by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 16 colleges 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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Learn more about these schools below:
No school ranked higher than University of Chicago this year for Women's Softball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. The program generates about $13,901 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,901 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #2 spot for Women's Softball (Division III). Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bloomington, IL. Team revenue averages $9,089 per participant, with expenses of about $9,089 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
North Central College earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,264, compared with $9,015 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lake Forest College landed the #4 spot for Women's Softball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Lake Forest, IL. Team revenue averages $6,746 per participant, against $6,746 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Millikin University landed the #5 spot for Women's Softball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Decatur, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,340, with expenses of about $10,340 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Knox College ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Galesburg, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,248, compared with $8,054 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Illinois College landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Jacksonville, IL, Illinois College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,556 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,556 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Elmhurst University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). Located in Elmhurst, IL, Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,570 per participant, compared with $4,570 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
North Park University landed the #9 spot this year. Based in Chicago, IL, North Park University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,501 in revenue per athlete, against $8,501 in expenses. The school awards about $32 in athletic aid per athlete.
Concordia University-Chicago came in at #10 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in River Forest, IL. Team revenue averages $10,195 per participant, compared with $9,768 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Aurora University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Aurora, IL. Team revenue averages $4,765 per participant, with expenses of about $4,765 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Blackburn College landed the #12 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Carlinville, IL. The program generates about $7,752 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,752 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Greenville University landed the #13 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Greenville, IL. Team revenue averages $5,291 per participant, against $5,064 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rockford University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rockford, IL. Team revenue averages $4,663 per participant, compared with $4,663 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Eureka College landed the #15 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Eureka, IL. The program generates about $4,149 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,149 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology weighs 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.