by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 64 schools for Women’s Softball 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.
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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Leading the list is Stanford University, our #1 college for Women's Softball. Based in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 998, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 93%. Team revenue averages $160,247 per participant, compared with $160,247 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $42,012.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. Based in Seattle, WA, University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a public institution. University of Washington-Seattle Campus records an NCAA APR of 996, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $70,118, with expenses of about $218,581 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,539.
University of California-Los Angeles is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #3. Located in Los Angeles, CA, University of California-Los Angeles is a public institution. University of California-Los Angeles records an NCAA APR of 996, alongside a GSR of 90%. About 82% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $171,560 per participant, compared with $171,560 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $24,306 per athlete.
Santa Clara University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. Located in Santa Clara, CA, Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 89%. Its federal graduation rate is 89%. The program generates about $59,857 in revenue per athlete, against $59,857 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,355.
University of San Diego landed the #5 spot for Women's Softball. Based in San Diego, CA, University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 93%. Team revenue averages $68,782 per participant, against $68,782 in expenses. The school awards about $19,537 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-San Diego landed the #6 spot this year. Located in La Jolla, CA, University of California-San Diego is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 96%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $52,317, compared with $52,317 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,847.
University of California-Berkeley did well this year, earning the #7 position. Located in Berkeley, CA, University of California-Berkeley is a public institution. University of California-Berkeley records an NCAA APR of 991, alongside a GSR of 89%. Its federal graduation rate is 81%. Team revenue averages $101,242 per participant, with expenses of about $101,242 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,267.
Loyola Marymount University placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Los Angeles, CA, Loyola Marymount University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $99,335 per participant, with expenses of about $99,335 per participant. The school awards about $40,056 in athletic aid per athlete.
San Diego State University landed the #9 spot this year. Based in San Diego, CA, San Diego State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 78%. Team revenue averages $78,956 per participant, with expenses of about $77,665 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,450.
Chapman University landed the #10 spot this year. Chapman University is a private not-for-profit school based in Orange, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,225, compared with $9,225 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Occidental College did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Occidental College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,810, compared with $11,959 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Davis ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Located in Davis, CA, University of California-Davis is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 87%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,198, against $48,198 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,267.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo came in at #13 in this year's ranking. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a public school based in San Luis Obispo, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 94% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $45,122 per participant, with expenses of about $45,122 per participant. Athletic aid averages $10,344 per athlete.
Seattle University did well this year, earning the #14 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Seattle, WA. Seattle University records an NCAA APR of 987, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $61,044 in revenue per athlete, against $61,044 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,482 per athlete.
California Lutheran University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit school based in Thousand Oaks, CA. The program generates about $9,474 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,474 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Dominican University of California placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Rafael, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,014, with expenses of about $19,014 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,270 per athlete.
University of the Pacific did well this year, earning the #17 position. Located in Stockton, CA, University of the Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution. University of the Pacific records an NCAA APR of 983, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 57%. Team revenue averages $56,329 per participant, compared with $56,329 spent per athlete. The school awards about $21,596 in athletic aid per athlete.
Biola University did well this year, earning the #18 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in La Mirada, CA. Team revenue averages $32,831 per participant, compared with $32,007 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,338.
Oregon State University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Corvallis, OR. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 55%. Team revenue averages $86,132 per participant, against $86,132 in expenses. The school awards about $19,022 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Nevada-Reno ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Located in Reno, NV, University of Nevada-Reno is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 974, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 72% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $71,736, against $63,344 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $21,799 per athlete.
Portland State University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Portland, OR, Portland State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 62% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $43,299 in revenue per athlete, compared with $43,299 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,026.
University of California-Santa Barbara did well this year, earning the #22 position. This public school is set in Santa Barbara, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 979, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 88%. Team revenue averages $76,941 per participant, with expenses of about $76,941 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,355 per athlete.
Willamette University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Based in Salem, OR, Willamette University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,467, with expenses of about $8,467 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Mary's College of California landed the #24 spot this year. Saint Mary's College of California is a private not-for-profit school based in Moraga, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. About 68% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $56,610 per participant, with expenses of about $56,610 per participant. Athletic aid averages $18,999 per athlete.
Lewis & Clark College landed the #25 spot this year. Located in Portland, OR, Lewis & Clark College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,982 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,982 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on 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.