by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 37 colleges for Women’s Soccer by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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:
Leading the list is Duke University, our #1 college for Women's Soccer. Located in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 92%. The program generates about $112,715 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $116,531 per participant. The school awards about $34,321 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is one of the top schools for Women's Soccer, at #2. Located in Raleigh, NC, North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. The program generates about $36,114 in revenue per athlete, against $65,910 in expenses. The school awards about $18,384 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Soccer. Based in Chapel Hill, NC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public institution. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill records an NCAA APR of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 94%. The program generates about $50,560 in revenue per athlete, compared with $80,315 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $17,771 per athlete.
Wake Forest University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Located in Winston-Salem, NC, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 996, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 81%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $91,765, with expenses of about $91,765 per participant. The school awards about $38,933 in athletic aid per athlete.
Elon University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Located in Elon, NC, Elon University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 70%. The program generates about $53,376 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $53,376 per participant. The school awards about $25,795 in athletic aid per athlete.
Davidson College landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Davidson, NC, Davidson College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 998, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 85%. Team revenue averages $17,739 per participant, against $24,191 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,830 per athlete.
Campbell University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Campbell University is a private not-for-profit school based in Buies Creek, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 998, alongside a GSR of 97%. Its federal graduation rate is 63%. The program generates about $32,969 in revenue per athlete, against $32,969 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,433 per athlete.
Catawba College did well this year, earning the #8 position. Located in Salisbury, NC, Catawba College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,894, against $12,261 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,164 per athlete.
High Point University landed the #9 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in High Point, NC. High Point University records an NCAA APR of 996, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $40,654 in revenue per athlete, against $36,539 in expenses. The school awards about $18,469 in athletic aid per athlete.
Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Located in Charlotte, NC, Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,831 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,439 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Appalachian State University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. Located in Boone, NC, Appalachian State University is a public institution. Appalachian State University records an NCAA APR of 985, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 90%. The program generates about $39,367 in revenue per athlete, compared with $39,367 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $14,299 per athlete.
Barton College ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. Barton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Wilson, NC. Team revenue averages $15,862 per participant, against $15,862 in expenses. The school awards about $6,654 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lenoir-Rhyne University landed the #13 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hickory, NC. The program generates about $13,220 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,220 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,094 per athlete.
Wingate University placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Wingate University is a private not-for-profit school based in Wingate, NC. The program generates about $17,047 in revenue per athlete, against $16,308 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,748.
University of Mount Olive landed the #15 spot this year. Based in Mount Olive, NC, University of Mount Olive is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,942 in revenue per athlete, against $13,797 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,775 per athlete.
Western Carolina University came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Western Carolina University is a public school based in Cullowhee, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 87%. About 77% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $17,467 per participant, against $17,467 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,960 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte did well this year, earning the #17 position. This public school is set in Charlotte, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 996, alongside a GSR of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 59%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,864, against $30,541 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,522 per athlete.
East Carolina University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in Greenville, NC, East Carolina University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 87%. About 40% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $43,247 per participant, with expenses of about $42,916 per participant. The school awards about $12,584 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro did well this year, earning the #19 position. Located in Greensboro, NC, University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 72%. The program generates about $31,757 in revenue per athlete, against $31,757 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,162 per athlete.
University of North Carolina Wilmington placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public school based in Wilmington, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, alongside a GSR of 95%. About 74% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,826, with expenses of about $23,826 per participant. The school awards about $7,667 in athletic aid per athlete.
Guilford College landed the #21 spot this year. Based in Greensboro, NC, Guilford College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,798 in revenue per athlete, against $3,717 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Queens University of Charlotte came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Queens University of Charlotte is a private not-for-profit school based in Charlotte, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 964, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 72%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,814, with expenses of about $24,814 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,282.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke landed the #23 spot this year. This public school is set in Pembroke, NC. The program generates about $15,154 in revenue per athlete, against $14,794 in expenses. The school awards about $3,165 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lees-McRae College ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. Located in Banner Elk, NC, Lees-McRae College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $12,608 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $12,608 per participant. The school awards about $6,547 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gardner-Webb University ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. Located in Boiling Springs, NC, Gardner-Webb University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 955, alongside a GSR of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 68%. The program generates about $17,597 in revenue per athlete, compared with $17,597 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,936.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.