by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 18 schools 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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Fordham University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Bronx, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $91,407 per participant, with expenses of about $91,407 per participant. Athletic aid averages $32,443 per athlete.
Colgate University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Hamilton, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 996, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 95%. The program generates about $77,925 in revenue per athlete, against $77,925 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,658.
St. John's University-New York came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball (Division I). Located in Queens, NY, St. John's University-New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 94%. The program generates about $69,630 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $69,630 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $29,040.
Syracuse University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Syracuse, NY, Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 77%. Team revenue averages $50,022 per participant, with expenses of about $93,292 per participant. The school awards about $33,068 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stony Brook University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division I). Located in Stony Brook, NY, Stony Brook University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 61% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $68,568, against $68,568 in expenses. The school awards about $15,341 in athletic aid per athlete.
Binghamton University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Binghamton University is a public school based in Vestal, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 89% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $72,668, with expenses of about $49,588 per participant. The school awards about $9,522 in athletic aid per athlete.
Marist University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Poughkeepsie, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 93% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $54,883 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $54,883 per participant. The school awards about $9,661 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hofstra University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hempstead, NY. Hofstra University records an NCAA APR of 993, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. About 47% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $64,777, compared with $64,777 spent per athlete. The school awards about $22,514 in athletic aid per athlete.
Columbia University in the City of New York did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in New York, NY, Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,515, against $31,515 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University at Buffalo did well this year, earning the #10 position. This public school is set in Buffalo, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 987, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 56% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $47,371, with expenses of about $47,371 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,340.
Cornell University landed the #11 spot this year. Cornell University is a private not-for-profit school based in Ithaca, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Team revenue averages $30,839 per participant, against $30,839 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Niagara University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division I). Located in Niagara University, NY, Niagara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 81%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,760, against $17,760 in expenses. The school awards about $17,462 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wagner College came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Staten Island, NY, Wagner College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. The federal graduation rate stands at 62%. Team revenue averages $26,903 per participant, with expenses of about $26,903 per participant. The school awards about $15,661 in athletic aid per athlete.
Iona University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division I). Iona University is a private not-for-profit school based in New Rochelle, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 95%. The program generates about $39,362 in revenue per athlete, compared with $39,362 spent per athlete. The school awards about $10,814 in athletic aid per athlete.
Manhattan University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division I). Based in Riverdale, NY, Manhattan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Manhattan University records an NCAA APR of 979, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 79% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,545, against $31,670 in expenses. The school awards about $14,484 in athletic aid per athlete.
University at Albany came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Located in Albany, NY, University at Albany is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 979, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Team revenue averages $41,367 per participant, against $42,594 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,856 per athlete.
St Bonaventure University landed the #17 spot this year. Located in Saint Bonaventure, NY, St Bonaventure University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 983, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 78%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,171, with expenses of about $27,171 per participant. Athletic aid averages $12,194 per athlete.
Canisius University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in Buffalo, NY, Canisius University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 80%. The program generates about $21,766 in revenue per athlete, compared with $21,766 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,300.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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.