by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 196 colleges for Women’s Golf (Division III) 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.
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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Washington University in St Louis tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Golf (Division III). Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit school based in St. Louis, MO. The program generates about $23,653 in revenue per athlete, against $22,257 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Emory University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Golf (Division III). Located in Atlanta, GA, Emory University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,403, against $22,755 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Washington and Lee University is one of the top schools for Women's Golf (Division III), at #3. Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lexington, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,704, with expenses of about $20,704 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Carnegie Mellon University landed the #4 spot for Women's Golf (Division III). Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $17,035 in revenue per athlete, compared with $17,722 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
New York University landed the #5 spot for Women's Golf (Division III). New York University is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY. Team revenue averages $18,302 per participant, against $17,567 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Amherst College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in Amherst, MA, Amherst College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $18,953 in revenue per athlete, compared with $18,953 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bowdoin College came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Brunswick, ME, Bowdoin College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $14,893 per participant, with expenses of about $12,391 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Middlebury College did well this year, earning the #8 position. Middlebury College is a private not-for-profit school based in Middlebury, VT. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,066, against $14,066 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wellesley College came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in Wellesley, MA, Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $14,225 per participant, compared with $14,225 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Williams College ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf (Division III). Williams College is a private not-for-profit school based in Williamstown, MA. The program generates about $12,228 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,228 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hamilton College did well this year, earning the #11 position. Located in Clinton, NY, Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,246 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,246 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Chapman University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf (Division III). Located in Orange, CA, Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $15,653 per participant, compared with $15,653 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Rhodes College placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Golf (Division III). Based in Memphis, TN, Rhodes College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,620, with expenses of about $21,620 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Carleton College did well this year, earning the #14 position. Located in Northfield, MN, Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,728 in revenue per athlete, against $10,977 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bates College came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Located in Lewiston, ME, Bates College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,604 per participant, compared with $8,260 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of California-Santa Cruz came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Located in Santa Cruz, CA, University of California-Santa Cruz is a public institution. Team revenue averages $35,443 per participant, with expenses of about $35,443 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Terre Haute, IN. The program generates about $14,975 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $14,975 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Denison University landed the #18 spot this year. Based in Granville, OH, Denison University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $16,770 per participant, compared with $16,770 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Babson College placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Golf (Division III). Located in Wellesley, MA, Babson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,275, against $9,275 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Centre College ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf (Division III). Located in Danville, KY, Centre College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,523, against $12,524 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Whitman College placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Golf (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Walla Walla, WA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,305, with expenses of about $13,696 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Christopher Newport University did well this year, earning the #22 position. This public school is set in Newport News, VA. Team revenue averages $20,154 per participant, with expenses of about $20,154 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Union College came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Union College is a private not-for-profit school based in Schenectady, NY. The program generates about $9,826 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,826 spent per athlete. The school awards about $2,499 in athletic aid per athlete.
Macalester College came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,038 per participant, compared with $9,009 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Berry College came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Berry College is a private not-for-profit school based in Mount Berry, GA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,852, compared with $25,507 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.