by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 86 schools for Women’s Golf by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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:
No school ranked higher than Carnegie Mellon University this year for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Pittsburgh, PA. The program generates about $17,035 in revenue per athlete, against $17,722 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
New York University landed the #2 spot for Women's Golf. Located in New York, NY, New York University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $18,302 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $17,567 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Hamilton College landed the #3 spot for Women's Golf. Located in Clinton, NY, Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,246 per participant, compared with $13,246 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Duquesne University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Duquesne University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $44,053, against $44,053 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,755.
Union College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Golf. Union College is a private not-for-profit school based in Schenectady, NY. The program generates about $9,826 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,826 per participant. The school awards about $2,499 in athletic aid per athlete.
Vassar College ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Poughkeepsie, NY. Team revenue averages $7,168 per participant, compared with $7,080 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Franklin and Marshall College landed the #7 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lancaster, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,693, against $7,214 in expenses. The school awards about $53 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Maryland-College Park did well this year, earning the #8 position. University of Maryland-College Park is a public school based in College Park, MD. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $28,123 in revenue per athlete, compared with $110,905 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $30,606 per athlete.
Gettysburg College landed the #9 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Gettysburg, PA. Team revenue averages $5,908 per participant, against $5,908 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Seton Hall University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Located in South Orange, NJ, Seton Hall University is a private not-for-profit institution. Seton Hall University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 88%. Team revenue averages $91,415 per participant, with expenses of about $91,415 per participant. The school awards about $32,496 in athletic aid per athlete.
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus landed the #11 spot this year. Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus is a public school based in University Park, PA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $32,798 per participant, against $87,565 in expenses. The school awards about $25,170 in athletic aid per athlete.
Georgetown University placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit school based in Washington, DC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,209, against $40,209 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,232 per athlete.
Elizabethtown College landed the #13 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Elizabethtown, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,415, against $8,415 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
St. John Fisher University did well this year, earning the #14 position. Based in Rochester, NY, St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,320, compared with $13,852 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Team revenue averages $16,848 per participant, against $16,848 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,694.
St Lawrence University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit school based in Canton, NY. The program generates about $8,750 in revenue per athlete, against $8,750 in expenses. The school awards about $3,126 in athletic aid per athlete.
Muhlenberg College came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Allentown, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,747, compared with $6,747 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Rutgers University-New Brunswick came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers University-New Brunswick is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, and a 86% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. The program generates about $162,026 in revenue per athlete, against $162,026 in expenses. The school awards about $26,379 in athletic aid per athlete.
Dickinson College did well this year, earning the #19 position. Based in Carlisle, PA, Dickinson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $2,720 per participant, against $2,418 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ithaca College did well this year, earning the #20 position. Located in Ithaca, NY, Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,329 per participant, against $12,329 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Scranton ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Scranton, PA. The program generates about $3,463 in revenue per athlete, against $3,463 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Towson University landed the #22 spot this year. Located in Towson, MD, Towson University 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 89%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,571, with expenses of about $48,571 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,919 per athlete.
University of Delaware placed #23 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. This public school is set in Newark, DE. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 82% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $111,736, against $111,736 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,002.
Monmouth University placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in West Long Branch, NJ. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. Team revenue averages $57,722 per participant, compared with $57,722 spent per athlete. The school awards about $20,376 in athletic aid per athlete.
St. John's University-New York came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Queens, NY, St. John's University-New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 80%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $69,443, against $69,443 in expenses. The school awards about $29,040 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. Programs are scored on 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.
