by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 140 schools for Women’s Soccer by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Explore the leading programs below:
University of Chicago tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Based in Chicago, IL, University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,445 per participant, with expenses of about $13,445 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Notre Dame ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. This private not-for-profit school is set in Notre Dame, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 94%. The program generates about $106,356 in revenue per athlete, compared with $106,356 spent per athlete. The school awards about $34,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northwestern University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Based in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 998, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 96%. The program generates about $47,250 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $78,543 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53,919.
Ohio State University-Main Campus came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Soccer. This public school is set in Columbus, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 79% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $99,119 per participant, with expenses of about $99,119 per participant. The school awards about $27,151 in athletic aid per athlete.
Case Western Reserve University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Soccer. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cleveland, OH. Team revenue averages $8,480 per participant, compared with $8,480 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-Madison came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 81% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,862, against $73,574 in expenses. The school awards about $21,586 in athletic aid per athlete.
Michigan State University placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Based in East Lansing, MI, Michigan State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $78,341 per participant, against $78,341 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,500.
Denison University did well this year, earning the #8 position. Located in Granville, OH, Denison University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,167 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,167 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Based in Champaign, IL, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $8,946 per participant, with expenses of about $103,645 per participant. The school awards about $25,398 in athletic aid per athlete.
Michigan Technological University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Based in Houghton, MI, Michigan Technological University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,345, compared with $23,345 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,159 per athlete.
Indiana University-Bloomington landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Bloomington, IN, Indiana University-Bloomington is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 70%. The program generates about $73,293 in revenue per athlete, compared with $73,293 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,161.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Terre Haute, IN. Team revenue averages $5,979 per participant, with expenses of about $5,874 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bloomington, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,400, compared with $5,400 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Miami University-Oxford landed the #14 spot this year. Located in Oxford, OH, Miami University-Oxford is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 81%. Team revenue averages $39,415 per participant, with expenses of about $39,415 per participant. The school awards about $17,790 in athletic aid per athlete.
Calvin University placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Located in Grand Rapids, MI, Calvin University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,927 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,848 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Based in Cincinnati, OH, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus is a public institution. University of Cincinnati-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $51,971, against $51,971 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,882.
Grand Valley State University placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Located in Allendale, MI, Grand Valley State University is a public institution. The program generates about $44,149 in revenue per athlete, compared with $40,776 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,088 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Toledo landed the #18 spot this year. Based in Toledo, OH, University of Toledo is a public institution. University of Toledo records an NCAA APR of 998, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Team revenue averages $34,363 per participant, against $34,363 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,660.
Western Michigan University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. Western Michigan University is a public school based in Kalamazoo, MI. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 998, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 86% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $29,926 per participant, against $29,926 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,248 per athlete.
DePauw University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. DePauw University is a private not-for-profit school based in Greencastle, IN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,680, compared with $6,680 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Kalamazoo College ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. This private not-for-profit school is set in Kalamazoo, MI. The program generates about $5,921 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,921 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ball State University placed #22 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. This public school is set in Muncie, IN. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $36,493 in revenue per athlete, compared with $36,493 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,206.
Oberlin College ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. This private not-for-profit school is set in Oberlin, OH. Team revenue averages $7,916 per participant, with expenses of about $7,916 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kenyon College did well this year, earning the #24 position. Kenyon College is a private not-for-profit school based in Gambier, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,150, against $5,150 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola University Chicago ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. Based in Chicago, IL, Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Loyola University Chicago records an NCAA APR of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 90%. Team revenue averages $45,183 per participant, compared with $45,183 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $23,325 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. 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.