by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 27 colleges 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:
University of North Carolina at Charlotte tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Charlotte, NC, University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $34,837, against $34,970 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,522 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Chapel Hill, NC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 998, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 93% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $46,274 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $63,854 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,771.
Duke University is one of the top schools for Women's Lacrosse, at #3. Based in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. Duke University records an NCAA APR of 993, and a 97% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 93%. The program generates about $63,718 in revenue per athlete, compared with $77,183 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $34,321 per athlete.
Elon University is one of the top schools for Women's Lacrosse, at #4. Elon University is a private not-for-profit school based in Elon, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. The program generates about $33,793 in revenue per athlete, compared with $33,793 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $25,795 per athlete.
Catawba College is one of the top schools for Women's Lacrosse, at #5. This private not-for-profit school is set in Salisbury, NC. The program generates about $14,826 in revenue per athlete, against $15,557 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,164 per athlete.
East Carolina University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in Greenville, NC, East Carolina University is a public institution. East Carolina University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 66%. The program generates about $34,584 in revenue per athlete, compared with $34,106 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,584.
Lenoir-Rhyne University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Hickory, NC, Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $18,392 per participant, with expenses of about $18,392 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,094.
Davidson College placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Davidson, NC, Davidson College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 93% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,150, against $20,465 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,830 per athlete.
Barton College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Wilson, NC, Barton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,446, compared with $15,446 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,654 per athlete.
High Point University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in High Point, NC, High Point University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 82% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $42,891, compared with $35,508 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $18,469 per athlete.
Wingate University landed the #11 spot this year. Wingate University is a private not-for-profit school based in Wingate, NC. Team revenue averages $21,553 per participant, against $21,137 in expenses. The school awards about $6,748 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mount Olive ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. University of Mount Olive is a private not-for-profit school based in Mount Olive, NC. The program generates about $14,083 in revenue per athlete, compared with $14,364 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,775 in athletic aid per athlete.
Campbell University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Buies Creek, NC, Campbell University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. The program generates about $29,304 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $29,304 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,433.
Guilford College ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Greensboro, NC, Guilford College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,183 per participant, compared with $6,001 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Queens University of Charlotte came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Located in Charlotte, NC, Queens University of Charlotte is a private not-for-profit institution. Queens University of Charlotte records an NCAA APR of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,026, against $25,026 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,282 per athlete.
Belmont Abbey College ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Belmont, NC. The program generates about $11,761 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $11,761 per participant. Athletic aid averages $2,908 per athlete.
Lees-McRae College placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Lees-McRae College is a private not-for-profit school based in Banner Elk, NC. Team revenue averages $11,543 per participant, against $11,543 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,547.
Gardner-Webb University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in Boiling Springs, NC, Gardner-Webb University is a private not-for-profit institution. Gardner-Webb University records an NCAA APR of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,805, with expenses of about $17,805 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,936 per athlete.
William Peace University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Based in Raleigh, NC, William Peace University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,588 per participant, compared with $3,963 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Pfeiffer University landed the #20 spot this year. Located in Misenheimer, NC, Pfeiffer University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,592 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,179 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Mars Hill University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Located in Mars Hill, NC, Mars Hill University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,032 in revenue per athlete, compared with $10,032 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,311.
Warren Wilson College did well this year, earning the #22 position. Warren Wilson College is a private not-for-profit school based in Swannanoa, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,058, against $2,334 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Greensboro College ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Greensboro, NC, Greensboro College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,343 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,343 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Methodist University landed the #24 spot this year. Based in Fayetteville, NC, Methodist University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,378, against $7,378 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Carolina Wesleyan University placed #25 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. North Carolina Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Rocky Mount, NC. Team revenue averages $3,228 per participant, against $3,228 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
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. 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.