by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 37 schools for Women’s Golf by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Chapman University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Orange, CA. Team revenue averages $15,653 per participant, with expenses of about $15,653 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Stanford University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Golf. 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.
Occidental College is one of the top schools for Women's Golf, at #3. Occidental College is a private not-for-profit school based in Los Angeles, CA. The program generates about $9,137 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,910 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of California-Santa Cruz came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Golf. Based in Santa Cruz, CA, University of California-Santa Cruz is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $35,443, compared with $35,443 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Southern California is one of the top schools for Women's Golf, at #5. 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%. The program generates about $257,630 in revenue per athlete, against $257,630 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $40,006 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, against $40,475 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,927 per athlete.
University of California-Los Angeles ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. University of California-Los Angeles is a public school based in Los Angeles, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 86% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $147,193 per participant, with expenses of about $147,193 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,306.
Pepperdine University did well this year, earning the #8 position. Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit school based in Malibu, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $139,383, with expenses of about $139,383 per participant. The school awards about $27,861 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of San Francisco placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Francisco, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $106,939 per participant, compared with $106,939 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $31,788 per athlete.
San Diego State University landed the #10 spot this year. This public school is set in San Diego, CA. San Diego State University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Team revenue averages $224,694 per participant, with expenses of about $296,939 per participant. Athletic aid averages $21,450 per athlete.
University of California-Berkeley landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Berkeley, CA, University of California-Berkeley is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $139,972, against $139,972 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,267.
Dominican University of California did well this year, earning the #12 position. Dominican University of California is a private not-for-profit school based in San Rafael, CA. Team revenue averages $24,597 per participant, against $24,597 in expenses. The school awards about $7,270 in athletic aid per athlete.
Santa Clara University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Santa Clara, CA, Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. 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 Lutheran University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Located in Thousand Oaks, CA, California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,159, with expenses of about $15,159 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
San Jose State University placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Based in San Jose, CA, San Jose State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $112,415, with expenses of about $112,415 per participant. The school awards about $16,034 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Redlands placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Based in Redlands, CA, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,302, with expenses of about $22,375 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
California State University-Sacramento landed the #17 spot this year. This public school is set in Sacramento, CA. California State University-Sacramento records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $110,750 per participant, compared with $110,750 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,560 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Davis placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Located in Davis, CA, University of California-Davis is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $53,321, compared with $53,321 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $14,267 per athlete.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo landed the #19 spot this year. Located in San Luis Obispo, CA, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Team revenue averages $105,386 per participant, against $105,386 in expenses. The school awards about $10,344 in athletic aid per athlete.
Biola University landed the #20 spot this year. Biola University is a private not-for-profit school based 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 Baptist University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Riverside, 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 56%. The program generates about $85,218 in revenue per athlete, against $83,442 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $23,790 per athlete.
California State University-Fresno did well this year, earning the #22 position. Based in Fresno, CA, California State University-Fresno is a public institution. California State University-Fresno records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 57%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $86,617, against $86,617 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $15,577 per athlete.
California State University-Long Beach ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. California State University-Long Beach is a public school based in Long Beach, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. The program generates about $91,708 in revenue per athlete, against $91,708 in expenses. The school awards about $8,770 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Irvine landed the #24 spot this year. Based in Irvine, CA, University of California-Irvine is a public institution. 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 83%. The program generates about $39,683 in revenue per athlete, compared with $39,683 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,955 per athlete.
Westmont College ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Located in Santa Barbara, CA, Westmont College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $21,929 in revenue per athlete, compared with $24,317 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,511 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. 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.