by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 18 colleges for Women’s Soccer (Division I) 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Leading the list is Colgate University, our #1 college for Women's Soccer (Division I). Colgate University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hamilton, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $62,667 per participant, compared with $62,667 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $22,658 per athlete.
Fordham University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer (Division I). Fordham University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bronx, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 88%. Team revenue averages $54,858 per participant, compared with $54,858 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $32,443 per athlete.
University at Buffalo is one of the top schools for Women's Soccer (Division I), at #3. University at Buffalo is a public school based in Buffalo, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 84%. Team revenue averages $53,285 per participant, compared with $53,285 spent per athlete. The school awards about $19,340 in athletic aid per athlete.
Syracuse University landed the #4 spot for Women's Soccer (Division I). Based in Syracuse, NY, Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit institution. Syracuse University records an NCAA APR of 990, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $37,021 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $68,158 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $33,068.
Hofstra University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Soccer (Division I). Hofstra University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hempstead, NY. Hofstra University records an NCAA APR of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. The program generates about $64,318 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $64,318 per participant. The school awards about $22,514 in athletic aid per athlete.
St. John's University-New York ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer (Division I). Based in Queens, NY, St. John's University-New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, alongside a GSR of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Team revenue averages $46,726 per participant, compared with $46,726 spent per athlete. The school awards about $29,040 in athletic aid per athlete.
Columbia University in the City of New York did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in New York, NY, Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The program generates about $21,720 in revenue per athlete, compared with $21,720 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Binghamton University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer (Division I). This public school is set in Vestal, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Team revenue averages $44,654 per participant, with expenses of about $35,741 per participant. The school awards about $9,522 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stony Brook University landed the #9 spot this year. Based in Stony Brook, NY, Stony Brook University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $41,017, with expenses of about $41,017 per participant. The school awards about $15,341 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wagner College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Staten Island, NY, Wagner College is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 74%. The program generates about $27,980 in revenue per athlete, against $27,980 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,661.
University at Albany placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer (Division I). Located in Albany, NY, University at Albany is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 83% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $24,379 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $24,611 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,856.
Cornell University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Cornell University is a private not-for-profit school based in Ithaca, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, alongside a GSR of 100%. Team revenue averages $20,991 per participant, with expenses of about $19,368 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Marist University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Poughkeepsie, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. The program generates about $26,537 in revenue per athlete, against $26,537 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,661.
Manhattan University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in Riverdale, NY, Manhattan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 981, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 96% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $23,343 per participant, compared with $23,124 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,484.
Niagara University placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer (Division I). Located in Niagara University, NY, Niagara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 963, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,688, compared with $24,688 spent per athlete. The school awards about $17,462 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Bonaventure University placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Bonaventure, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 59%. Team revenue averages $28,752 per participant, with expenses of about $28,752 per participant. The school awards about $12,194 in athletic aid per athlete.
Iona University landed the #17 spot this year. Based in New Rochelle, NY, Iona University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, alongside a GSR of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 57%. The program generates about $18,080 in revenue per athlete, compared with $18,080 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $10,814 per athlete.
Canisius University landed the #18 spot this year. Located in Buffalo, NY, Canisius University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 59%. The program generates about $19,906 in revenue per athlete, compared with $19,906 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,300 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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.