by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 20 schools for Women’s Softball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Leading the list is University of Notre Dame, our #1 college for Women's Softball. Based in Notre Dame, IN, University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution. University of Notre Dame records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $140,408 per participant, compared with $140,408 spent per athlete. The school awards about $34,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
Indiana University-Bloomington landed the #2 spot for Women's Softball. Located in Bloomington, IN, Indiana University-Bloomington is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 90%. Team revenue averages $131,482 per participant, against $131,482 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,161.
Butler University landed the #3 spot for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Indianapolis, IN. Butler University records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 79%. The program generates about $57,077 in revenue per athlete, against $55,585 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $12,113 per athlete.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #4. Based in Terre Haute, IN, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,467, against $10,467 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ball State University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Muncie, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 83% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $44,024, compared with $44,024 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,206.
DePauw University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Greencastle, IN, DePauw University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,503, against $11,503 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Evansville did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in Evansville, IN, University of Evansville is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 85%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $45,569, with expenses of about $45,569 per participant. Athletic aid averages $16,525 per athlete.
Valparaiso University did well this year, earning the #8 position. Based in Valparaiso, IN, Valparaiso University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. About 87% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,714, compared with $39,731 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,540 in athletic aid per athlete.
Trine University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in Angola, IN, Trine University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,312, with expenses of about $11,600 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Indiana State University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Indiana State University is a public school based in Terre Haute, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 78% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $35,635 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $35,635 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,961 per athlete.
Earlham College came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in Richmond, IN, Earlham College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,446 in revenue per athlete, against $8,446 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Indiana University-Indianapolis ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Indiana University-Indianapolis is a public school based in Indianapolis, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. About 61% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,423, with expenses of about $23,423 per participant. The school awards about $8,962 in athletic aid per athlete.
Purdue University-Main Campus came in at #13 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in West Lafayette, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 979, alongside a GSR of 85%. The federal graduation rate stands at 59%. The program generates about $16,840 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $94,818 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,382 per athlete.
University of Indianapolis did well this year, earning the #14 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Indianapolis, IN. The program generates about $29,186 in revenue per athlete, compared with $29,186 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,002 per athlete.
Hanover College did well this year, earning the #15 position. Hanover College is a private not-for-profit school based in Hanover, IN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,170, against $6,170 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Purdue University Fort Wayne landed the #16 spot this year. This public school is set in Fort Wayne, IN. Student-athletes graduate at a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. Its federal graduation rate is 65%. The program generates about $28,806 in revenue per athlete, against $36,037 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,345 per athlete.
Franklin College placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Franklin, IN, Franklin College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,962, against $4,877 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Southern Indiana placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Evansville, IN, University of Southern Indiana is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 970, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $29,087 in revenue per athlete, compared with $29,087 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,037 in athletic aid per athlete.
Purdue University Northwest placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Purdue University Northwest is a public school based in Hammond, IN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,956, against $14,956 in expenses. The school awards about $3,013 in athletic aid per athlete.
Manchester University did well this year, earning the #20 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in North Manchester, IN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,297, with expenses of about $4,093 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.