by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 6 schools 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Explore the leading programs below:
No school ranked higher than Colby College this year for Women's Cross Country. Colby College is a private not-for-profit school based in Waterville, ME. The program generates about $8,112 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,112 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Maine Maritime Academy earned the #2 place for student athletes. Maine Maritime Academy is a public school based in Castine, ME. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,033, compared with $6,033 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of New England landed the #3 spot for Women's Cross Country. Based in Biddeford, ME, University of New England is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $2,844 per participant, with expenses of about $2,844 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Husson University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country. Husson University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bangor, ME. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,370, with expenses of about $3,370 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Thomas College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waterville, ME. Team revenue averages $6,436 per participant, against $6,382 in expenses. The school awards about $244 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.