by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 17 colleges for Women’s Cross Country in Plains States 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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Learn more about these schools below:
St Olaf College tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Cross Country in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Northfield, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,232, with expenses of about $6,079 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rockhurst University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country in Plains States. Located in Kansas City, MO, Rockhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,590 per participant, compared with $5,590 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,130 in athletic aid per athlete.
Grinnell College came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Cross Country in Plains States. Located in Grinnell, IA, Grinnell College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $2,045 per participant, against $2,045 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Cornell College landed the #4 spot for Women's Cross Country in Plains States. Cornell College is a private not-for-profit school based in Mount Vernon, IA. The program generates about $4,643 in revenue per athlete, against $3,862 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Loras College landed the #5 spot for Women's Cross Country in Plains States. Based in Dubuque, IA, Loras College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,428, against $4,428 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Northwestern-St Paul came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Saint Paul, MN, University of Northwestern-St Paul is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,013 in revenue per athlete, against $4,013 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Webster University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country in Plains States. Located in Saint Louis, MO, Webster University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,001 per participant, compared with $6,380 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Newman University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wichita, KS. Team revenue averages $15,419 per participant, against $15,419 in expenses. The school awards about $10,192 in athletic aid per athlete.
Martin Luther College came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in New Ulm, MN, Martin Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $1,490 per participant, compared with $1,490 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Winona State University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Based in Winona, MN, Winona State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,977, compared with $1,977 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,907 per athlete.
Augsburg University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Augsburg University is a private not-for-profit school based in Minneapolis, MN. Team revenue averages $7,127 per participant, compared with $7,127 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Wartburg College did well this year, earning the #12 position. Based in Waverly, IA, Wartburg College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,927, with expenses of about $1,927 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Crookston ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country in Plains States. Based in Crookston, MN, University of Minnesota-Crookston is a public institution. The program generates about $14,353 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $14,353 per participant. The school awards about $7,101 in athletic aid per athlete.
Southwest Baptist University landed the #14 spot this year. Based in Bolivar, MO, Southwest Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $12,916 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,916 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,015 in athletic aid per athlete.
Coe College landed the #15 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cedar Rapids, IA. The program generates about $3,422 in revenue per athlete, against $3,422 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bethany Lutheran College landed the #16 spot this year. Based in Mankato, MN, Bethany Lutheran College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $2,981 per participant, against $3,033 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Dubuque came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Dubuque, IA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,447, with expenses of about $3,422 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.