2023 Top Plains States Region Women's D3 Softball Schools
32Colleges
$42,962Avg Tuition & Fees*
64%Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
When it comes to choosing a college, student athletes have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Division III Women's Softball in the Plains States Region ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Our analysis looked at 32 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for D3 Women's Softball athletes in the Plains States Region. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as the athletic competitiveness of the school and the school's overall quality. This means that a school must provide students with a great education in addition to having a good sports team if it wants to rank well.
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.
We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don't have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
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Top Colleges in the Plains States Region for D3 Women's Softball athletes in the Plains States Region
Our analysis found Luther College to be the best school for D3 Women’s Softball athletes in the Plains States Region in this year’s ranking. Located in Decorah, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 499 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Luther took home $202,676 in revenue and paid out $189,419 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $13,257 for the sports team.
In addition to its great ranking here, Luther is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Luther College Sports Report
The excellent sports programs at University of St Thomas Minnesota helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D3 Women’s Softball athletes in the Plains States Region. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 1,722 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at UST MN made $615,447 in revenue.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UST MN also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Out of the 32 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #3 spot on the list. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,428 students in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at WUSTL made $327,120 in revenue, while incurring $326,375 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $745 in profit.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. WUSTL not only placed well in this ranking, but it is also #1 on our overall quality list.
Full Washington University in St Louis Sports Report
A rank of #4 on our list means Central College is a great place for D3 Women’s Softball athletes in the Plains States Region working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Pella, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 259 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at Central brought home $169,291 in revenue in a single year.
Central also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Full Central College Sports Report
The excellent sports programs at St Olaf College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D3 Women’s Softball athletes in the Plains States Region. Located in Northfield, Minnesota, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 969 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at St. Olaf made $147,457 in revenue, while incurring $124,530 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $22,927 in profit.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, St. Olaf also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on St Olaf College
With a ranking of #6, Cornell College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Cornell College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Mount Vernon, Iowa. It awarded 279 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Cornell College took home $177,095 in revenue and paid out $152,187 in expenses in recent times. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $24,908.
In addition to its great ranking here, Cornell College is in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Cornell College Sports Report
Gustavus Adolphus College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region list. Saint Peter, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 682 students in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Gustavus Adolphus made $146,121 in revenue.
In addition to its great ranking here, Gustavus Adolphus is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Gustavus Adolphus College Sports Report
Coe College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region list. Coe is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It awarded 434 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Coe took home $134,449 in revenue.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. On top of its placing in this ranking, Coe also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Coe College Sports Report
Macalester College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Saint Paul, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 711 students in .
Macalester brought in $243,072 while tallying up $222,104 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Softball team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $20,968 in profit.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Macalester did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our overall quality list.
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Carleton College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Northfield, Minnesota, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 555 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at Carleton made $119,013 in revenue, while incurring $115,763 in expenses. That boils down to a yearly profit of $3,250 for the sports team.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Carleton did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Carleton College
The College of Saint Scholastica landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Duluth, Minnesota, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 761 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at St. Scholastica took home $267,802 in revenue and paid out $257,934 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $9,868 for the sports team.
St. Scholastica excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Loras College landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Loras is located in Dubuque, Iowa and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 362 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Loras made $119,865 in revenue.
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Wartburg College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Waverly, Iowa, and it awarded 398 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Wartburg made $176,381 in revenue.
Full Wartburg College Sports Report
Hamline University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it awarded 494 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at Hamline brought home $97,118 in revenue in a single year.
Read full sports report on Hamline University
With a ranking of #15, Webster University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Webster is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 689 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at Webster made $183,331 in revenue, while incurring $151,897 in expenses. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $31,434.
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Grinnell College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region list. Grinnell College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Grinnell, Iowa that handed out 558 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Grinnell made $155,180 in revenue.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Grinnell is ranked #5 for overall quality in the Plains States Region .
Read full sports report on Grinnell College
Westminster College Missouri landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Fulton, Missouri, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 152 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at Westminster Fulton brought home $93,102 in revenue in a single year.
Read full sports report on Westminster College Missouri
With a ranking of #18, Nebraska Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and it awarded 467 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at NWU took home $95,791 in revenue and paid out $91,676 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $4,115, which isn’t bad at all.
Full Nebraska Wesleyan University Sports Report
Augsburg University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Augsburg University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 572 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Augsburg made $146,679 in revenue.
Full Augsburg University Sports Report
Bethel University Minnesota did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #20. Bethel University Minnesota is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It awarded 737 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at Bethel University Minnesota brought home $108,477 in revenue in a single year.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Bethel University Minnesota also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
Full Bethel University Minnesota Sports Report
Martin Luther College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #21. MLC is a small private not-for-profit school situated in New Ulm, Minnesota. It awarded 173 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at MLC brought home $60,218 in revenue in a single year.
MLC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Martin Luther College
Concordia College at Moorhead ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region list. Concordia College Moorhead is a private not-for-profit institution located in Moorhead, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 453 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at Concordia College Moorhead brought home $81,345 in revenue in a single year.
Concordia College Moorhead excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Concordia College at Moorhead
University of Northwestern - St Paul came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 707 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at Northwestern brought home $76,632 in revenue in a single year.
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University of Minnesota - Morris ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region list. Morris, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 349 students in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at UMN Morris made $146,937 in revenue.
Read full sports report on University of Minnesota - Morris
Simpson College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Simpson College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Indianola, Iowa. It awarded 388 bachelor’s degrees in .
Simpson College brought in $179,675 while tallying up $171,995 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Softball team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $7,680 in profit.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.
References
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
The academic progress rate (APR) of each team was made available by the NCAA.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
