2026 Best Colleges for Women’s Golf (Division I) in California
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 20 schools for Women’s Golf (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Top 20 Colleges for Women’s Golf (Division I)
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best college for Women's Golf (Division I) in California. Based in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $298,355, with expenses of about $298,355 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $42,012.
University of Southern California landed the #2 spot for Women's Golf (Division I). Located in Los Angeles, CA, University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. The program generates about $257,630 in revenue per athlete, compared with $257,630 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $40,006 per athlete.
University of California-Los Angeles is one of the top schools for Women's Golf (Division I), at #3. This public school is set in Los Angeles, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Team revenue averages $147,193 per participant, with expenses of about $147,193 per participant. Athletic aid averages $24,306 per athlete.
Pepperdine University landed the #4 spot for Women's Golf (Division I). Based in Malibu, CA, Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit institution. Pepperdine University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $139,383 per participant, against $139,383 in expenses. The school awards about $27,861 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of San Francisco is one of the top schools for Women's Golf (Division I), at #5. University of San Francisco is a private not-for-profit school based in San Francisco, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $106,939 in revenue per athlete, compared with $106,939 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $31,788 per athlete.
San Diego State University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf (Division I). San Diego State University is a public school based in San Diego, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. The program generates about $224,694 in revenue per athlete, compared with $296,939 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $21,450 per athlete.
University of California-Berkeley did well this year, earning the #7 position. This public school is set in Berkeley, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. About 86% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $139,972, compared with $139,972 spent per athlete. The school awards about $21,267 in athletic aid per athlete.
San Jose State University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf (Division I). San Jose State University is a public school based in San Jose, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Team revenue averages $112,415 per participant, with expenses of about $112,415 per participant. The school awards about $16,034 in athletic aid per athlete.
Santa Clara University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in Santa Clara, CA, Santa Clara 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. The program generates about $68,870 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $68,870 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,355.
California State University-Sacramento placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Golf (Division I). Located in Sacramento, CA, California State University-Sacramento is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $110,750, against $110,750 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,560 per athlete.
California Baptist University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf (Division I). California Baptist University is a private not-for-profit school based in Riverside, CA. California Baptist University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 56%. Team revenue averages $85,218 per participant, compared with $83,442 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $23,790 per athlete.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Golf (Division I). This public school is set in San Luis Obispo, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. The program generates about $105,386 in revenue per athlete, against $105,386 in expenses. The school awards about $10,344 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Davis placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Golf (Division I). Based in Davis, CA, University of California-Davis is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 88%. The program generates about $53,321 in revenue per athlete, compared with $53,321 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,267.
California State University-Fresno landed the #14 spot this year. California State University-Fresno is a public school based in Fresno, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 57%. The program generates about $86,617 in revenue per athlete, against $86,617 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,577.
University of California-Irvine landed the #15 spot this year. This public school is set in Irvine, CA. University of California-Irvine records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,683, with expenses of about $39,683 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,955.
California State University-Long Beach landed the #16 spot this year. California State University-Long Beach is a public school based in Long Beach, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $91,708 per participant, compared with $91,708 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,770.
California State University-Northridge landed the #17 spot this year. California State University-Northridge is a public school based in Northridge, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 980, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 33%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $65,096, with expenses of about $52,838 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,174 per athlete.
University of California-Riverside ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf (Division I). Based in Riverside, CA, University of California-Riverside is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Team revenue averages $44,850 per participant, with expenses of about $44,850 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,154 per athlete.
California State University-Fullerton landed the #19 spot this year. This public school is set in Fullerton, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 976, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. The program generates about $65,293 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $65,293 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,497 per athlete.
California State University-Bakersfield placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Golf (Division I). Based in Bakersfield, CA, California State University-Bakersfield is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 83%. Its federal graduation rate is 25%. Team revenue averages $36,327 per participant, compared with $36,327 spent per athlete. The school awards about $10,121 in athletic aid per athlete.
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Notes and References
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
