by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 22 schools for Women’s Softball 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.
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Jump to the options below.
Explore the leading programs below:
Leading the list is University of Wisconsin-Madison, our #1 college for Women's Softball. Based in Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public institution. University of Wisconsin-Madison records an NCAA APR of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 94%. Team revenue averages $16,962 per participant, with expenses of about $97,897 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,586.
Lawrence University landed the #2 spot for Women's Softball. Based in Appleton, WI, Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $10,239 per participant, with expenses of about $10,239 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #3. Based in Eau Claire, WI, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is a public institution. The program generates about $11,761 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $12,715 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse earned the #4 place for student athletes. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is a public school based in La Crosse, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,973, with expenses of about $11,863 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Milwaukee School of Engineering landed the #5 spot for Women's Softball. Milwaukee School of Engineering is a private not-for-profit school based in Milwaukee, WI. Team revenue averages $6,059 per participant, against $6,059 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Beloit College ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Beloit College is a private not-for-profit school based in Beloit, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,752, compared with $7,752 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-River Falls placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This public school is set in River Falls, WI. Team revenue averages $12,159 per participant, against $12,159 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Whitewater, WI, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is a public institution. The program generates about $6,158 in revenue per athlete, against $6,986 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Platteville came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in Platteville, WI, University of Wisconsin-Platteville is a public institution. Team revenue averages $7,599 per participant, compared with $7,226 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Maranatha Baptist University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Maranatha Baptist University is a private not-for-profit school based in Watertown, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,169, against $2,201 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Concordia University-Wisconsin landed the #11 spot this year. Based in Mequon, WI, Concordia University-Wisconsin is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,802, with expenses of about $3,619 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh landed the #12 spot this year. This public school is set in Oshkosh, WI. The program generates about $9,976 in revenue per athlete, against $10,578 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point came in at #13 in this year's ranking. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is a public school based in Stevens Point, WI. Team revenue averages $9,600 per participant, compared with $10,049 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is a public school based in Green Bay, WI. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 990, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 58%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $26,072, against $26,072 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,741 per athlete.
Carthage College did well this year, earning the #15 position. Based in Kenosha, WI, Carthage College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,938 per participant, with expenses of about $7,060 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Wisconsin-Parkside landed the #16 spot this year. University of Wisconsin-Parkside is a public school based in Kenosha, WI. The program generates about $14,048 in revenue per athlete, against $14,048 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $4,060 per athlete.
Wisconsin Lutheran College came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Located in Milwaukee, WI, Wisconsin Lutheran College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,783 in revenue per athlete, against $4,769 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ripon College ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Ripon, WI, Ripon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,023, against $9,004 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Stout came in at #19 in this year's ranking. University of Wisconsin-Stout is a public school based in Menomonie, WI. The program generates about $7,868 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,868 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lakeland University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Located in Plymouth, WI, Lakeland University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,251 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,251 per participant. Athletic aid averages $41 per athlete.
Alverno College landed the #21 spot this year. Alverno College is a private not-for-profit school based in Milwaukee, WI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,623, with expenses of about $6,595 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Superior came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Based in Superior, WI, University of Wisconsin-Superior is a public institution. The program generates about $7,677 in revenue per athlete, against $7,677 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.