by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 22 programs for Women’s Golf by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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:
Leading the list is New York University, our #1 college for Women's Golf. New York University is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY. Team revenue averages $18,302 per participant, against $17,567 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hamilton College is one of the top schools for Women's Golf, at #2. Located in Clinton, NY, Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,246 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,246 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Vassar College came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Golf. Vassar College is a private not-for-profit school based in Poughkeepsie, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,168, against $7,080 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Union College ranked #4 among the best colleges 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, against $9,826 in expenses. The school awards about $2,499 in athletic aid per athlete.
St. John Fisher University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY. Team revenue averages $14,320 per participant, compared with $13,852 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University at Albany did well this year, earning the #6 position. University at Albany is a public school based in Albany, NY. University at Albany records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. The program generates about $55,574 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $54,648 per participant. The school awards about $13,856 in athletic aid per athlete.
St. John's University-New York came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Queens, NY, St. John's University-New York is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 991, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. Team revenue averages $69,443 per participant, with expenses of about $69,443 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $29,040.
Hofstra University did well this year, earning the #8 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hempstead, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 63%. Team revenue averages $30,600 per participant, against $30,600 in expenses. The school awards about $22,514 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Lawrence University did well this year, earning the #9 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Canton, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,750, against $8,750 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,126.
Niagara University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Located in Niagara University, NY, Niagara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Niagara University records an NCAA APR of 971, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $21,398 in revenue per athlete, compared with $21,398 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,462.
Ithaca College placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Ithaca, NY. Team revenue averages $12,329 per participant, with expenses of about $12,329 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Wagner College came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Staten Island, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 83% Graduation Success Rate. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,335, against $19,335 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,661.
Adelphi University placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Adelphi University is a private not-for-profit school based in Garden City, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,010, with expenses of about $13,010 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,963.
Columbia University in the City of New York placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Team revenue averages $46,331 per participant, against $46,331 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Nazareth University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Based in Rochester, NY, Nazareth University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,597, compared with $8,814 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Le Moyne College placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Based in Syracuse, NY, Le Moyne College is a private not-for-profit institution. Le Moyne College records an NCAA APR of 934, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $15,915 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,396 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,944 per athlete.
State University of New York at Cortland did well this year, earning the #17 position. Located in Cortland, NY, State University of New York at Cortland is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,597, with expenses of about $13,597 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Hobart William Smith Colleges did well this year, earning the #18 position. Based in Geneva, NY, Hobart William Smith Colleges is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $3,764 per participant, against $3,764 in expenses. The school awards about $50 in athletic aid per athlete.
Utica University did well this year, earning the #19 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Utica, NY. Team revenue averages $2,852 per participant, with expenses of about $2,401 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Keuka College came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Keuka College is a private not-for-profit school based in Keuka Park, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,497, against $2,497 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.