by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 61 programs for Women’s Golf 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.
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Chapman University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Golf. Based in Orange, CA, Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,653, against $15,653 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of California-Santa Cruz is one of the top schools for Women's Golf, at #2. Based in Santa Cruz, CA, University of California-Santa Cruz is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $35,443, against $35,443 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Stanford University earned the #3 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Stanford, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $298,355 per participant, compared with $298,355 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $42,012.
Occidental College landed the #4 spot for Women's Golf. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Occidental College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,137 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,910 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Whitman College ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Whitman College is a private not-for-profit school based in Walla Walla, WA. The program generates about $15,305 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,696 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Point Loma Nazarene University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in San Diego, CA, Point Loma Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,981, with expenses of about $40,475 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,927 per athlete.
University of Southern California landed the #7 spot this year. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit school based in Los Angeles, CA. University of Southern California records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 60%. Team revenue averages $257,630 per participant, compared with $257,630 spent per athlete. The school awards about $40,006 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Los Angeles landed the #8 spot this year. University of California-Los Angeles is a public school based in Los Angeles, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. The program generates about $147,193 in revenue per athlete, compared with $147,193 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,306.
Pepperdine University landed the #9 spot this year. Located in Malibu, CA, Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $139,383, with expenses of about $139,383 per participant. Athletic aid averages $27,861 per athlete.
University of San Francisco ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Based in San Francisco, CA, University of San Francisco is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $106,939 in revenue per athlete, compared with $106,939 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $31,788 per athlete.
California Lutheran University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit school based in Thousand Oaks, CA. The program generates about $15,159 in revenue per athlete, against $15,159 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
San Diego State University did well this year, earning the #12 position. This public school is set in San Diego, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $224,694, compared with $296,939 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,450.
Dominican University of California did well this year, earning the #13 position. Based in San Rafael, CA, Dominican University of California is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $24,597 per participant, against $24,597 in expenses. The school awards about $7,270 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Berkeley placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. This public school is set in Berkeley, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. The program generates about $139,972 in revenue per athlete, compared with $139,972 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,267.
Oregon State University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Oregon State University is a public school based in Corvallis, OR. Oregon State University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $141,601 per participant, compared with $141,601 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,022.
Santa Clara University landed the #16 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Santa Clara, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $68,870 per participant, compared with $68,870 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,355.
Gonzaga University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Spokane, WA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. Team revenue averages $154,699 per participant, with expenses of about $129,259 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,963 per athlete.
University of Redlands placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit school based in Redlands, CA. Team revenue averages $25,302 per participant, with expenses of about $22,375 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
San Jose State University did well this year, earning the #19 position. Based in San Jose, CA, San Jose State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. The program generates about $112,415 in revenue per athlete, against $112,415 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $16,034 per athlete.
Lewis & Clark College came in at #20 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Portland, OR. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,110, against $17,110 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. This public school is set in Seattle, WA. University of Washington-Seattle Campus records an NCAA APR of 996, and a 83% Graduation Success Rate. About 64% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $68,891 per participant, against $200,491 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,539.
Biola University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in La Mirada, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $36,404, against $36,404 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $12,338 per athlete.
California State University-Sacramento ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. California State University-Sacramento is a public school based in Sacramento, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $110,750 per participant, compared with $110,750 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,560.
Seattle University placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Seattle University is a private not-for-profit school based in Seattle, WA. Seattle University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $61,171 per participant, compared with $61,171 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $19,482 per athlete.
University of Nevada-Las Vegas did well this year, earning the #25 position. This public school is set in Las Vegas, NV. University of Nevada-Las Vegas records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Team revenue averages $79,984 per participant, with expenses of about $107,944 per participant. The school awards about $23,395 in athletic aid per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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
See our data sources and methodologies.