by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 5 colleges for Women’s Lacrosse (Division I) 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.
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Pick a path below.
Explore the leading programs below:
No school ranked higher than Stanford University this year for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). Stanford University is a private not-for-profit school based in Stanford, CA. 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. Team revenue averages $85,239 per participant, compared with $85,239 spent per athlete. The school awards about $42,012 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Southern California landed the #2 spot for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Los Angeles, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 998, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 96%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $73,294, compared with $73,294 spent per athlete. The school awards about $40,006 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Berkeley ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). Based in Berkeley, CA, University of California-Berkeley is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 97%. Team revenue averages $48,091 per participant, with expenses of about $48,091 per participant. The school awards about $21,267 in athletic aid per athlete.
San Diego State University is one of the top schools for Women's Lacrosse (Division I), at #4. San Diego State University is a public school based in San Diego, CA. San Diego State University records an NCAA APR of 998, alongside a GSR of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 89%. Team revenue averages $48,538 per participant, with expenses of about $39,127 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,450.
University of California-Davis earned the #5 place for student athletes. University of California-Davis is a public school based in Davis, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 999, with a Graduation Success Rate of 97%. About 94% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $31,834 per participant, compared with $31,834 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,267.
*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.