by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 132 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Our analysis found University of Chicago to be the best college for Women's Softball in the Great Lakes Region. Based in Chicago, IL, University of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,901 per participant, compared with $13,901 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Case Western Reserve University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Cleveland, OH, Case Western Reserve University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,622, compared with $16,622 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Northwestern University earned the #3 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Evanston, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 92% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $70,074 per participant, with expenses of about $145,522 per participant. Athletic aid averages $53,919 per athlete.
University of Notre Dame ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit school based in Notre Dame, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $140,408, against $140,408 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,391.
Denison University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. Located in Granville, OH, Denison University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,646 per participant, compared with $13,646 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor landed the #6 spot this year. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a public school based in Ann Arbor, MI. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 80%. Team revenue averages $23,734 per participant, compared with $128,308 spent per athlete. The school awards about $28,650 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola University Chicago came in at #7 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. About 94% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $65,448 per participant, against $65,448 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $23,325 per athlete.
Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bloomington, IL. Team revenue averages $9,089 per participant, against $9,089 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology did well this year, earning the #9 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Terre Haute, IN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,467, against $10,467 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Michigan State University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Located in East Lansing, MI, Michigan State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $88,810 per participant, compared with $88,810 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,500.
Miami University-Oxford did well this year, earning the #11 position. Miami University-Oxford is a public school based in Oxford, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 78%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $69,300, with expenses of about $69,300 per participant. The school awards about $17,790 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ohio State University-Main Campus placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Columbus, OH, Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public institution. Ohio State University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 994, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 84%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $113,577, against $113,577 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,151.
Kent State University at Kent came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Kent State University at Kent is a public school based in Kent, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 93%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $55,658, with expenses of about $55,658 per participant. The school awards about $13,976 in athletic aid per athlete.
Oberlin College landed the #14 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Oberlin, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,562, against $12,562 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
DePauw University placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Greencastle, IN, DePauw University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,503 in revenue per athlete, against $11,503 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Indiana University-Bloomington came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Indiana University-Bloomington is a public school based in Bloomington, IN. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $131,482, compared with $131,482 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,161.
Butler University placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Indianapolis, IN, Butler University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 79%. Team revenue averages $57,077 per participant, compared with $55,585 spent per athlete. The school awards about $12,113 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ohio Northern University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in Ada, OH, Ohio Northern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,409, with expenses of about $12,409 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Cedarville University placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Cedarville University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cedarville, OH. Team revenue averages $17,200 per participant, with expenses of about $17,200 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,791 per athlete.
University of Illinois Chicago came in at #20 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Chicago, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 93%. Team revenue averages $51,785 per participant, compared with $51,785 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $15,167 per athlete.
Calvin University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Calvin University is a private not-for-profit school based in Grand Rapids, MI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,768, with expenses of about $8,768 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Madison ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public school based in Madison, WI. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 94% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $16,962 per participant, compared with $97,897 spent per athlete. The school awards about $21,586 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kenyon College landed the #23 spot this year. Located in Gambier, OH, Kenyon College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,354 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,354 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Grand Valley State University did well this year, earning the #24 position. This public school is set in Allendale, MI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,382, compared with $27,747 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,088 in athletic aid per athlete.
The College of Wooster did well this year, earning the #25 position. The College of Wooster is a private not-for-profit school based in Wooster, OH. Team revenue averages $13,417 per participant, compared with $11,629 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.