by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 28 schools for Women’s Lacrosse 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Our analysis found Ohio State University-Main Campus to be the best college for Women's Lacrosse in Ohio. Located in Columbus, OH, Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public institution. Ohio State University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 996, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. The program generates about $53,938 in revenue per athlete, against $53,938 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $27,151 per athlete.
Denison University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Denison University is a private not-for-profit school based in Granville, OH. The program generates about $10,476 in revenue per athlete, compared with $10,476 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Lacrosse. This public school is set in Cincinnati, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 84%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $37,020, against $37,020 in expenses. The school awards about $20,882 in athletic aid per athlete.
Oberlin College ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Oberlin, OH, Oberlin College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,635 in revenue per athlete, against $8,635 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kenyon College landed the #5 spot for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Gambier, OH. Team revenue averages $4,599 per participant, compared with $4,599 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
John Carroll University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Based 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.
Ohio Northern University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Located in Ada, OH, Ohio Northern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,270, with expenses of about $7,270 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Kent State University at Kent did well this year, earning the #8 position. Kent State University at Kent is a public school based in Kent, OH. The team's NCAA APR score is 998, alongside a GSR of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Team revenue averages $21,380 per participant, with expenses of about $21,380 per participant. The school awards about $13,976 in athletic aid per athlete.
The College of Wooster did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Wooster, OH, The College of Wooster is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,711 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,014 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Xavier University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cincinnati, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983. Team revenue averages $24,762 per participant, against $24,762 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $20,280 per athlete.
Franciscan University of Steubenville placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Steubenville, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,748, with expenses of about $3,104 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ashland University did well this year, earning the #12 position. Ashland University is a private not-for-profit school based in Ashland, OH. The program generates about $12,390 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,390 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,808 per athlete.
Walsh University landed the #13 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in North Canton, OH. The program generates about $11,651 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,776 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,087 per athlete.
University of Akron Main Campus came in at #14 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Akron, OH. University of Akron Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 989. The program generates about $12,723 in revenue per athlete, against $12,723 in expenses. The school awards about $12,189 in athletic aid per athlete.
Youngstown State University landed the #15 spot this year. Youngstown State University is a public school based in Youngstown, OH. Youngstown State University records an NCAA APR of 984. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,585, against $18,585 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,634 per athlete.
Otterbein University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Otterbein University is a private not-for-profit school based in Westerville, OH. The program generates about $6,060 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,375 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Baldwin Wallace University placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Berea, OH, Baldwin Wallace University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,915, against $5,915 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Capital University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Columbus, OH, Capital University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,758 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,758 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ohio Wesleyan University did well this year, earning the #19 position. Located in Delaware, OH, Ohio Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,848 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,848 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ursuline College landed the #20 spot this year. Located in Pepper Pike, OH, Ursuline College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,637 per participant, against $11,637 in expenses. The school awards about $6,040 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mount Union did well this year, earning the #21 position. University of Mount Union is a private not-for-profit school based in Alliance, OH. The program generates about $5,527 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,527 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Malone University placed #22 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Malone University is a private not-for-profit school based in Canton, OH. Team revenue averages $14,547 per participant, compared with $14,547 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,372 per athlete.
Wittenberg University landed the #23 spot this year. Wittenberg University is a private not-for-profit school based in Springfield, OH. The program generates about $7,288 in revenue per athlete, against $7,288 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Marietta College did well this year, earning the #24 position. Marietta College is a private not-for-profit school based in Marietta, OH. Team revenue averages $4,637 per participant, with expenses of about $3,632 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Mount St. Joseph University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Cincinnati, OH, Mount St. Joseph University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,026 per participant, with expenses of about $6,026 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
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.