by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 7 colleges for Women’s Softball (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Leading the list is Utah State University, our #1 college for Women's Softball (Division I). This public school is set in Logan, UT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. Team revenue averages $54,074 per participant, against $54,074 in expenses. The school awards about $14,542 in athletic aid per athlete.
Brigham Young University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division I). Based in Provo, UT, Brigham Young University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 980, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 79%. Team revenue averages $49,150 per participant, with expenses of about $87,129 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,191 per athlete.
Weber State University earned the #3 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Ogden, UT. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Team revenue averages $37,889 per participant, against $37,889 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $10,446 per athlete.
University of Utah landed the #4 spot for Women's Softball (Division I). University of Utah is a public school based in Salt Lake City, UT. The team's NCAA APR score is 982, alongside a GSR of 93%. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,653, with expenses of about $103,720 per participant. The school awards about $29,047 in athletic aid per athlete.
Utah Valley University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division I). Located in Orem, UT, Utah Valley University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 42%. Team revenue averages $47,011 per participant, compared with $47,011 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,013 in athletic aid per athlete.
Utah Tech University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Utah Tech University is a public school based in Saint George, UT. Utah Tech University records an NCAA APR of 980, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 95%. Team revenue averages $38,006 per participant, with expenses of about $38,006 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,796.
Southern Utah University placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division I). Located in Cedar City, UT, Southern Utah University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 972, alongside a GSR of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 54%. Team revenue averages $35,024 per participant, with expenses of about $35,458 per participant. The school awards about $10,065 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.