by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 28 programs for Women’s Softball (Division III) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual scores each program on 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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Explore the leading programs below:
New York University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Softball (Division III). New York University is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY. The program generates about $19,491 in revenue per athlete, against $18,937 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hamilton College is one of the top schools for Women's Softball (Division III), at #2. This private not-for-profit school is set in Clinton, NY. Team revenue averages $17,614 per participant, against $17,614 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Rochester is one of the top schools for Women's Softball (Division III), at #3. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,847, with expenses of about $9,793 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Union College is one of the top schools for Women's Softball (Division III), at #4. This private not-for-profit school is set in Schenectady, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,389, against $9,139 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,499.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit school based in Troy, NY. Team revenue averages $9,845 per participant, with expenses of about $9,299 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,263 per athlete.
Rochester Institute of Technology did well this year, earning the #6 position. Rochester Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. The program generates about $12,089 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,479 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,070.
Skidmore College came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Saratoga Springs, NY, Skidmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,100, with expenses of about $8,100 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Clarkson University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Potsdam, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,539, with expenses of about $9,989 per participant. Athletic aid averages $4,842 per athlete.
Yeshiva University placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Based 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. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
St. John Fisher University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. The program generates about $9,008 in revenue per athlete, against $7,991 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Nazareth University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in Rochester, NY, Nazareth University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,902 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,665 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ithaca College came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit school based in Ithaca, NY. Team revenue averages $8,854 per participant, with expenses of about $8,854 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
St Lawrence University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Based in Canton, NY, St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,639, with expenses of about $6,639 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,126.
State University of New York at Cortland did well this year, earning the #14 position. State University of New York at Cortland is a public school based in Cortland, NY. The program generates about $12,372 in revenue per athlete, against $12,372 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
State University of New York at New Paltz came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Located in New Paltz, NY, State University of New York at New Paltz is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,274, compared with $8,440 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Utica University placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Located in Utica, NY, Utica University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,156, with expenses of about $9,167 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Russell Sage College placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Based in Troy, NY, Russell Sage College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,601, compared with $6,530 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Sarah Lawrence College came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in Bronxville, NY, Sarah Lawrence College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $2,799 in revenue per athlete, compared with $2,799 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Houghton University placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Based in Houghton, NY, Houghton University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,953, with expenses of about $5,953 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Alfred University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Alfred, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,398, with expenses of about $8,258 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
State University of New York at Oswego ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). Based in Oswego, NY, State University of New York at Oswego is a public institution. The program generates about $5,335 in revenue per athlete, against $5,478 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Hilbert College came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Located in Hamburg, NY, Hilbert College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $15,812 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,901 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Farmingdale State College did well this year, earning the #23 position. Farmingdale State College is a public school based in Farmingdale, NY. The program generates about $5,313 in revenue per athlete, against $5,284 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Mount Saint Vincent did well this year, earning the #24 position. University of Mount Saint Vincent is a private not-for-profit school based in Bronx, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,191, against $4,130 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Elmira College ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). Elmira College is a private not-for-profit school based in Elmira, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,680, against $3,680 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*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.