by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 13 colleges for Women’s Golf by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is Grinnell College, our #1 college for Women's Golf. Located in Grinnell, IA, Grinnell College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,167 per participant, against $7,167 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Drake University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Des Moines, IA. Drake University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 78% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $46,493 in revenue per athlete, compared with $46,493 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,413.
Wartburg College is one of the top schools for Women's Golf, at #3. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waverly, IA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,527, compared with $11,527 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Northern Iowa is one of the top schools for Women's Golf, at #4. This public school is set in Cedar Falls, IA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $15,550 in revenue per athlete, against $15,550 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,720.
University of Iowa came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Golf. This public school is set in Iowa City, IA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. Team revenue averages $8,297 per participant, with expenses of about $107,720 per participant. The school awards about $21,176 in athletic aid per athlete.
Luther College did well this year, earning the #6 position. Luther College is a private not-for-profit school based in Decorah, IA. Team revenue averages $3,561 per participant, against $3,322 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loras College came in at #7 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Dubuque, IA. Team revenue averages $4,670 per participant, against $4,670 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Iowa State University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. Iowa State University is a public school based in Ames, IA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 63%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,595, compared with $216,378 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,185 in athletic aid per athlete.
Simpson College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Indianola, IA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,305, with expenses of about $5,046 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Buena Vista University landed the #10 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Storm Lake, IA. The program generates about $7,521 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,474 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Upper Iowa University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Fayette, IA. The program generates about $17,607 in revenue per athlete, compared with $16,329 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,035 per athlete.
Coe College did well this year, earning the #12 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cedar Rapids, IA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,365, with expenses of about $5,365 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Dubuque placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Golf. This private not-for-profit school is set in Dubuque, IA. The program generates about $8,195 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,300 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology weighs 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.