by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 18 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:
No school ranked higher than Clemson University this year for Women's Golf. Clemson University is a public school based in Clemson, SC. Clemson University records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 88%. Team revenue averages $147,728 per participant, compared with $147,728 spent per athlete. The school awards about $21,730 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of South Carolina-Columbia came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Golf. Based in Columbia, SC, University of South Carolina-Columbia is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. The program generates about $192,536 in revenue per athlete, compared with $192,536 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,645.
North Greenville University is one of the top schools for Women's Golf, at #3. This private not-for-profit school is set in Tigerville, SC. Team revenue averages $30,078 per participant, compared with $30,311 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,158.
Furman University is one of the top schools for Women's Golf, at #4. Based in Greenville, SC, Furman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Furman University records an NCAA APR of 989, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $125,290 per participant, against $125,290 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $28,699 per athlete.
College of Charleston came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Golf. Located in Charleston, SC, College of Charleston is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $72,444, compared with $72,444 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,551 per athlete.
Wofford College placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Spartanburg, SC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Team revenue averages $84,203 per participant, compared with $84,203 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $26,368 per athlete.
Coastal Carolina University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. This public school is set in Conway, SC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $88,551 per participant, compared with $88,551 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $19,875 per athlete.
Lander University did well this year, earning the #8 position. This public school is set in Greenwood, SC. The program generates about $40,285 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $25,396 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,383.
Charleston Southern University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Located in Charleston, SC, Charleston Southern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Charleston Southern University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 50%. About 33% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $41,871, against $41,871 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,092.
Citadel Military College of South Carolina placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Citadel Military College of South Carolina is a public school based in Charleston, SC. Citadel Military College of South Carolina records an NCAA APR of 989, alongside a GSR of 80%. The federal graduation rate stands at 57%. Team revenue averages $58,013 per participant, compared with $44,074 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,439 in athletic aid per athlete.
Erskine College came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Based in Due West, SC, Erskine College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $30,023 in revenue per athlete, against $30,023 in expenses. The school awards about $3,924 in athletic aid per athlete.
Winthrop University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Rock Hill, SC. Winthrop University records an NCAA APR of 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 90%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,130, with expenses of about $27,130 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,244 per athlete.
Converse University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Based in Spartanburg, SC, Converse University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $28,836 per participant, against $24,444 in expenses. The school awards about $7,241 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of South Carolina-Upstate came in at #14 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Spartanburg, SC. University of South Carolina-Upstate records an NCAA APR of 983, and a 83% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. Team revenue averages $37,074 per participant, against $37,074 in expenses. The school awards about $9,411 in athletic aid per athlete.
Presbyterian College placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Located in Clinton, SC, Presbyterian College is a private not-for-profit institution. Presbyterian College records an NCAA APR of 972, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. The program generates about $31,153 in revenue per athlete, against $31,153 in expenses. The school awards about $11,454 in athletic aid per athlete.
Newberry College landed the #16 spot this year. Newberry College is a private not-for-profit school based in Newberry, SC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,842, against $18,197 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $5,596 per athlete.
University of South Carolina Beaufort landed the #17 spot this year. University of South Carolina Beaufort is a public school based in Bluffton, SC. The program generates about $20,305 in revenue per athlete, against $18,342 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,478.
Coker University placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. Based in Hartsville, SC, Coker University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,190, against $22,966 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,938 per athlete.
*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.