by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 6 colleges for Women’s Cross Country by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
No school ranked higher than Seton Hall University this year for Women's Cross Country. Located in South Orange, NJ, Seton Hall University is a private not-for-profit institution. Seton Hall University records an NCAA APR of 1000. Team revenue averages $26,641 per participant, against $26,641 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $32,496 per athlete.
Drew University landed the #2 spot for Women's Cross Country. Drew University is a private not-for-profit school based in Madison, NJ. The program generates about $2,262 in revenue per athlete, against $2,262 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Montclair State University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Based in Montclair, NJ, Montclair State University is a public institution. The program generates about $3,315 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,851 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Kean University landed the #4 spot for Women's Cross Country. Kean University is a public school based in Union, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,801, against $5,801 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Elizabeth University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Saint Elizabeth University is a private not-for-profit school based in Morristown, NJ. The program generates about $6,241 in revenue per athlete, against $6,241 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
New Jersey City University landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Jersey City, NJ, New Jersey City University is a public institution. The program generates about $5,795 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,017 spent per athlete. 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. 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.