by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 8 schools for Women’s Softball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual weighs 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:
Leading the list is University of Washington-Seattle Campus, our #1 college for Women's Softball. University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a public school based in Seattle, WA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 996, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. The program generates about $70,118 in revenue per athlete, against $218,581 in expenses. The school awards about $26,539 in athletic aid per athlete.
Pacific Lutheran University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Tacoma, WA, Pacific Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,422 per participant, with expenses of about $9,220 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Whitworth University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Located in Spokane, WA, Whitworth University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,567, with expenses of about $7,567 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Seattle University earned the #4 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Seattle, WA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 987, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $61,044, against $61,044 in expenses. The school awards about $19,482 in athletic aid per athlete.
Western Washington University landed the #5 spot for Women's Softball. Western Washington University is a public school based in Bellingham, WA. The program generates about $31,188 in revenue per athlete, against $31,188 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,961.
University of Puget Sound ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Located in Tacoma, WA, University of Puget Sound is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,805 per participant, against $6,805 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Martin's University placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lacey, WA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,386, with expenses of about $16,386 per participant. The school awards about $8,343 in athletic aid per athlete.
Central Washington University landed the #8 spot this year. Located in Ellensburg, WA, Central Washington University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,132, against $16,132 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,377 per athlete.
*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.