by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 75 schools for Women’s Cross Country by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Hamilton College tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Clinton, NY. Team revenue averages $4,983 per participant, compared with $4,983 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Dickinson College is one of the top schools for Women's Cross Country, at #2. This private not-for-profit school is set in Carlisle, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,941, against $6,927 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Vassar College ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Located in Poughkeepsie, NY, Vassar College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,225, against $4,119 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Franklin and Marshall College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lancaster, PA. Team revenue averages $3,908 per participant, compared with $3,783 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $53 per athlete.
Yeshiva University is one of the top schools for Women's Cross Country, at #5. Located in New York, NY, Yeshiva University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,007, compared with $3,007 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Thomas Jefferson University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $18,254 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $18,254 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,341 per athlete.
Ithaca College did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in Ithaca, NY, Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,098, compared with $5,098 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Seton Hall University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in South Orange, NJ, Seton Hall University is a private not-for-profit institution. Seton Hall University records an NCAA APR of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $26,641, against $26,641 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $32,496.
Rochester Institute of Technology landed the #9 spot this year. Based in Rochester, NY, Rochester Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,912, compared with $5,893 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,070.
Loyola University Maryland did well this year, earning the #10 position. Located in Baltimore, MD, Loyola University Maryland is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. The program generates about $8,615 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,615 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,638.
Molloy University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Located in Rockville Centre, NY, Molloy University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,279, against $5,805 in expenses. The school awards about $5,589 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Lawrence University did well this year, earning the #12 position. St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit school based in Canton, NY. The program generates about $3,160 in revenue per athlete, against $3,160 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,126.
Gannon University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Erie, PA, Gannon University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,879 in revenue per athlete, against $5,879 in expenses. The school awards about $9,313 in athletic aid per athlete.
St. John Fisher University did well this year, earning the #14 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,492, with expenses of about $2,997 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Vincent College did well this year, earning the #15 position. Based in Latrobe, PA, Saint Vincent College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,400 per participant, with expenses of about $5,400 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Adelphi University did well this year, earning the #16 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Garden City, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,058, against $5,058 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,963 per athlete.
Niagara University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Based in Niagara University, NY, Niagara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. The program generates about $14,943 in revenue per athlete, against $14,798 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,462 per athlete.
University of Scranton landed the #18 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Scranton, PA. Team revenue averages $1,583 per participant, against $1,583 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Delaware placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Located in Newark, DE, University of Delaware is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 983. Team revenue averages $17,868 per participant, against $17,868 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,002.
Bard College ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Located in Annandale-On-Hudson, NY, Bard College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,238 in revenue per athlete, against $3,238 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Clarkson University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Potsdam, NY. The program generates about $1,956 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $2,037 per participant. The school awards about $4,842 in athletic aid per athlete.
State University of New York at New Paltz ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. State University of New York at New Paltz is a public school based in New Paltz, NY. The program generates about $5,321 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,282 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Francis University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Based in Loretto, PA, Saint Francis University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $2,133 per participant, compared with $2,133 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,253 in athletic aid per athlete.
Juniata College placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Huntingdon, PA. Team revenue averages $5,791 per participant, against $5,724 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
DeSales University placed #25 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Based in Center Valley, PA, DeSales University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,679 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,634 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.