by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 7 colleges 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.
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Jump to the options below.
Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is St Olaf College, our #1 college for Women's Cross Country. St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit school based in Northfield, MN. Team revenue averages $6,232 per participant, compared with $6,079 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Northwestern-St Paul landed the #2 spot for Women's Cross Country. University of Northwestern-St Paul is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Paul, MN. Team revenue averages $4,013 per participant, with expenses of about $4,013 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Martin Luther College landed the #3 spot for Women's Cross Country. This private not-for-profit school is set in New Ulm, MN. Team revenue averages $1,490 per participant, against $1,490 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Winona State University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Cross Country. Winona State University is a public school based in Winona, MN. Team revenue averages $1,977 per participant, compared with $1,977 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,907.
University of Minnesota-Crookston landed the #5 spot for Women's Cross Country. Located in Crookston, MN, University of Minnesota-Crookston is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,353, with expenses of about $14,353 per participant. The school awards about $7,101 in athletic aid per athlete.
Augsburg University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Based in Minneapolis, MN, Augsburg University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,127 per participant, with expenses of about $7,127 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bethany Lutheran College ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Cross Country. Bethany Lutheran College is a private not-for-profit school based in Mankato, MN. The program generates about $2,981 in revenue per athlete, compared with $3,033 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
See our data sources and methodologies.