by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 12 schools for Women’s Softball (Division I) 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:
No school ranked higher than Northwestern University this year for Women's Softball (Division I). Located in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. Team revenue averages $70,074 per participant, with expenses of about $145,522 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53,919.
Loyola University Chicago is one of the top schools for Women's Softball (Division I), at #2. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL. Loyola University Chicago records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 94%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $65,448, against $65,448 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,325.
DePaul University is one of the top schools for Women's Softball (Division I), at #3. Based in Chicago, IL, DePaul University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 74% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $81,970 per participant, with expenses of about $81,970 per participant. Athletic aid averages $23,928 per athlete.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign earned the #4 place for student athletes. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public school based in Champaign, IL. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 94%. About 56% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $22,800 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $87,935 per participant. Athletic aid averages $25,398 per athlete.
University of Illinois Chicago is one of the top schools for Women's Softball (Division I), at #5. Based in Chicago, IL, University of Illinois Chicago is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 93%. Team revenue averages $51,785 per participant, against $51,785 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $15,167 per athlete.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Carbondale, IL, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 76% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $46,001 per participant, against $46,001 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,525.
Illinois State University did well this year, earning the #7 position. This public school is set in Normal, IL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. Team revenue averages $49,317 per participant, compared with $49,317 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,477.
Bradley University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit school based in Peoria, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 90%. Team revenue averages $36,486 per participant, compared with $36,486 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,583.
Eastern Illinois University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in Charleston, IL, Eastern Illinois University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 83% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $35,021 per participant, with expenses of about $35,021 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,653.
Northern Illinois University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Located in Dekalb, IL, Northern Illinois University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. The program generates about $38,362 in revenue per athlete, compared with $38,362 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,138 in athletic aid per athlete.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did well this year, earning the #11 position. Located in Edwardsville, IL, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 980, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 68%. Team revenue averages $31,567 per participant, compared with $31,567 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,334.
Western Illinois University did well this year, earning the #12 position. Located in Macomb, IL, Western Illinois University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, alongside a GSR of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 72%. The program generates about $27,416 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $27,416 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,303.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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.