by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 14 colleges 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Leading the list is Drake University, our #1 college for Women's Soccer. This private not-for-profit school is set in Des Moines, IA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 87%. The program generates about $31,383 in revenue per athlete, against $31,383 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $10,413 per athlete.
Grinnell College ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Located in Grinnell, IA, Grinnell College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,839 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,839 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Luther College earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Decorah, IA, Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,627 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,623 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Northern Iowa landed the #4 spot for Women's Soccer. Located in Cedar Falls, IA, University of Northern Iowa is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 54%. The program generates about $19,433 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $19,433 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,720.
University of Iowa ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. Based in Iowa City, IA, University of Iowa is a public institution. University of Iowa records an NCAA APR of 989, alongside a GSR of 96%. Its federal graduation rate is 81%. Team revenue averages $9,061 per participant, compared with $58,641 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $21,176 per athlete.
Cornell College did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Mount Vernon, IA, Cornell College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,714, against $5,135 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Loras College ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Soccer. Located in Dubuque, IA, Loras College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,921, compared with $5,921 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wartburg College landed the #8 spot this year. Located in Waverly, IA, Wartburg College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,026, with expenses of about $6,026 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Simpson College did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in Indianola, IA, Simpson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,476 per participant, with expenses of about $5,178 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Iowa State University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Soccer. This public school is set in Ames, IA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 985, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. The program generates about $4,364 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $52,859 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,185.
Upper Iowa University landed the #11 spot this year. Based in Fayette, IA, Upper Iowa University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,408 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,578 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,035 per athlete.
Coe College landed the #12 spot this year. Located in Cedar Rapids, IA, Coe College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,435, against $4,435 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Dubuque landed the #13 spot this year. University of Dubuque is a private not-for-profit school based in Dubuque, IA. The program generates about $9,659 in revenue per athlete, against $8,513 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Buena Vista University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Buena Vista University is a private not-for-profit school based in Storm Lake, IA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,379, against $4,379 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.