2026 Best Colleges for Women’s Soccer (Division I) in Plains States
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 20 programs for Women’s Soccer (Division I) in Plains States by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Top 20 Colleges for Women’s Soccer (Division I) in Plains States
Explore the leading programs below:
Leading the list is University of Missouri-Columbia, our #1 college for Women's Soccer (Division I) in Plains States. Located in Columbia, MO, University of Missouri-Columbia is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. The program generates about $85,587 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $85,587 per participant. The school awards about $16,637 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Soccer (Division I) in Plains States. Based in Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. Team revenue averages $4,288 per participant, compared with $64,781 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,793 per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities earned the #3 place for student athletes. Located in Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 90%. The program generates about $5,343 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $76,225 per participant. Athletic aid averages $27,174 per athlete.
University of North Dakota earned the #4 place for student athletes. University of North Dakota is a public school based in Grand Forks, ND. University of North Dakota records an NCAA APR of 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 78%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $61,612, compared with $61,612 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,250 per athlete.
Saint Louis University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Soccer (Division I) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Louis, MO. Saint Louis University records an NCAA APR of 992, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. The program generates about $67,121 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $67,121 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,446.
Creighton University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer (Division I) in Plains States. Located in Omaha, NE, Creighton University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $33,654 in revenue per athlete, against $53,599 in expenses. The school awards about $17,224 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Kansas landed the #7 spot this year. This public school is set in Lawrence, KS. University of Kansas records an NCAA APR of 982, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 72%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $96,534, compared with $96,534 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $21,506 per athlete.
Drake University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Des Moines, IA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 87% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,383, with expenses of about $31,383 per participant. The school awards about $10,413 in athletic aid per athlete.
Missouri State University-Springfield ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer (Division I) in Plains States. This public school is set in Springfield, MO. Missouri State University-Springfield records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 96%. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,978, with expenses of about $27,978 per participant. The school awards about $12,364 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kansas State University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer (Division I) in Plains States. Kansas State University is a public school based in Manhattan, KS. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. About 53% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $50,139, against $50,139 in expenses. The school awards about $17,682 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Iowa placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer (Division I) in Plains States. Based in Iowa City, IA, University of Iowa is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, alongside a GSR of 96%. Its federal graduation rate is 81%. The program generates about $9,061 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $58,641 per participant. The school awards about $21,176 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lindenwood University landed the #12 spot this year. Based in Saint Charles, MO, Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 996, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 70%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,605, against $23,605 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,722 per athlete.
Southeast Missouri State University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer (Division I) in Plains States. Based in Cape Girardeau, MO, Southeast Missouri State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 74%. The program generates about $21,863 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $21,863 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,582.
University of Nebraska at Omaha placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer (Division I) in Plains States. This public school is set in Omaha, NE. University of Nebraska at Omaha records an NCAA APR of 994, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $10,462 in revenue per athlete, compared with $33,985 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,713.
University of South Dakota landed the #15 spot this year. This public school is set in Vermillion, SD. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, alongside a GSR of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 77%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,069, compared with $21,069 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,323 in athletic aid per athlete.
Iowa State University placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer (Division I) in Plains States. Iowa State University is a public school based in Ames, IA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Team revenue averages $4,364 per participant, compared with $52,859 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,185 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Dakota State University-Main Campus landed the #17 spot this year. Located in Fargo, ND, North Dakota State University-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 987, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. The program generates about $38,300 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $38,300 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,886.
University of Missouri-Kansas City ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer (Division I) in Plains States. Based in Kansas City, MO, University of Missouri-Kansas City is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 981, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 77%. Team revenue averages $27,091 per participant, compared with $27,030 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,225.
South Dakota State University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Brookings, SD. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 990, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 79%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,655, compared with $32,655 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,424 per athlete.
University of Northern Iowa landed the #20 spot this year. Based in Cedar Falls, IA, University of Northern Iowa is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 990, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 54%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,433, compared with $19,433 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $8,720 per athlete.
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Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
See our data sources and methodologies.
