by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 26 colleges 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.
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Explore the leading programs below:
No school ranked higher than Northwestern University this year for Women's Golf. Located in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $158,607 in revenue per athlete, against $206,804 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $53,919 per athlete.
Illinois Wesleyan University is one of the top schools for Women's Golf, at #2. Located in Bloomington, IL, Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,170 per participant, compared with $6,170 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
North Central College came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Golf. Located in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,516 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,649 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lewis University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Lewis University is a private not-for-profit school based in Romeoville, IL. The program generates about $29,113 in revenue per athlete, against $29,113 in expenses. The school awards about $9,669 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lake Forest College ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Based in Lake Forest, IL, Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,327 per participant, compared with $7,327 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Loyola University Chicago ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Based in Chicago, IL, Loyola University Chicago 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 89%. The federal graduation rate stands at 88%. Team revenue averages $59,150 per participant, with expenses of about $59,150 per participant. The school awards about $23,325 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Illinois Chicago came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Chicago, IL, University of Illinois Chicago is a public 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. Team revenue averages $57,604 per participant, with expenses of about $57,604 per participant. Athletic aid averages $15,167 per athlete.
Illinois State University landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Normal, IL, Illinois State University is a public 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%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $47,328, with expenses of about $47,328 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,477.
Northern Illinois University landed the #9 spot this year. This public school is set in Dekalb, IL. 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 86%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $62,536, compared with $62,536 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,138 per athlete.
Elmhurst University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Based in Elmhurst, IL, Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,713 per participant, against $4,593 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Champaign, IL, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 83% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $27,650 per participant, with expenses of about $126,185 per participant. Athletic aid averages $25,398 per athlete.
Bradley University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Based in Peoria, IL, Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 984, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $83,330, compared with $83,330 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,583 per athlete.
University of Illinois Springfield landed the #13 spot this year. Based in Springfield, IL, University of Illinois Springfield is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,348, against $21,348 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,768.
Illinois College landed the #14 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Jacksonville, IL. Team revenue averages $12,055 per participant, against $12,055 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Western Illinois University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. This public school is set in Macomb, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 88%. Team revenue averages $25,550 per participant, with expenses of about $25,550 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,303.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. This public school is set in Carbondale, IL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. The program generates about $29,424 in revenue per athlete, compared with $29,424 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,525 in athletic aid per athlete.
Eastern Illinois University ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Located in Charleston, IL, Eastern Illinois 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 100%. Team revenue averages $20,968 per participant, compared with $20,968 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,653 per athlete.
McKendree University did well this year, earning the #18 position. McKendree University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lebanon, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,961, compared with $18,961 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,695.
North Park University placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Located in Chicago, IL, North Park University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,175 per participant, with expenses of about $12,175 per participant. The school awards about $32 in athletic aid per athlete.
Millikin University did well this year, earning the #20 position. Located in Decatur, IL, Millikin University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,750 in revenue per athlete, against $11,750 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Aurora University placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Aurora, IL. Team revenue averages $6,958 per participant, compared with $6,958 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Quincy University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Quincy, IL. The program generates about $21,853 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $21,714 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,507.
Chicago State University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Located in Chicago, IL, Chicago State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 958, alongside a GSR of 83%. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $56,706 per participant, against $56,706 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,877 per athlete.
Blackburn College came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Based in Carlinville, IL, Blackburn College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,242 per participant, with expenses of about $4,242 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Rockford University landed the #25 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rockford, IL. Team revenue averages $1,109 per participant, with expenses of about $1,109 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid 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. 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.