by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 26 colleges for Women’s Lacrosse by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual weighs 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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No school ranked higher than University of Virginia-Main Campus this year for Women's Lacrosse. This public school is set in Charlottesville, VA. University of Virginia-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 996, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 97% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. 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 earned the #2 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lexington, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,769, with expenses of about $6,633 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Richmond is one of the top schools for Women's Lacrosse, at #3. University of Richmond is a private not-for-profit school based in University of Richmond, VA. The team's NCAA APR score is 998, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 88%. The program generates about $53,507 in revenue per athlete, against $53,507 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $27,609 per athlete.
James Madison University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. James Madison University is a public school based in Harrisonburg, VA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $49,161, against $49,161 in expenses. The school awards about $19,945 in athletic aid per athlete.
Christopher Newport University is one of the top schools for Women's Lacrosse, at #5. Located in Newport News, VA, Christopher Newport University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $9,697 per participant, compared with $9,697 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
William & Mary did well this year, earning the #6 position. This public school is set in Williamsburg, VA. William & Mary records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 93% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $32,904 in revenue per athlete, compared with $31,595 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,943.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Blacksburg, VA, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is a public institution. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 77%. The program generates about $12,915 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $67,891 per participant. The school awards about $29,706 in athletic aid per athlete.
Randolph-Macon College landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Ashland, VA, Randolph-Macon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,700, against $6,700 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mary Washington placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Fredericksburg, VA, University of Mary Washington is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,760, against $7,300 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Liberty University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lynchburg, VA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 96%. About 83% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $45,642, with expenses of about $45,642 per participant. The school awards about $16,589 in athletic aid per athlete.
Virginia Commonwealth University did well this year, earning the #11 position. This public school is set in Richmond, VA. Virginia Commonwealth University records an NCAA APR of 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 87% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $40,315 in revenue per athlete, compared with $40,315 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,187.
Shenandoah University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Located in Winchester, VA, Shenandoah University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,470, compared with $5,470 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Lynchburg came in at #13 in this year's ranking. University of Lynchburg is a private not-for-profit school based in Lynchburg, VA. Team revenue averages $7,026 per participant, compared with $7,026 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
George Mason University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. George Mason University is a public school based in Fairfax, VA. George Mason University records an NCAA APR of 994, alongside a GSR of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. The program generates about $38,997 in revenue per athlete, against $38,997 in expenses. The school awards about $11,956 in athletic aid per athlete.
Roanoke College ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Salem, VA, Roanoke College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,046, against $6,046 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Old Dominion University came in at #16 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Norfolk, VA. Old Dominion University records an NCAA APR of 992, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,408, compared with $27,408 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $24,728 per athlete.
Emory & Henry University placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Emory, VA, Emory & Henry University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,998 per participant, compared with $7,998 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,871 in athletic aid per athlete.
Radford University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Based in Radford, VA, Radford University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991, alongside a GSR of 97%. The federal graduation rate stands at 76%. Team revenue averages $11,650 per participant, with expenses of about $11,650 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,467 per athlete.
Longwood University landed the #19 spot this year. Longwood University is a public school based in Farmville, VA. The team's NCAA APR score is 982, with a Graduation Success Rate of 83%. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,550, with expenses of about $23,205 per participant. Athletic aid averages $17,569 per athlete.
Randolph College came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Based in Lynchburg, VA, Randolph College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,356 per participant, with expenses of about $5,356 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Eastern Mennonite University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Eastern Mennonite University is a private not-for-profit school based in Harrisonburg, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,261, compared with $5,261 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Virginia State University landed the #22 spot this year. Virginia State University is a public school based in Petersburg, VA. Team revenue averages $13,261 per participant, with expenses of about $13,261 per participant. The school awards about $4,082 in athletic aid per athlete.
Virginia Wesleyan University landed the #23 spot this year. Virginia Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Virginia Beach, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,736, with expenses of about $4,736 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Averett University placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Lacrosse. This private not-for-profit school is set in Danville, VA. The program generates about $2,602 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $2,602 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ferrum College ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Lacrosse. Located in Ferrum, VA, Ferrum College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,498, compared with $6,498 spent per athlete. 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. 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.