by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 55 colleges for Women’s Soccer by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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:
No school ranked higher than Stanford University this year for Women's Soccer. This private not-for-profit school is set in Stanford, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $115,735, against $115,735 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $42,012.
University of Southern California is one of the top schools for Women's Soccer, at #2. This private not-for-profit school is set in Los Angeles, CA. University of Southern California records an NCAA APR of 991, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $102,819 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $102,819 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $40,006.
Pepperdine University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit school based in Malibu, CA. Pepperdine University records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 76% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $71,743 in revenue per athlete, against $71,743 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $27,861 per athlete.
University of California-Los Angeles is one of the top schools for Women's Soccer, at #4. University of California-Los Angeles is a public school based in Los Angeles, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 79%. The program generates about $77,415 in revenue per athlete, compared with $77,415 spent per athlete. The school awards about $24,306 in athletic aid per athlete.
Santa Clara University earned the #5 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Santa Clara, CA. Santa Clara University records an NCAA APR of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $83,496 in revenue per athlete, against $83,496 in expenses. The school awards about $19,355 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Berkeley placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. This public school is set in Berkeley, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 985, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $52,501 per participant, compared with $52,501 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $21,267 per athlete.
California Institute of Technology did well this year, earning the #7 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Pasadena, CA. The program generates about $9,276 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,276 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of San Francisco ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. Located in San Francisco, CA, University of San Francisco is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 986, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 72%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $58,383, with expenses of about $58,383 per participant. Athletic aid averages $31,788 per athlete.
Point Loma Nazarene University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in San Diego, CA, Point Loma Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $26,022 in revenue per athlete, compared with $26,022 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $14,927 per athlete.
University of the Pacific placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Located in Stockton, CA, University of the Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 987, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 65%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $44,581, with expenses of about $44,581 per participant. Athletic aid averages $21,596 per athlete.
Chapman University landed the #11 spot this year. Based in Orange, CA, Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,193 per participant, against $5,193 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola Marymount University placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Loyola Marymount University is a private not-for-profit school based in Los Angeles, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 971, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 88%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $58,764, compared with $58,764 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $40,056 per athlete.
Saint Mary's College of California ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. Saint Mary's College of California is a private not-for-profit school based in Moraga, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $44,275 in revenue per athlete, against $44,275 in expenses. The school awards about $18,999 in athletic aid per athlete.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo did well this year, earning the #14 position. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a public school based in San Luis Obispo, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. 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.
Occidental College landed the #15 spot this year. Occidental College is a private not-for-profit school based in Los Angeles, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,638, against $6,157 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of California-Davis did well this year, earning the #16 position. Located in Davis, CA, University of California-Davis is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. About 81% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $27,336 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $27,336 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,267.
University of California-Santa Cruz did well this year, earning the #17 position. This public school is set in Santa Cruz, CA. Team revenue averages $10,109 per participant, with expenses of about $10,109 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Fresno did well this year, earning the #18 position. California State University-Fresno is a public school based in Fresno, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 78% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $58,153, against $58,153 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $15,577 per athlete.
University of California-Santa Barbara came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Santa Barbara, CA. University of California-Santa Barbara records an NCAA APR of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. The program generates about $31,410 in revenue per athlete, against $31,410 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,355.
California Lutheran University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Thousand Oaks, CA. The program generates about $8,616 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,616 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
San Diego State University landed the #21 spot this year. Located in San Diego, CA, San Diego State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 983, with a Graduation Success Rate of 85%. The federal graduation rate stands at 63%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $59,299, with expenses of about $57,211 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,450.
Dominican University of California placed #22 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Located in San Rafael, CA, Dominican University of California is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,822, with expenses of about $9,822 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,270 per athlete.
California State University-Fullerton ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. This public school is set in Fullerton, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 60%. The program generates about $42,453 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $42,453 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,497.
University of San Diego came in at #24 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Diego, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 980, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. About 62% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $49,786 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $49,786 per participant. The school awards about $19,537 in athletic aid per athlete.
Biola University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Biola University is a private not-for-profit school based in La Mirada, CA. The program generates about $17,961 in revenue per athlete, compared with $17,808 spent per athlete. The school awards about $12,338 in athletic aid 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. 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.
