208 per participant, with expenses of about $5,208 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Cedarville University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Cedarville, OH, Cedarville University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,438 per participant, with expenses of about $7,438 per participant. The school awards about $5,791 in athletic aid per athlete.
Oberlin College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Oberlin, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,997, with expenses of about $5,997 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Michigan Technological University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Located in Houghton, MI, Michigan Technological University is a public institution. The program generates about $8,314 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,253 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,159.
Calvin University did well this year, earning the #7 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Grand Rapids, MI. Team revenue averages $4,992 per participant, against $4,906 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Kenyon College did well this year, earning the #8 position. Based in Gambier, OH, Kenyon College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,377 in revenue per athlete, compared with $3,377 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kalamazoo College landed the #9 spot this year. Located in Kalamazoo, MI, Kalamazoo College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,285, with expenses of about $3,285 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
North Central College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,708 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,970 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Northern Illinois University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Northern Illinois University is a public school based in Dekalb, IL. Northern Illinois University records an NCAA APR of 992. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,237, with expenses of about $40,237 per participant. The school awards about $16,138 in athletic aid per athlete.
Purdue University Fort Wayne ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. This public school is set in Fort Wayne, IN. Purdue University Fort Wayne records an NCAA APR of 994. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,501, against $10,913 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,345 per athlete.
Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Chicago, IL, Illinois Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $2,179 per participant, against $2,179 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Located in La Crosse, WI, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,946, with expenses of about $3,525 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Knox College ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Based in Galesburg, IL, Knox College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,968 in revenue per athlete, against $6,426 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Franciscan University of Steubenville came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private not-for-profit school based in Steubenville, OH. The program generates about $967 in revenue per athlete, against $892 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ohio Northern University did well this year, earning the #17 position. Located in Ada, OH, Ohio Northern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,310, against $1,310 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire did well this year, earning the #18 position. This public school is set in Eau Claire, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,827, against $3,209 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Located in Green Bay, WI, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 988. The program generates about $10,825 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,825 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,741.
Northern Michigan University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Located in Marquette, MI, Northern Michigan University is a public institution. The program generates about $12,879 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,384 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,323 in athletic aid per athlete.
Earlham College ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Based in Richmond, IN, Earlham College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,671 in revenue per athlete, against $5,671 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lake Forest College ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lake Forest, IL. Team revenue averages $2,482 per participant, compared with $2,482 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Evansville ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Evansville, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 939. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,797, compared with $4,797 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,525 per athlete.
Hanover College ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Based in Hanover, IN, Hanover College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,544 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,544 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Trine University did well this year, earning the #25 position. Based in Angola, IN, Trine University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $1,854 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $1,861 per participant. 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. 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.