by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 63 programs for Women’s Lacrosse by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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.
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Swarthmore College tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Swarthmore, PA, Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,278 per participant, against $11,975 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Franklin and Marshall College came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Lancaster, PA, Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,009, against $12,292 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $53 per athlete.
Lehigh University is one of the top schools for Women's Lacrosse, at #3. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bethlehem, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 93%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $41,805, against $41,805 in expenses. The school awards about $19,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lafayette College ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Lafayette College is a private not-for-profit school based in Easton, PA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 94%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,570, with expenses of about $40,570 per participant. The school awards about $18,987 in athletic aid per athlete.
Villanova University landed the #5 spot for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Villanova, PA, Villanova University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 999, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 87% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $41,124, with expenses of about $41,124 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,480.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. This public school is set in Pittsburgh, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993. Team revenue averages $51,943 per participant, compared with $51,943 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $30,613 per athlete.
Drexel University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Drexel University is a private not-for-profit institution. Drexel University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 77%. The program generates about $45,796 in revenue per athlete, compared with $45,796 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $25,843 per athlete.
Gettysburg College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Gettysburg, PA, Gettysburg College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,144, against $8,144 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Haverford College did well this year, earning the #9 position. Haverford College is a private not-for-profit school based in Haverford, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,254, compared with $6,244 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Temple University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Temple University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 97%. The program generates about $51,243 in revenue per athlete, compared with $51,243 spent per athlete. The school awards about $28,567 in athletic aid per athlete.
Dickinson College ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Carlisle, PA, Dickinson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,543, with expenses of about $6,129 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Elizabethtown College landed the #12 spot this year. Located in Elizabethtown, PA, Elizabethtown College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,172 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,172 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus landed the #13 spot this year. Based in University Park, PA, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 998, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. Team revenue averages $16,173 per participant, against $52,249 in expenses. The school awards about $25,170 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Scranton came in at #14 in this year's ranking. University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit school based in Scranton, PA. Team revenue averages $6,388 per participant, with expenses of about $6,388 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Muhlenberg College placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Allentown, PA, Muhlenberg College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,440 per participant, against $6,440 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bucknell University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Based in Lewisburg, PA, Bucknell University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $43,386 per participant, against $43,386 in expenses. The school awards about $19,655 in athletic aid per athlete.
Moravian University did well this year, earning the #17 position. Based in Bethlehem, PA, Moravian University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,498, with expenses of about $7,069 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Thomas Jefferson University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $15,230 per participant, with expenses of about $15,230 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,341.
Gannon University landed the #19 spot this year. Located in Erie, PA, Gannon University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $15,338 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,338 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,313.
Messiah University landed the #20 spot this year. Messiah University is a private not-for-profit school based in Mechanicsburg, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,107, compared with $5,637 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #21 spot this year. Located in West Chester, PA, West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a public institution. Team revenue averages $11,381 per participant, compared with $11,640 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $2,168 per athlete.
Seton Hill University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Based in Greensburg, PA, Seton Hill University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $12,713 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $12,713 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,657 per athlete.
Lebanon Valley College landed the #23 spot this year. Based in Annville, PA, Lebanon Valley College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,499 per participant, with expenses of about $6,471 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia landed the #24 spot this year. Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia is a private not-for-profit school based in Philadelphia, PA. Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia records an NCAA APR of 996, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,395, against $32,395 in expenses. The school awards about $13,694 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Vincent College did well this year, earning the #25 position. Based in Latrobe, PA, Saint Vincent College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,746 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,746 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.