by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 11 programs for Women’s Cross Country by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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:
No school ranked higher than Northwestern University this year for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Evanston, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Team revenue averages $29,824 per participant, against $51,028 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53,919.
North Central College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located 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.
Illinois Institute of Technology landed the #3 spot for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,179, against $2,179 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Knox College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country. Knox College is a private not-for-profit school based in Galesburg, IL. The program generates about $8,968 in revenue per athlete, against $6,426 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Northern Illinois University is one of the top schools for Women's Cross Country, at #5. Based in Dekalb, IL, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. Northern Illinois University records an NCAA APR of 992. Team revenue averages $40,237 per participant, compared with $40,237 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,138.
Lake Forest College did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Lake Forest, IL, Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,482, compared with $2,482 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Aurora University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Based in Aurora, IL, Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,344, compared with $4,344 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Concordia University-Chicago came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Concordia University-Chicago is a private not-for-profit school based in River Forest, IL. The program generates about $6,247 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,247 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Millikin University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Decatur, IL. The program generates about $2,943 in revenue per athlete, against $2,943 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Rockford University landed the #10 spot this year. Rockford University is a private not-for-profit school based in Rockford, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,325, with expenses of about $5,325 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.