by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 6 schools for Women’s Softball (Division III) 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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Occidental College tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Occidental College is a private not-for-profit school based in Los Angeles, CA. Team revenue averages $12,810 per participant, against $11,959 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Chapman University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball (Division III). Based in Orange, CA, Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,225 per participant, with expenses of about $9,225 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
California Lutheran University landed the #3 spot for Women's Softball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Thousand Oaks, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,474, against $9,474 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Redlands is one of the top schools for Women's Softball (Division III), at #4. University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit school based in Redlands, CA. Team revenue averages $7,104 per participant, compared with $11,800 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of La Verne earned the #5 place for student athletes. Based in La Verne, CA, University of La Verne is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,081 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,924 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Whittier College placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Whittier College is a private not-for-profit school based in Whittier, CA. The program generates about $7,463 in revenue per athlete, against $7,465 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.