by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 20 programs for Women’s Lacrosse (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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:
Boston College tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). Boston College is a private not-for-profit school based in Chestnut Hill, MA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 86% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $114,421, compared with $114,421 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $29,391.
Boston University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). Located in Boston, MA, Boston University is a private not-for-profit institution. Boston University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 97%. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. Team revenue averages $57,565 per participant, compared with $57,565 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $27,954 per athlete.
Quinnipiac University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). Based in Hamden, CT, Quinnipiac University is a private not-for-profit 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 72%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $36,662, compared with $36,662 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,084.
College of the Holy Cross ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). Located in Worcester, MA, College of the Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 92%. Team revenue averages $38,617 per participant, with expenses of about $38,617 per participant. The school awards about $17,801 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst earned the #5 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Amherst, MA. University of Massachusetts-Amherst records an NCAA APR of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 90%. Team revenue averages $38,764 per participant, against $38,764 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,175.
University of Connecticut came in at #6 in this year's ranking. University of Connecticut is a public school based in Storrs, CT. University of Connecticut records an NCAA APR of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 93%. The program generates about $36,522 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $36,522 per participant. Athletic aid averages $20,776 per athlete.
University of Vermont did well this year, earning the #7 position. Located in Burlington, VT, University of Vermont is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 79% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $39,767 per participant, against $39,769 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $12,164 per athlete.
Harvard University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cambridge, MA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 998, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Team revenue averages $37,720 per participant, with expenses of about $37,720 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Rhode Island came in at #9 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Kingston, RI. University of Rhode Island records an NCAA APR of 993. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,458, compared with $28,448 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,857.
Fairfield University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). Based in Fairfield, CT, Fairfield University is a private not-for-profit institution. Fairfield University records an NCAA APR of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 81%. The program generates about $35,767 in revenue per athlete, against $35,767 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,587.
University of Massachusetts-Lowell landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Lowell, MA, University of Massachusetts-Lowell is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 998, alongside a GSR of 95%. The federal graduation rate stands at 68%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,975, against $29,975 in expenses. The school awards about $11,361 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus landed the #12 spot this year. University of New Hampshire-Main Campus is a public school based in Durham, NH. University of New Hampshire-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $26,044, with expenses of about $26,044 per participant. The school awards about $19,869 in athletic aid per athlete.
Merrimack College ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). Based in North Andover, MA, Merrimack College is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,400, with expenses of about $29,400 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,394.
Bryant University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Smithfield, RI. Bryant University records an NCAA APR of 998, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 77%. Team revenue averages $24,643 per participant, compared with $24,643 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $14,982 per athlete.
Brown University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Providence, RI. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,692, against $17,692 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Sacred Heart University landed the #16 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Fairfield, CT. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,849, compared with $28,849 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,128 per athlete.
Stonehill College did well this year, earning the #17 position. Located in Easton, MA, Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 985, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $24,822 per participant, compared with $24,822 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,278 in athletic aid per athlete.
Yale University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in New Haven, CT. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,249, compared with $25,249 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Dartmouth College placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Hanover, NH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The program generates about $24,662 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $24,662 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Central Connecticut State University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse (Division I). Central Connecticut State University is a public school based in New Britain, CT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 70%. Team revenue averages $13,995 per participant, against $13,995 in expenses. The school awards about $7,791 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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.