by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 15 colleges for Women’s Lacrosse by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual weighs 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, our #1 college for Women's Lacrosse. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a public school based in Ann Arbor, MI. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 97%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,424, compared with $70,677 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $28,650 per athlete.
Grand Valley State University earned the #2 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Allendale, MI. Team revenue averages $24,328 per participant, with expenses of about $24,328 per participant. The school awards about $6,088 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hope College earned the #3 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Holland, MI. Team revenue averages $5,429 per participant, with expenses of about $5,429 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kalamazoo College earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Kalamazoo, MI, Kalamazoo College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,175 per participant, against $6,175 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Calvin University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Grand Rapids, MI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,501, against $8,501 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Eastern Michigan University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Eastern Michigan University is a public school based in Ypsilanti, MI. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, alongside a GSR of 0%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,157, with expenses of about $28,157 per participant. Athletic aid averages $16,547 per athlete.
University of Detroit Mercy ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Detroit, MI. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 85% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $23,612 per participant, compared with $23,611 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,135.
Northwood University placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Midland, MI, Northwood University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,387, with expenses of about $19,387 per participant. The school awards about $7,948 in athletic aid per athlete.
Central Michigan University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in Mount Pleasant, MI, Central Michigan University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. About 64% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,476, with expenses of about $18,476 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,123.
Alma College ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Alma College is a private not-for-profit school based in Alma, MI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,102, compared with $5,102 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Northern Michigan University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Marquette, MI, Northern Michigan University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $23,513 per participant, compared with $23,437 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,323.
Albion College came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Albion, MI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,313, against $11,160 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saginaw Valley State University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Located in University Center, MI, Saginaw Valley State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $14,977 per participant, with expenses of about $14,977 per participant. The school awards about $5,118 in athletic aid per athlete.
Davenport University placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Grand Rapids, MI, Davenport University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $19,877 in revenue per athlete, against $19,877 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,850 per athlete.
Adrian College did well this year, earning the #15 position. Adrian College is a private not-for-profit school based in Adrian, MI. The program generates about $5,054 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,054 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.