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2023 Top Women's D3 Softball Schools

365 Colleges
$51,287 Avg Tuition & Fees*
75% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

Women's Division III Softball BadgeWith all of the options student athletes have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for Division III Women's Softball ranking is part of that endeavor.

After analyzing 365 schools in the United States, we came up with our list of those that offered the best educational experiences for D3 Women's Softball athletes. Our ranking methodology focuses a number of different objective factors - such as the overall quality of the school, the school's athletic competitiveness, and the amount of athletic aid per student - to make this determination. Having a great sports team is not enough - the school must also focus on academic excellence.

See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.

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Top Colleges in the U.S. for D3 Women's Softball athletes

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1
Luther crest
Luther College
Decorah, Iowa
Top 15% in Quality in the United States
$202,676 Team Revenue
$48,160 Avg Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Luther College the best school for D3 Women’s Softball athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Luther is located in Decorah, Iowa and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 499 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. The team at Luther took home $202,676 in revenue and paid out $189,419 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $13,257 in profit. In addition to its great ranking here, Luther is in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read More…

2
Berry crest
Berry College
Mount Berry, Georgia
Top 20% in Quality in the United States
$248,321 Team Revenue
$39,376 Avg Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend Berry College. The school came in at #2 in this year’s ranking. Berry is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Mount Berry, Georgia. It awarded 438 bachelor’s degrees in . The team at Berry took home $248,321 in revenue and paid out $234,380 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $13,941 in profit. Berry excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read full sports report on Berry College

3
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts
#7 in Quality in the United States
$216,166 Team Revenue
$61,770 Avg Tuition & Fees

Out of the 365 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Williams College landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 737 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Williams took home $216,166 in revenue. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. On top of its placing in this ranking, Williams also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 1% of all schools reviewed in this analysis. Read full sports report on Williams College

4
Amherst crest
Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts
#16 in Quality in the United States
$261,871 Team Revenue
$64,100 Avg Tuition & Fees

Out of the 365 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Amherst College landed the #4 spot on the list. Amherst is a private not-for-profit institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 759 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Amherst made $261,871 in revenue. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. In addition to its great ranking here, Amherst is in the top 1% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read More…

5
Bowdoin crest
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, Maine
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$235,953 Team Revenue
$61,528 Avg Tuition & Fees

The excellent sports programs at Bowdoin College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D3 Women’s Softball athletes. Located in Brunswick, Maine, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 631 bachelor’s degrees in . The team at Bowdoin took home $235,953 in revenue and paid out $213,265 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $22,688, which isn’t bad at all. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Bowdoin excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read More…

6
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$645,184 Team Revenue
$60,074 Avg Tuition & Fees

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. RPI is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Troy, New York. It awarded 1,566 bachelor’s degrees in . RPI brought in $645,184 while tallying up $154,037 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Softball team. Thus, the team actually made $491,147, which isn’t bad at all. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, RPI also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking. Full Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Sports Report

7
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$476,602 Team Revenue
$57,948 Avg Tuition & Fees

Emory University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking, coming in at #7. Emory is a private not-for-profit institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,663 bachelor’s degrees in . Emory brought in $476,602 while tallying up $293,341 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Softball team. Thus, the team actually made $183,261, which isn’t bad at all. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. On top of its placing in this ranking, Emory also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis. Full Emory University Sports Report

8
Fisher crest
St. John Fisher College
Rochester, New York
Top 20% in Quality in the United States
$172,102 Team Revenue
$37,748 Avg Tuition & Fees

St. John Fisher College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. Fisher is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rochester, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 683 bachelor’s degrees in . The team at Fisher took home $172,102 in revenue and paid out $143,345 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $28,757, which isn’t bad at all. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. On top of its placing in this ranking, Fisher also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis. Full St. John Fisher College Sports Report

9
UST MN crest
University of St Thomas Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Top 15% in Quality in the United States
$615,447 Team Revenue
$50,366 Avg Tuition & Fees

University of St Thomas Minnesota landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. University of St Thomas Minnesota is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota that handed out 1,722 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at UST MN made $615,447 in revenue. UST MN also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. Full University of St Thomas Minnesota Sports Report

10
Ithaca crest
Ithaca College
Ithaca, New York
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$205,958 Team Revenue
$48,276 Avg Tuition & Fees

Ithaca College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. Ithaca, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,322 students in . The D3 Women’s Softball team at Ithaca brought home $205,958 in revenue in a single year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Ithaca also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking. Read More…

11
WUSTL crest
Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, Missouri
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$327,120 Team Revenue
$60,590 Avg Tuition & Fees

Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,428 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . WUSTL brought in $327,120 while tallying up $326,375 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Softball team. Thus, the team actually made $745, which isn’t bad at all. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, WUSTL also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking. Read full sports report on Washington University in St Louis

12
MIT crest
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
#5 in Quality in the United States
$154,072 Team Revenue
$57,986 Avg Tuition & Fees

Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball list. MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 1,361 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at MIT took home $154,072 in revenue. With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, MIT is ranked #5 for overall quality in the United States. Read More…

13
WPI crest
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, Massachusetts
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$189,264 Team Revenue
$56,896 Avg Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #13, Worcester Polytechnic Institute did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Worcester, Massachusetts that handed out 1,333 bachelor’s degrees in . The D3 Women’s Softball team at WPI brought home $189,264 in revenue in a single year. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. WPI also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category. Read More…

14
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
#19 in Quality in the United States
$284,584 Team Revenue
$62,940 Avg Tuition & Fees

University of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,425 bachelor’s degrees in . The D3 Women’s Softball team at UChicago brought home $284,584 in revenue in a single year. With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. UChicago excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read full sports report on University of Chicago

15
Messiah crest
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Top 15% in Quality in the United States
$118,726 Team Revenue
$39,490 Avg Tuition & Fees

Messiah University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking, coming in at #15. Messiah is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 592 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Messiah made $118,726 in revenue. In addition to its great ranking here, Messiah is in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read full sports report on Messiah University

16
Babson College crest
Babson College
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$238,389 Team Revenue
$54,944 Avg Tuition & Fees

Babson College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball list. Located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 564 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Babson College took home $238,389 in revenue. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. In addition to its great ranking here, Babson College is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read full sports report on Babson College

17
Moravian crest
Moravian College
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Top 25% in Quality in the United States
$194,749 Team Revenue
$50,500 Avg Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #17, Moravian College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. Moravian is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 527 bachelor’s degrees in . The D3 Women’s Softball team at Moravian made $194,749 in revenue, while incurring $194,739 in expenses. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $10. Read More…

18
St. Lawrence crest
St Lawrence University
Canton, New York
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$103,025 Team Revenue
$62,020 Avg Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #18, St Lawrence University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. St Lawrence University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Canton, New York that handed out 713 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at St. Lawrence took home $103,025 in revenue. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, St. Lawrence also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking. Read More…

19
Central crest
Central College
Pella, Iowa
Top 20% in Quality in the United States
$169,291 Team Revenue
$19,800 Avg Tuition & Fees

Central College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Pella, Iowa, and it awarded 259 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Central made $169,291 in revenue. On top of its placing in this ranking, Central also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis. Read More…

20
Whitworth crest
Whitworth University
Spokane, Washington
Top 20% in Quality in the United States
$179,838 Team Revenue
$48,990 Avg Tuition & Fees

Whitworth University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking, coming in at #20. Whitworth is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Spokane, Washington. It awarded 643 bachelor’s degrees in . Whitworth brought in $179,838 while tallying up $175,358 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Softball team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $4,480. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Whitworth also is in the top 20% of our overall quality ranking. Read full sports report on Whitworth University

21
Gettysburg crest
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$122,078 Team Revenue
$61,760 Avg Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #21, Gettysburg College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. Gettysburg College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 764 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Gettysburg made $122,078 in revenue. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, Gettysburg also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis. Full Gettysburg College Sports Report

22
Top 20% in Quality in the United States
$161,334 Team Revenue
$39,776 Avg Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #22, The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. UT Dallas is located in Richardson, Texas and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 4,995 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. The D3 Women’s Softball team at UT Dallas brought home $161,334 in revenue in a single year. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, UT Dallas also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis. Full The University of Texas at Dallas Sports Report

23
Illinois Wesleyan crest
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$164,546 Team Revenue
$53,814 Avg Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #23, Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bloomington, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 404 bachelor’s degrees in . The D3 Women’s Softball team at Illinois Wesleyan brought home $164,546 in revenue in a single year. On top of its placing in this ranking, Illinois Wesleyan also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis. Read full sports report on Illinois Wesleyan University

24
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, Minnesota
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$147,457 Team Revenue
$54,650 Avg Tuition & Fees

St Olaf College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Northfield, Minnesota, and it awarded 969 bachelor’s degrees in . St. Olaf brought in $147,457 while tallying up $124,530 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Softball team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $22,927 in profit. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, St. Olaf also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking. Read More…

25
CNU crest
Christopher Newport University
Newport News, Virginia
Top 20% in Quality in the United States
$263,977 Team Revenue
$28,663 Avg Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #25, Christopher Newport University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. Located in Newport News, Virginia, the small public school handed out 1,144 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at CNU took home $263,977 in revenue. In addition to its great ranking here, CNU is in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list. Full Christopher Newport University Sports Report

Rest of the Top 50 Best Colleges for D3 Women's Softball athletes

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
Transylvania Crest
Transylvania University
Lexington, Kentucky
27
Tufts Crest
Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts
28
Cornell College Crest
Cornell College
Mount Vernon, Iowa
29
Denison Crest
Denison University
Granville, Ohio
30
University of Rochester Crest
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York
31
Randolph - Macon Crest
Randolph - Macon College
Ashland, Virginia
32
Otterbein Crest
Otterbein University
Westerville, Ohio
33
Southwestern Crest
Southwestern University
Georgetown, Texas
34
Clarkson Crest
Clarkson University
Potsdam, New York
35
Ramapo College Crest
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Mahwah, New Jersey
36
Middlebury Crest
Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vermont
37
CUA Crest
Catholic University of America
Washington, District of Columbia
38
Hope Crest
Hope College
Holland, Michigan
39
Trinity Bantams Crest
Trinity College
Hartford, Connecticut
39
41
MSOE Crest
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
42
43
DePauw Crest
DePauw University
Greencastle, Indiana
44
Rowan Crest
Rowan University
Glassboro, New Jersey
45
Gustavus Adolphus Crest
Gustavus Adolphus College
Saint Peter, Minnesota
46
Coe Crest
Coe College
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
47
Springfield College Crest
Springfield College
Springfield, Massachusetts
48
University of Scranton Crest
University of Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania
49
50
LVC Crest
Lebanon Valley College
Annville, Pennsylvania

Rest of the Top 15% Best Colleges in the United States for International Students

To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:

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Rank College Links
51 Centre College
Danville, KY
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52 Wittenberg University
Springfield, OH
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53 Alma College
Alma, MI
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54 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
La Crosse, WI
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55 Western New England University
Springfield, MA
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Honorable Mentions

These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking:

Rank College Links
56 Virginia Wesleyan University
Virginia Beach, VA
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57 SUNY Cortland
Cortland, NY
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58 Washington College
Chestertown, MD
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59 Macalester College
Saint Paul, MN
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60 Carleton College
Northfield, MN
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61 Rhodes College
Memphis, TN
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62 University of La Verne
La Verne, CA
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63 Salve Regina University
Newport, RI
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64 Roger Williams University
Bristol, RI
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65 SUNY Geneseo
Geneseo, NY
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66 Millsaps College
Jackson, MS
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67 Susquehanna University
Selinsgrove, PA
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68 Westminster College Pennsylvania
New Wilmington, PA
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69 Pennsylvania State University - Erie - Behrend College
Erie, PA
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70 Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
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71 Texas Lutheran University
Seguin, TX
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72 Trine University
Angola, IN
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73 Saint Norbert College
De Pere, WI
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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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