by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 101 programs for Women’s Lacrosse by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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:
Vanderbilt University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Nashville, TN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $83,265 per participant, compared with $83,265 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $42,235 per athlete.
Clemson University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Clemson, SC, Clemson University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997. The program generates about $97,221 in revenue per athlete, compared with $97,221 spent per athlete. The school awards about $21,730 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of South Florida ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. This public school is set in Tampa, FL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $49,475, compared with $49,475 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $15,287 per athlete.
University of Virginia-Main Campus earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Charlottesville, VA, University of Virginia-Main Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 97%. The program generates about $60,552 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $60,552 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,976.
Washington and Lee University landed the #5 spot for Women's Lacrosse. Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lexington, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,769, compared with $6,633 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
James Madison University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Harrisonburg, VA, James Madison University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $49,161, with expenses of about $49,161 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,945 per athlete.
University of Richmond ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Located in University of Richmond, VA, University of Richmond is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 998, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 88%. Team revenue averages $53,507 per participant, compared with $53,507 spent per athlete. The school awards about $27,609 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Chapel Hill, NC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public institution. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill records an NCAA APR of 998, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 93%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $46,274, compared with $63,854 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $17,771 per athlete.
Duke University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, alongside a GSR of 97%. Its federal graduation rate is 93%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $63,718, against $77,183 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,321.
Rhodes College landed the #10 spot this year. Located in Memphis, TN, Rhodes College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,280 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,280 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
William & Mary did well this year, earning the #11 position. Located in Williamsburg, VA, William & Mary is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 93% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $32,904 per participant, against $31,595 in expenses. The school awards about $15,943 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Charlotte, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $34,837, against $34,970 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,522.
Christopher Newport University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Newport News, VA, Christopher Newport University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $9,697 per participant, with expenses of about $9,697 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Berry College came in at #14 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Mount Berry, GA. The program generates about $10,745 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,451 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Centre College ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Danville, KY, Centre College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,665 in revenue per athlete, against $5,665 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Florida Southern College placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Lakeland, FL, Florida Southern College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $18,590 per participant, against $18,590 in expenses. The school awards about $8,785 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rollins College ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Winter Park, FL, Rollins College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,475 in revenue per athlete, against $11,475 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,632 per athlete.
Florida Institute of Technology placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Melbourne, FL, Florida Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,192, compared with $16,192 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,103 per athlete.
Elon University landed the #19 spot this year. Elon University is a private not-for-profit school based in Elon, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $33,793, against $33,793 in expenses. The school awards about $25,795 in athletic aid per athlete.
Furman University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Greenville, SC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. The program generates about $24,180 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $24,180 per participant. Athletic aid averages $28,699 per athlete.
Randolph-Macon College came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Located in Ashland, VA, Randolph-Macon College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,700 in revenue per athlete, against $6,700 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. This public school is set in Blacksburg, VA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 94%. About 77% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $12,915 per participant, compared with $67,891 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $29,706.
Mercer University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Based in Macon, GA, Mercer University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 79% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $26,530 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $26,530 per participant. Athletic aid averages $23,898 per athlete.
University of Mary Washington landed the #24 spot this year. Located in Fredericksburg, VA, University of Mary Washington is a public institution. Team revenue averages $6,760 per participant, with expenses of about $7,300 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Davidson College ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Davidson, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 93% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $16,150 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $20,465 per participant. The school awards about $9,830 in athletic aid per athlete.
These programs also stood out among the best 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.