by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 25 programs for Women’s Softball (Division III) in Plains States 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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Washington University in St Louis earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Softball (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in St. Louis, MO. The program generates about $20,147 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $17,566 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Macalester College landed the #2 spot for Women's Softball (Division III) in Plains States. Located in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,898 per participant, compared with $13,887 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Carleton College came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball (Division III) in Plains States. Carleton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Northfield, MN. Team revenue averages $7,862 per participant, against $7,880 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Grinnell College ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Grinnell, IA. Team revenue averages $9,047 per participant, against $9,047 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Olaf College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball (Division III) in Plains States. Based in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,743, against $10,628 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Luther College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Decorah, IA, Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,213, with expenses of about $8,905 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gustavus Adolphus College landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Saint Peter, MN, Gustavus Adolphus College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,348 in revenue per athlete, against $6,348 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Cornell College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Mount Vernon, IA, Cornell College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,505 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,017 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Winona, MN. The program generates about $7,245 in revenue per athlete, against $7,245 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Nebraska Wesleyan University did well this year, earning the #10 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lincoln, NE. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,149, with expenses of about $7,390 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Wartburg College landed the #11 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waverly, IA. The program generates about $8,886 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,886 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Martin Luther College ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III) in Plains States. Based in New Ulm, MN, Martin Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,513 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,513 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
St Catherine University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Located in Saint Paul, MN, St Catherine University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,375 per participant, against $9,375 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Webster University landed the #14 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Louis, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,260, with expenses of about $10,744 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loras College landed the #15 spot this year. Loras College is a private not-for-profit school based in Dubuque, IA. The program generates about $5,621 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,621 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Simpson College placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Softball (Division III) in Plains States. Simpson College is a private not-for-profit school based in Indianola, IA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,978, compared with $7,089 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bethany Lutheran College came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Mankato, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,219, compared with $12,980 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Northwestern-St Paul landed the #18 spot this year. University of Northwestern-St Paul is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Paul, MN. The program generates about $3,560 in revenue per athlete, compared with $3,560 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Morris came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Located in Morris, MN, University of Minnesota-Morris is a public institution. Team revenue averages $7,414 per participant, with expenses of about $7,450 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Buena Vista University did well this year, earning the #20 position. Based in Storm Lake, IA, Buena Vista University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,390 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,706 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
North Central University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Located in Minneapolis, MN, North Central University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,929, with expenses of about $6,929 per participant. The school awards about $49 in athletic aid per athlete.
Augsburg University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Located in Minneapolis, MN, Augsburg University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,971 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,971 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Dubuque ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball (Division III) in Plains States. Located in Dubuque, IA, University of Dubuque is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,351 in revenue per athlete, against $9,854 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hamline University landed the #24 spot this year. Hamline University is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Paul, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,873, against $6,873 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Coe College did well this year, earning the #25 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cedar Rapids, IA. Team revenue averages $6,524 per participant, compared with $6,524 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.