by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 72 schools for Women’s Lacrosse 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.
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Pick a path below.
Explore the leading programs below:
Leading the list is University of Chicago, our #1 college for Women's Lacrosse. University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,269, with expenses of about $10,269 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Notre Dame ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Notre Dame, IN, University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution. University of Notre Dame records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $81,924, with expenses of about $81,924 per participant. The school awards about $34,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northwestern University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 94%. The program generates about $40,002 in revenue per athlete, against $75,776 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $53,919 per athlete.
Denison University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Granville, OH, Denison University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $10,476 per participant, against $10,476 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor landed the #5 spot for Women's Lacrosse. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a public school based in Ann Arbor, MI. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 97% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $6,424 per participant, against $70,677 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $28,650.
Ohio State University-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Columbus, OH, Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. Team revenue averages $53,938 per participant, with expenses of about $53,938 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,151.
DePauw University placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Greencastle, IN. Team revenue averages $10,137 per participant, against $10,137 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Calvin University placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Calvin University is a private not-for-profit school based in Grand Rapids, MI. The program generates about $8,501 in revenue per athlete, against $8,501 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in Bloomington, IL, Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,729 per participant, compared with $5,729 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Oberlin College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Oberlin, OH, Oberlin College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,635, against $8,635 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois Institute of Technology placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,743, compared with $8,743 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Grand Valley State University placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Allendale, MI, Grand Valley State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $24,328 per participant, against $24,328 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,088.
Kalamazoo College did well this year, earning the #13 position. Located in Kalamazoo, MI, Kalamazoo College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,175, against $6,175 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
The College of Wooster did well this year, earning the #14 position. The College of Wooster is a private not-for-profit school based in Wooster, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,711, against $8,014 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
John Carroll University placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Located in University Heights, OH, John Carroll University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,906 per participant, with expenses of about $6,906 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #16 position. Located in Cincinnati, OH, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 84%. Team revenue averages $37,020 per participant, against $37,020 in expenses. The school awards about $20,882 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kenyon College landed the #17 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Gambier, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,599, with expenses of about $4,599 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ohio Northern University did well this year, earning the #18 position. Based in Ada, OH, Ohio Northern University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,270 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,270 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Butler University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Based in Indianapolis, IN, Butler University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Team revenue averages $25,555 per participant, with expenses of about $25,575 per participant. The school awards about $12,113 in athletic aid per athlete.
Marquette University did well this year, earning the #20 position. Marquette University is a private not-for-profit school based in Milwaukee, WI. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 87%. The program generates about $39,910 in revenue per athlete, compared with $39,910 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,770.
Hope College landed the #21 spot this year. Hope College is a private not-for-profit school based in Holland, MI. Team revenue averages $5,429 per participant, against $5,429 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lawrence University landed the #22 spot this year. Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit school based in Appleton, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,770, with expenses of about $6,770 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lewis University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Lewis University is a private not-for-profit school based in Romeoville, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,981, compared with $19,981 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,669.
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Based in La Crosse, WI, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,709, with expenses of about $7,261 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
North Central College landed the #25 spot this year. Based in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,541 per participant, against $5,946 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.