by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 21 schools for Women’s Golf (Division III) in Plains States by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Leading the list is Washington University in St Louis, our #1 college for Women's Golf (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in St. Louis, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,653, against $22,257 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Carleton College ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Golf (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Northfield, MN. Team revenue averages $10,728 per participant, with expenses of about $10,977 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Macalester College is one of the top schools for Women's Golf (Division III) in Plains States, at #3. Based in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,038 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,009 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Grinnell College earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Grinnell, IA, Grinnell College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,167 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,167 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Gustavus Adolphus College earned the #5 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Peter, MN. Team revenue averages $7,783 per participant, with expenses of about $7,783 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Olaf College ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Northfield, MN. The program generates about $7,168 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,168 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Wartburg College placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Golf (Division III) in Plains States. Located in Waverly, IA, Wartburg College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,527 per participant, compared with $11,527 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
St Catherine University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf (Division III) in Plains States. Based in Saint Paul, MN, St Catherine University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,409 per participant, compared with $12,409 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Martin Luther College placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Golf (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in New Ulm, MN. Team revenue averages $4,084 per participant, compared with $4,084 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Luther College ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf (Division III) in Plains States. Based in Decorah, IA, Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,561, with expenses of about $3,322 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Northwestern-St Paul ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf (Division III) in Plains States. University of Northwestern-St Paul is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Paul, MN. Team revenue averages $6,547 per participant, compared with $6,547 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Loras College ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf (Division III) in Plains States. Loras College is a private not-for-profit school based in Dubuque, IA. Team revenue averages $4,670 per participant, with expenses of about $4,670 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Nebraska Wesleyan University placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Golf (Division III) in Plains States. Based in Lincoln, NE, Nebraska Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,588, against $2,891 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Simpson College did well this year, earning the #14 position. Based in Indianola, IA, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,305 per participant, with expenses of about $5,046 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bethany Lutheran College placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Golf (Division III) in Plains States. Bethany Lutheran College is a private not-for-profit school based in Mankato, MN. Team revenue averages $7,552 per participant, with expenses of about $7,499 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Buena Vista University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Buena Vista University is a private not-for-profit school based in Storm Lake, IA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,521, with expenses of about $7,474 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Dubuque came in at #17 in this year's ranking. University of Dubuque is a private not-for-profit school based in Dubuque, IA. The program generates about $8,195 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,300 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Coe College came in at #18 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cedar Rapids, IA. Team revenue averages $5,365 per participant, with expenses of about $5,365 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
North Central University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Located in Minneapolis, MN, North Central University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $2,181 per participant, with expenses of about $2,181 per participant. Athletic aid averages $49 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.