by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 8 programs for Women’s Cross Country by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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.
Not quite what you need? Jump to the options below.
Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, our #1 college for Women's Cross Country. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Terre Haute, IN. Team revenue averages $5,208 per participant, compared with $5,208 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Purdue University Fort Wayne is one of the top schools for Women's Cross Country, at #2. Purdue University Fort Wayne is a public school based in Fort Wayne, IN. The team's NCAA APR score is 994. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,501, against $10,913 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,345.
Earlham College came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country. Earlham College is a private not-for-profit school based in Richmond, IN. Team revenue averages $5,671 per participant, with expenses of about $5,671 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Evansville ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Located in Evansville, IN, University of Evansville is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 939. Team revenue averages $4,797 per participant, against $4,797 in expenses. The school awards about $16,525 in athletic aid per athlete.
Trine University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Angola, IN. The program generates about $1,854 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $1,861 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Purdue University Northwest landed the #6 spot this year. Purdue University Northwest is a public school based in Hammond, IN. Team revenue averages $6,956 per participant, with expenses of about $6,956 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,013.
Hanover College placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Hanover College is a private not-for-profit school based in Hanover, IN. Team revenue averages $4,544 per participant, compared with $4,544 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Manchester University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Based in North Manchester, IN, Manchester University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,835, against $4,318 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.