by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 47 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 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.
Not quite what you need? Jump to the options below.
Learn more about these schools below:
Carnegie Mellon University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,100, compared with $16,088 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Swarthmore College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit school based in Swarthmore, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,141, compared with $10,313 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Haverford College is one of the top schools for Women's Softball (Division III), at #3. This private not-for-profit school is set in Haverford, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,719, with expenses of about $9,603 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Gettysburg College landed the #4 spot for Women's Softball (Division III). Located in Gettysburg, PA, Gettysburg College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,874, compared with $9,874 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Scranton is one of the top schools for Women's Softball (Division III), at #5. University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit school based in Scranton, PA. Team revenue averages $9,569 per participant, compared with $9,569 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Muhlenberg College landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Allentown, PA, Muhlenberg College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,834 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,218 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Franklin and Marshall College landed the #7 spot this year. Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lancaster, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,175, against $6,821 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $53 per athlete.
Dickinson College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Carlisle, PA. Team revenue averages $7,858 per participant, against $6,024 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lebanon Valley College came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in Annville, PA, Lebanon Valley College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,617 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,138 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ursinus College placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Located in Collegeville, PA, Ursinus College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,936, compared with $7,936 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Moravian University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Based in Bethlehem, PA, Moravian University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,683 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,243 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Messiah University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). Located in Mechanicsburg, PA, Messiah University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,797, with expenses of about $6,668 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Elizabethtown College did well this year, earning the #13 position. Located in Elizabethtown, PA, Elizabethtown College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,116 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,116 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Allegheny College ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). Located in Meadville, PA, Allegheny College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,399 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,399 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Susquehanna University placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Susquehanna University is a private not-for-profit school based in Selinsgrove, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,828, compared with $6,828 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wilkes University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,432, with expenses of about $10,432 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Juniata College ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Huntingdon, PA. Team revenue averages $8,284 per participant, compared with $8,273 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Widener University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in Chester, PA, Widener University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,080 in revenue per athlete, against $8,160 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Saint Vincent College landed the #19 spot this year. Based in Latrobe, PA, Saint Vincent College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,333, compared with $7,333 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Marywood University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III). Marywood University is a private not-for-profit school based in Scranton, PA. Team revenue averages $7,942 per participant, compared with $5,930 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Arcadia University did well this year, earning the #21 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Glenside, PA. Team revenue averages $9,564 per participant, with expenses of about $9,564 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
DeSales University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III). Based in Center Valley, PA, DeSales University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,387 per participant, with expenses of about $7,284 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lycoming College came in at #23 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Williamsport, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,042, with expenses of about $9,694 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Chatham University did well this year, earning the #24 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Pittsburgh, PA. The program generates about $7,655 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,655 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lancaster Bible College came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Lancaster, PA, Lancaster Bible College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,395, with expenses of about $4,253 per participant. 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.
The ranking above is published 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.