by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 11 colleges for Women’s Softball (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
University of Notre Dame tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Notre Dame, IN. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $140,408 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $140,408 per participant. The school awards about $34,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
Indiana University-Bloomington is one of the top schools for Women's Softball (Division I), at #2. Located in Bloomington, IN, Indiana University-Bloomington is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $131,482 per participant, against $131,482 in expenses. The school awards about $23,161 in athletic aid per athlete.
Butler University landed the #3 spot for Women's Softball (Division I). Based in Indianapolis, IN, Butler University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. About 79% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $57,077 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $55,585 per participant. Athletic aid averages $12,113 per athlete.
Ball State University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division I). Based in Muncie, IN, Ball State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 83% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $44,024, compared with $44,024 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,206 per athlete.
University of Evansville earned the #5 place for student athletes. University of Evansville is a private not-for-profit school based in Evansville, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, alongside a GSR of 95%. Its federal graduation rate is 85%. Team revenue averages $45,569 per participant, compared with $45,569 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,525 in athletic aid per athlete.
Valparaiso University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Based in Valparaiso, IN, Valparaiso University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 87% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,714, compared with $39,731 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,540 in athletic aid per athlete.
Purdue University-Main Campus came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Purdue University-Main Campus is a public school based in West Lafayette, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 979, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 59%. Team revenue averages $16,840 per participant, with expenses of about $94,818 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,382.
Indiana State University landed the #8 spot this year. This public school is set in Terre Haute, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 78% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $35,635, against $35,635 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,961.
Indiana University-Indianapolis came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in Indianapolis, IN, Indiana University-Indianapolis is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 61% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,423, against $23,423 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,962 per athlete.
Purdue University Fort Wayne did well this year, earning the #10 position. This public school is set in Fort Wayne, IN. Student-athletes graduate at a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $28,806 per participant, against $36,037 in expenses. The school awards about $7,345 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Southern Indiana did well this year, earning the #11 position. This public school is set in Evansville, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 970, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,087, against $29,087 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,037 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
See our data sources and methodologies.