by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 34 programs 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the best college for Women's Soccer in Illinois. This private not-for-profit school is set in Evanston, IL. Northwestern University records an NCAA APR of 998, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 96%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $47,250, compared with $78,543 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53,919.
University of Chicago ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Located in Chicago, IL, University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,445 per participant, compared with $13,445 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Soccer. Located in Champaign, IL, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $8,946 in revenue per athlete, against $103,645 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,398.
Northern Illinois University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Located in Dekalb, IL, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. Northern Illinois University records an NCAA APR of 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 95%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,211, compared with $30,853 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,138 per athlete.
Loyola University Chicago earned the #5 place for student athletes. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 90%. Team revenue averages $45,183 per participant, compared with $45,183 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,325.
Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Bloomington, IL, Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,400 per participant, against $5,400 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Illinois Institute of Technology placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Located in Chicago, IL, Illinois Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,152 in revenue per athlete, against $5,152 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
North Central College did well this year, earning the #8 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Naperville, IL. Team revenue averages $13,932 per participant, compared with $4,941 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Illinois Chicago did well this year, earning the #9 position. University of Illinois Chicago is a public school based in Chicago, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, alongside a GSR of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 73%. Team revenue averages $35,057 per participant, compared with $35,057 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,167.
Lewis University landed the #10 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Romeoville, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,446, with expenses of about $18,446 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,669 per athlete.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. This public school is set in Carbondale, IL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,231, with expenses of about $21,231 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,525.
DePaul University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. DePaul University is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, alongside a GSR of 91%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. The program generates about $45,263 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $45,263 per participant. The school awards about $23,928 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois State University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Normal, IL, Illinois State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 979, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. Team revenue averages $28,436 per participant, with expenses of about $28,436 per participant. The school awards about $13,477 in athletic aid per athlete.
Eastern Illinois University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. Based in Charleston, IL, Eastern Illinois University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, alongside a GSR of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,252, against $22,252 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,653 per athlete.
Knox College placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Based in Galesburg, IL, Knox College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,367 per participant, compared with $6,273 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lake Forest College did well this year, earning the #16 position. Based in Lake Forest, IL, Lake Forest College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,683 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,683 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #17 spot this year. Based in Edwardsville, IL, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 84%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,651, with expenses of about $19,651 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,334.
Elmhurst University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. Located in Elmhurst, IL, Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,913 per participant, compared with $4,913 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Illinois Springfield placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. This public school is set in Springfield, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,918, with expenses of about $9,918 per participant. The school awards about $4,768 in athletic aid per athlete.
McKendree University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Based in Lebanon, IL, McKendree University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $20,167 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $20,167 per participant. The school awards about $6,695 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois College did well this year, earning the #21 position. Illinois College is a private not-for-profit school based in Jacksonville, IL. Team revenue averages $6,222 per participant, with expenses of about $6,222 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Western Illinois University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. This public school is set in Macomb, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 976, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. About 58% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $18,913 per participant, against $18,913 in expenses. The school awards about $10,303 in athletic aid per athlete.
Aurora University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Located in Aurora, IL, Aurora University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,560 in revenue per athlete, against $5,560 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Millikin University did well this year, earning the #24 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Decatur, IL. Team revenue averages $6,266 per participant, compared with $6,266 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Park University landed the #25 spot this year. North Park University is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL. The program generates about $5,791 in revenue per athlete, against $5,791 in expenses. The school awards about $32 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. 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.