by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 20 schools for Women’s Softball (Division III) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual evaluates each program using 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:
Leading the list is Case Western Reserve University, our #1 college for Women's Softball (Division III). Located in Cleveland, OH, Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $16,622 per participant, with expenses of about $16,622 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Denison University is one of the top schools for Women's Softball (Division III), at #2. Located in Granville, OH, Denison University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,646, against $13,646 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Oberlin College is one of the top schools for Women's Softball (Division III), at #3. This private not-for-profit school is set in Oberlin, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,562, against $12,562 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Kenyon College ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Located in Gambier, OH, Kenyon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,354 per participant, with expenses of about $6,354 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ohio Northern University is one of the top schools for Women's Softball (Division III), at #5. Located in Ada, OH, Ohio Northern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,409 per participant, with expenses of about $12,409 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
The College of Wooster placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). The College of Wooster is a private not-for-profit school based in Wooster, OH. Team revenue averages $13,417 per participant, with expenses of about $11,629 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
John Carroll University landed the #7 spot this year. Located in University Heights, OH, John Carroll University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,266 per participant, against $7,266 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Franciscan University of Steubenville placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Steubenville, OH. Team revenue averages $4,900 per participant, compared with $4,449 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Baldwin Wallace University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Baldwin Wallace University is a private not-for-profit school based in Berea, OH. Team revenue averages $6,980 per participant, compared with $6,980 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ohio Wesleyan University landed the #10 spot this year. Ohio Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Delaware, OH. Team revenue averages $7,301 per participant, compared with $7,301 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Mount St. Joseph University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Located in Cincinnati, OH, Mount St. Joseph University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,100 per participant, with expenses of about $13,100 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Mount Union ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). University of Mount Union is a private not-for-profit school based in Alliance, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,892, compared with $6,892 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Otterbein University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). Based in Westerville, OH, Otterbein University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,967 per participant, against $4,389 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Capital University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Columbus, OH. Team revenue averages $6,279 per participant, with expenses of about $6,279 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Muskingum University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Based in New Concord, OH, Muskingum University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,648 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,648 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Marietta College came in at #16 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Marietta, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,067, against $6,327 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Wittenberg University did well this year, earning the #17 position. Based in Springfield, OH, Wittenberg University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,952 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,952 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hiram College ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). Located in Hiram, OH, Hiram College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,225 per participant, against $5,225 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Heidelberg University placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Tiffin, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,137, against $7,137 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bluffton University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). Based in Bluffton, OH, Bluffton University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,382, compared with $5,774 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.