by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 77 colleges for Women’s Soccer in Plains States by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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:
No school ranked higher than Washington University in St Louis this year for Women's Soccer in Plains States. Based in St. Louis, MO, Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $16,174 per participant, against $13,533 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Missouri-Columbia ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer in Plains States. University of Missouri-Columbia is a public school based in Columbia, MO. University of Missouri-Columbia records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $85,587 in revenue per athlete, against $85,587 in expenses. The school awards about $16,637 in athletic aid per athlete.
Maryville University of Saint Louis came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Soccer in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Louis, MO. The program generates about $23,212 in revenue per athlete, compared with $20,809 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,338 in athletic aid per athlete.
Drake University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Des Moines, IA, Drake University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 87%. Team revenue averages $31,383 per participant, compared with $31,383 spent per athlete. The school awards about $10,413 in athletic aid per athlete.
Macalester College ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer in Plains States. Based in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,352 per participant, against $8,515 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rockhurst University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Kansas City, MO, Rockhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,026 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,026 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,130.
Carleton College ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Northfield, MN. Team revenue averages $4,423 per participant, with expenses of about $4,444 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Missouri State University-Springfield placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer in Plains States. Located in Springfield, MO, Missouri State University-Springfield is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $27,978 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $27,978 per participant. Athletic aid averages $12,364 per athlete.
University of North Dakota landed the #9 spot this year. University of North Dakota is a public school based in Grand Forks, ND. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 78%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $61,612, compared with $61,612 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,250 per athlete.
Grinnell College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Grinnell, IA, Grinnell College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,839 per participant, compared with $4,839 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mary landed the #11 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bismarck, ND. Team revenue averages $19,530 per participant, against $19,530 in expenses. The school awards about $6,321 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gustavus Adolphus College ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer in Plains States. Based in Saint Peter, MN, Gustavus Adolphus College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,476 per participant, with expenses of about $6,476 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer in Plains States. Based in Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 86% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $4,288 in revenue per athlete, against $64,781 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $16,793 per athlete.
Saint Louis University placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Louis, MO. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, alongside a GSR of 95%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $67,121 in revenue per athlete, compared with $67,121 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,446 per athlete.
Creighton University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer in Plains States. Creighton University is a private not-for-profit school based in Omaha, NE. The team's NCAA APR score is 990, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Team revenue averages $33,654 per participant, compared with $53,599 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,224.
Southeast Missouri State University came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Based in Cape Girardeau, MO, Southeast Missouri State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 74%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,863, with expenses of about $21,863 per participant. The school awards about $9,582 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Olaf College came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Northfield, MN. Team revenue averages $4,421 per participant, compared with $4,374 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Luther College landed the #18 spot this year. Based in Decorah, IA, Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,627 per participant, with expenses of about $5,623 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of South Dakota came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Vermillion, SD. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. Its federal graduation rate is 77%. The program generates about $21,069 in revenue per athlete, against $21,069 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,323.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer in Plains States. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public school based in Minneapolis, MN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $5,343 per participant, against $76,225 in expenses. The school awards about $27,174 in athletic aid per athlete.
Cornell College came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Cornell College is a private not-for-profit school based in Mount Vernon, IA. The program generates about $5,714 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,135 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lindenwood University placed #22 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Charles, MO. The team's NCAA APR score is 996, alongside a GSR of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 70%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,605, with expenses of about $23,605 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,722 per athlete.
Kansas State University placed #23 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer in Plains States. Based in Manhattan, KS, Kansas State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. Its federal graduation rate is 53%. Team revenue averages $50,139 per participant, against $50,139 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,682 per athlete.
Drury University placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer in Plains States. Based in Springfield, MO, Drury University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $19,256 per participant, with expenses of about $19,256 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,859 per athlete.
University of Nebraska at Omaha landed the #25 spot this year. Located in Omaha, NE, University of Nebraska at Omaha is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $10,462 per participant, against $33,985 in expenses. The school awards about $10,713 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
See our data sources and methodologies.
