by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 82 schools for Women’s Soccer 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 Stanford University, our #1 college for Women's Soccer. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit school based in Stanford, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. The program generates about $115,735 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $115,735 per participant. The school awards about $42,012 in athletic aid per athlete.
Pepperdine University earned the #2 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Malibu, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 76% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $71,743 per participant, with expenses of about $71,743 per participant. The school awards about $27,861 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Southern California came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Soccer. This private not-for-profit school is set in Los Angeles, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $102,819, with expenses of about $102,819 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $40,006.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a public school based in Seattle, WA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 96%. About 78% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $32,141 per participant, with expenses of about $103,174 per participant. The school awards about $26,539 in athletic aid per athlete.
Seattle University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Seattle University is a private not-for-profit school based in Seattle, WA. The team's NCAA APR score is 998, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $54,644 per participant, compared with $54,644 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $19,482 per athlete.
California Institute of Technology ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Pasadena, CA. The program generates about $9,276 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,276 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Gonzaga University landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Spokane, WA, Gonzaga University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 91%. Team revenue averages $53,597 per participant, against $56,452 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,963.
University of Portland landed the #8 spot this year. Located in Portland, OR, University of Portland is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 63%. Team revenue averages $68,908 per participant, with expenses of about $68,908 per participant. The school awards about $17,618 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Los Angeles placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. This public school is set in Los Angeles, CA. University of California-Los Angeles records an NCAA APR of 989, alongside a GSR of 91%. Its federal graduation rate is 79%. Team revenue averages $77,415 per participant, compared with $77,415 spent per athlete. The school awards about $24,306 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Berkeley ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. University of California-Berkeley is a public school based in Berkeley, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $52,501 in revenue per athlete, against $52,501 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,267.
Santa Clara University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit school based in Santa Clara, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $83,496 per participant, compared with $83,496 spent per athlete. The school awards about $19,355 in athletic aid per athlete.
Point Loma Nazarene University did well this year, earning the #12 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Diego, CA. Team revenue averages $26,022 per participant, with expenses of about $26,022 per participant. The school awards about $14,927 in athletic aid per athlete.
Oregon State University landed the #13 spot this year. Located in Corvallis, OR, Oregon State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 53% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $57,398, compared with $57,398 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,022.
University of San Francisco did well this year, earning the #14 position. Located in San Francisco, CA, University of San Francisco is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 986, alongside a GSR of 96%. Its federal graduation rate is 72%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $58,383, compared with $58,383 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $31,788.
Chapman University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Orange, CA. The program generates about $5,193 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,193 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Occidental College ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Occidental College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,638 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,157 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Oregon came in at #17 in this year's ranking. University of Oregon is a public school based in Eugene, OR. University of Oregon records an NCAA APR of 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. Team revenue averages $7,270 per participant, with expenses of about $83,543 per participant. Athletic aid averages $22,739 per athlete.
University of California-Santa Cruz landed the #18 spot this year. Located in Santa Cruz, CA, University of California-Santa Cruz is a public institution. Team revenue averages $10,109 per participant, against $10,109 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Whitman College ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. Located in Walla Walla, WA, Whitman College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,708 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,339 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of the Pacific came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Located in Stockton, CA, University of the Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution. University of the Pacific records an NCAA APR of 987, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 65%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $44,581, with expenses of about $44,581 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,596.
Loyola Marymount University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Loyola Marymount University is a private not-for-profit school based in Los Angeles, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 971, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $58,764, against $58,764 in expenses. The school awards about $40,056 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Mary's College of California placed #22 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Based in Moraga, CA, Saint Mary's College of California is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 988, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. Team revenue averages $44,275 per participant, with expenses of about $44,275 per participant. The school awards about $18,999 in athletic aid per athlete.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo did well this year, earning the #23 position. Located in San Luis Obispo, CA, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, alongside a GSR of 93%. About 89% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $27,475 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $27,475 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,344.
California Lutheran University placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Located in Thousand Oaks, CA, California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,616, compared with $8,616 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
California State University-Fresno came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Fresno, CA, California State University-Fresno is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 983, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 78% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $58,153 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $58,153 per participant. Athletic aid averages $15,577 per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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.
