by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 5 programs for Women’s Lacrosse (Division I) 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is Rutgers University-New Brunswick, our #1 college for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). Based in New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers University-New Brunswick is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 85%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $63,348, compared with $63,348 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,379.
Monmouth University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). Monmouth University is a private not-for-profit school based in West Long Branch, NJ. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 85% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $37,819, with expenses of about $37,819 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,376.
Princeton University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Princeton, NJ. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,477, against $32,477 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Rider University is one of the top schools for Women's Lacrosse (Division I), at #4. Rider University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lawrenceville, NJ. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 974. Team revenue averages $22,076 per participant, compared with $22,076 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,540 per athlete.
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Teaneck, NJ. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 987. Team revenue averages $22,248 per participant, with expenses of about $22,248 per participant. The school awards about $12,185 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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.
