by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 635 schools for Women’s Golf by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Washington University in St Louis earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Golf. Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit school based in St. Louis, MO. Team revenue averages $23,653 per participant, against $22,257 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Emory University is one of the top schools for Women's Golf, at #2. Emory University is a private not-for-profit school based in Atlanta, GA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,403, with expenses of about $22,755 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
New York University is one of the top schools for Women's Golf, at #3. Based in New York, NY, New York University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $18,302 per participant, with expenses of about $17,567 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Washington and Lee University is one of the top schools for Women's Golf, at #4. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lexington, VA. The program generates about $20,704 in revenue per athlete, against $20,704 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Carnegie Mellon University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit school based in Pittsburgh, PA. Team revenue averages $17,035 per participant, compared with $17,722 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Amherst College placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Based in Amherst, MA, Amherst College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,953, against $18,953 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Duquesne University placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Located in Pittsburgh, PA, Duquesne University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $44,053 in revenue per athlete, against $44,053 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,755 per athlete.
Bowdoin College ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Bowdoin College is a private not-for-profit school based in Brunswick, ME. The program generates about $14,893 in revenue per athlete, against $12,391 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Middlebury College landed the #9 spot this year. Middlebury College is a private not-for-profit school based in Middlebury, VT. The program generates about $14,066 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $14,066 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Wellesley College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Wellesley, MA, Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,225, with expenses of about $14,225 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Williams College placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Williams College is a private not-for-profit school based in Williamstown, MA. Team revenue averages $12,228 per participant, compared with $12,228 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Santa Cruz landed the #12 spot this year. University of California-Santa Cruz is a public school based in Santa Cruz, CA. The program generates about $35,443 in revenue per athlete, against $35,443 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Chapman University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Orange, CA. The program generates about $15,653 in revenue per athlete, against $15,653 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hamilton College ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Clinton, NY. The program generates about $13,246 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,246 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Point Loma Nazarene University landed the #15 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Diego, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,981, compared with $40,475 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,927 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rhodes College landed the #16 spot this year. Rhodes College is a private not-for-profit school based in Memphis, TN. Team revenue averages $21,620 per participant, with expenses of about $21,620 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Carleton College came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Based in Northfield, MN, Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,728, against $10,977 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bates College landed the #18 spot this year. Bates College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lewiston, ME. Team revenue averages $11,604 per participant, compared with $8,260 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rollins College came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Located in Winter Park, FL, Rollins College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $73,069, against $73,069 in expenses. The school awards about $11,632 in athletic aid per athlete.
Babson College landed the #20 spot this year. Located in Wellesley, MA, Babson College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,275 in revenue per athlete, against $9,275 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Northwestern University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Based in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $158,607 per participant, compared with $206,804 spent per athlete. The school awards about $53,919 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stanford University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Located in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $298,355 in revenue per athlete, against $298,355 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $42,012 per athlete.
Duke University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Duke University is a private not-for-profit school based in Durham, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $214,423 in revenue per athlete, against $212,092 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,321.
Denison University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in Granville, OH, Denison University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,770, compared with $16,770 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Based in Terre Haute, IN, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,975, compared with $14,975 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
To learn more about the colleges below, click on their names:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Clemson University | Clemson, SC |
| 52 | Elizabethtown College | Elizabethtown, PA |
| 53 | University of Richmond | University of Richmond, VA |
| 54 | Nova Southeastern University | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
| 55 | Dominican University of California | San Rafael, CA |
| 56 | Kalamazoo College | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 57 | Biola University | La Mirada, CA |
| 58 | Bentley University | Waltham, MA |
| 59 | Calvin University | Grand Rapids, MI |
| 60 | St Olaf College | Northfield, MN |
| 61 | University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley, CA |
| 62 | Southern Methodist University | Dallas, TX |
| 63 | Eckerd College | Saint Petersburg, FL |
| 64 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 65 | Santa Clara University | Santa Clara, CA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 91 | University of Scranton | Scranton, PA |
| 92 | Muhlenberg College | Allentown, PA |
These schools also stood out this year:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 93 | Lewis & Clark College | Portland, OR |
| 94 | Xavier University | Cincinnati, OH |
| 95 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 96 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI |
| 97 | Mississippi State University | Mississippi State, MS |
| 98 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 99 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Blacksburg, VA |
| 100 | Maryville University of Saint Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
| 101 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | Cincinnati, OH |
| 102 | Dallas Baptist University | Dallas, TX |
| 103 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | Raleigh, NC |
| 104 | Gustavus Adolphus College | Saint Peter, MN |
| 105 | George Fox University | Newberg, OR |
| 106 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | University Park, PA |
| 107 | Indiana University-Bloomington | Bloomington, IN |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 108 | Purdue University-Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN |
| 109 | The College of Wooster | Wooster, OH |
| 110 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ |
| 111 | University of Tulsa | Tulsa, OK |
| 112 | The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX |
| 113 | John Carroll University | University Heights, OH |
| 114 | Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, TX |
| 115 | Seattle University | Seattle, WA |
| 116 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 117 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA |
| 118 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison, WI |
| 119 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS |
| 120 | San Jose State University | San Jose, CA |
| 121 | Gonzaga University | Spokane, WA |
| 122 | University of Mississippi | University, MS |
| 123 | Hope College | Holland, MI |
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.