by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 29 schools for Women’s Cross Country by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual scores each program on 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 earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country. Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Clinton, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,983, compared with $4,983 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Niagara University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country. Located in Niagara University, NY, Niagara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Niagara University records an NCAA APR of 1000. The program generates about $14,943 in revenue per athlete, compared with $14,798 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,462.
Vassar College ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Based in Poughkeepsie, NY, Vassar College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,225 per participant, compared with $4,119 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Yeshiva University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,007, with expenses of about $3,007 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ithaca College earned the #5 place for student athletes. Based in Ithaca, NY, Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,098, with expenses of about $5,098 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rochester Institute of Technology placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Rochester Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. Team revenue averages $5,912 per participant, with expenses of about $5,893 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,070.
Molloy University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Rockville Centre, NY, Molloy University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,279 in revenue per athlete, against $5,805 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $5,589 per athlete.
St Lawrence University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Canton, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,160, compared with $3,160 spent per athlete. The school awards about $3,126 in athletic aid per athlete.
St. John Fisher University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,492, with expenses of about $2,997 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Adelphi University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Located in Garden City, NY, Adelphi University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,058 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,058 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,963.
Bard College placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Bard College is a private not-for-profit school based in Annandale-On-Hudson, NY. The program generates about $3,238 in revenue per athlete, against $3,238 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Clarkson University landed the #12 spot this year. Based in Potsdam, NY, Clarkson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $1,956 per participant, compared with $2,037 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,842.
State University of New York at New Paltz came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in New Paltz, NY, State University of New York at New Paltz is a public institution. Team revenue averages $5,321 per participant, against $5,282 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Roberts Wesleyan University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Based in Rochester, NY, Roberts Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,412, compared with $6,435 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,925.
Hobart William Smith Colleges came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Based in Geneva, NY, Hobart William Smith Colleges is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $1,743 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $1,743 per participant. Athletic aid averages $50 per athlete.
Pace University came in at #16 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY. The program generates about $3,190 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,466 per participant. The school awards about $7,466 in athletic aid per athlete.
State University of New York at Cortland placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. State University of New York at Cortland is a public school based in Cortland, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,399, compared with $2,399 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Sarah Lawrence College did well this year, earning the #18 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bronxville, NY. The program generates about $652 in revenue per athlete, against $652 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Utica University placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Based in Utica, NY, Utica University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,780 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,342 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University at Albany came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Based in Albany, NY, University at Albany is a public institution. University at Albany records an NCAA APR of 989. Team revenue averages $1,143 per participant, against $1,332 in expenses. The school awards about $13,856 in athletic aid per athlete.
Manhattanville University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Purchase, NY. Team revenue averages $5,186 per participant, against $3,323 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mount Saint Vincent ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. University of Mount Saint Vincent is a private not-for-profit school based in Bronx, NY. The program generates about $1,687 in revenue per athlete, against $1,232 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Alfred University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Alfred University is a private not-for-profit school based in Alfred, NY. Team revenue averages $2,738 per participant, with expenses of about $2,574 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Farmingdale State College came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Farmingdale State College is a public school based in Farmingdale, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,041, with expenses of about $1,030 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hartwick College came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Oneonta, NY, Hartwick College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,896, against $3,896 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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.