by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 91 schools for Women’s Softball (Division III) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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:
New York University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Softball (Division III). Based in New York, NY, New York University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $19,491 in revenue per athlete, against $18,937 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Carnegie Mellon University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $16,100 per participant, against $16,088 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hamilton College came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball (Division III). Located in Clinton, NY, Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $17,614 in revenue per athlete, against $17,614 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stevens Institute of Technology earned the #4 place for student athletes. Stevens Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Hoboken, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,297, against $16,297 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Swarthmore College ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit school based in Swarthmore, PA. Team revenue averages $11,141 per participant, compared with $10,313 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
The College of New Jersey placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). This public school is set in Ewing, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,968, with expenses of about $10,968 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Rochester ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). Based in Rochester, NY, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,847, compared with $9,793 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Haverford College ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). Haverford College is a private not-for-profit school based in Haverford, PA. Team revenue averages $9,719 per participant, with expenses of about $9,603 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). Located in Troy, NY, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,845, against $9,299 in expenses. The school awards about $3,263 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gettysburg College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Gettysburg College is a private not-for-profit school based in Gettysburg, PA. Team revenue averages $9,874 per participant, against $9,874 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Union College did well this year, earning the #11 position. Union College is a private not-for-profit school based in Schenectady, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,389, compared with $9,139 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $2,499 per athlete.
University of Scranton landed the #12 spot this year. Located in Scranton, PA, University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,569 per participant, against $9,569 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Muhlenberg College placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Muhlenberg College is a private not-for-profit school based in Allentown, PA. Team revenue averages $9,834 per participant, with expenses of about $9,218 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Franklin and Marshall College came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lancaster, PA. Team revenue averages $7,175 per participant, against $6,821 in expenses. The school awards about $53 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rochester Institute of Technology ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY. Team revenue averages $12,089 per participant, against $11,479 in expenses. The school awards about $3,070 in athletic aid per athlete.
Skidmore College came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Skidmore College is a private not-for-profit school based in Saratoga Springs, NY. The program generates about $8,100 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,100 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Clarkson University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Clarkson University is a private not-for-profit school based in Potsdam, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,539, against $9,989 in expenses. The school awards about $4,842 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rowan University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in Glassboro, NJ, Rowan University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $18,008 per participant, against $14,964 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Dickinson College came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Carlisle, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,858, against $6,024 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Nazareth University did well this year, earning the #20 position. Nazareth University is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. The program generates about $10,902 in revenue per athlete, against $9,665 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Stockton University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Based in Galloway, NJ, Stockton University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $9,861 per participant, compared with $9,861 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Yeshiva University placed #22 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Located in New York, NY, Yeshiva University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,775, compared with $5,775 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ithaca College placed #23 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Located in Ithaca, NY, Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,854, against $8,854 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
St. John Fisher University ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,008, compared with $7,991 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
State University of New York at Cortland did well this year, earning the #25 position. Located in Cortland, NY, State University of New York at Cortland is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,372, compared with $12,372 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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.