by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 121 colleges for Women’s Golf by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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:
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Golf. Located in Terre Haute, IN, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,975, with expenses of about $14,975 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Denison University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Denison University is a private not-for-profit school based in Granville, OH. Team revenue averages $16,770 per participant, with expenses of about $16,770 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Northwestern University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $158,607, compared with $206,804 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $53,919 per athlete.
Grand Valley State University landed the #4 spot for Women's Golf. Grand Valley State University is a public school based in Allendale, MI. Team revenue averages $59,959 per participant, with expenses of about $59,959 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,088 per athlete.
Kalamazoo College is one of the top schools for Women's Golf, at #5. Kalamazoo College is a private not-for-profit school based in Kalamazoo, MI. Team revenue averages $9,911 per participant, with expenses of about $9,911 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bloomington, IL. Team revenue averages $6,170 per participant, compared with $6,170 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Notre Dame came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Notre Dame, IN, University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution. 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 $153,602, with expenses of about $153,602 per participant. The school awards about $34,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
DePauw University placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Based in Greencastle, IN, DePauw University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $10,636 per participant, compared with $10,636 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Calvin University did well this year, earning the #9 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Grand Rapids, MI. The program generates about $9,683 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,683 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
The College of Wooster placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. The College of Wooster is a private not-for-profit school based in Wooster, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,373, against $8,941 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Located in Ann Arbor, MI, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 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 88%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,042, with expenses of about $131,690 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $28,650.
Xavier University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Xavier University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cincinnati, OH. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $78,289 in revenue per athlete, compared with $78,289 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $20,280 per athlete.
Purdue University-Main Campus landed the #13 spot this year. This public school is set in West Lafayette, IN. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $28,060 per participant, against $108,624 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,382.
Ohio State University-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #14 position. Located in Columbus, OH, Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 982, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $148,371 per participant, against $148,371 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,151.
North Central College landed the #15 spot this year. Located in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,516 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,649 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Michigan State University landed the #16 spot this year. Based in East Lansing, MI, Michigan State University is a public institution. Michigan State University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 78%. Team revenue averages $186,469 per participant, with expenses of about $186,469 per participant. Athletic aid averages $22,500 per athlete.
Lewis University did well this year, earning the #17 position. Based in Romeoville, IL, Lewis University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $29,113 per participant, with expenses of about $29,113 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,669.
Hope College came in at #18 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Holland, MI. The program generates about $3,643 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,643 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Loyola University Chicago ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 89%. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $59,150 in revenue per athlete, against $59,150 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $23,325 per athlete.
Milwaukee School of Engineering came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Milwaukee School of Engineering is a private not-for-profit school based in Milwaukee, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,349, against $4,349 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire came in at #21 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Eau Claire, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,729, with expenses of about $8,865 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
John Carroll University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Based in University Heights, OH, John Carroll University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,756 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,756 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-Madison landed the #23 spot this year. This public school is set in Madison, WI. University of Wisconsin-Madison records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 86% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,475, with expenses of about $141,362 per participant. The school awards about $21,586 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ohio Northern University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Based in Ada, OH, Ohio Northern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,081 per participant, compared with $5,081 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #25 position. University of Cincinnati-Main Campus is a public school based in Cincinnati, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $131,965 per participant, against $131,965 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,882.
These programs also stood out among the best 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.