by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 39 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Williams College earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Williamstown, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,645, compared with $9,645 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Amherst College ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Amherst, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,548, with expenses of about $12,548 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Tufts University is one of the top schools for Women's Lacrosse, at #3. Located in Medford, MA, Tufts University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,426, compared with $11,426 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Boston College landed the #4 spot for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chestnut Hill, MA. Boston College records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $114,421, against $114,421 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $29,391 per athlete.
Boston University landed the #5 spot for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Boston, MA, Boston University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 97%. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. Team revenue averages $57,565 per participant, with expenses of about $57,565 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,954.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cambridge, MA. Team revenue averages $4,657 per participant, with expenses of about $4,657 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
College of the Holy Cross ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Worcester, MA, College of the Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 92% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $38,617, compared with $38,617 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $17,801 per athlete.
Wellesley College placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Wellesley, MA, Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,779, with expenses of about $7,779 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Babson College did well this year, earning the #9 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wellesley, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,507, against $6,507 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Emerson College placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boston, MA. The program generates about $11,151 in revenue per athlete, compared with $10,700 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bentley University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Waltham, MA, Bentley University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,783, with expenses of about $8,560 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,029 per athlete.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. This public school is set in Amherst, MA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $38,764 in revenue per athlete, compared with $38,764 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,175.
Assumption University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Worcester, MA, Assumption University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,252 per participant, compared with $13,252 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,778.
University of Massachusetts-Lowell landed the #14 spot this year. Based in Lowell, MA, University of Massachusetts-Lowell is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 998, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. About 68% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,975, with expenses of about $29,975 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,361 per athlete.
Western New England University placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Springfield, MA, Western New England University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,520, with expenses of about $8,412 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gordon College did well this year, earning the #16 position. Located in Wenham, MA, Gordon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,766, compared with $9,064 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wheaton College (Massachusetts) came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Based in Norton, MA, Wheaton College (Massachusetts) is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,930 per participant, compared with $5,930 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Stonehill College landed the #18 spot this year. Based in Easton, MA, Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $24,822 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $24,822 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,278.
Endicott College did well this year, earning the #19 position. Endicott College is a private not-for-profit school based in Beverly, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,463, against $4,463 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Wentworth Institute of Technology came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Wentworth Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Boston, MA. The program generates about $4,520 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,038 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Harvard University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cambridge, MA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 998, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Team revenue averages $37,720 per participant, compared with $37,720 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy came in at #22 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Buzzards Bay, MA. The program generates about $2,343 in revenue per athlete, against $2,662 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Suffolk University ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Boston, MA, Suffolk University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,960 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,960 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Springfield College did well this year, earning the #24 position. Located in Springfield, MA, Springfield College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,310, against $7,310 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Merrimack College landed the #25 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in North Andover, MA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, alongside a GSR of 94%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. Team revenue averages $29,400 per participant, with expenses of about $29,400 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,394.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.