by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 167 programs for Women’s Softball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Learn more about these schools below:
New York University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Softball. New York University is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY. Team revenue averages $19,491 per participant, with expenses of about $18,937 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Carnegie Mellon University landed the #2 spot for Women's Softball. Located in Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $16,100 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $16,088 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hamilton College landed the #3 spot for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Clinton, NY. Team revenue averages $17,614 per participant, against $17,614 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stevens Institute of Technology came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. Based in Hoboken, NJ, Stevens Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,297, with expenses of about $16,297 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Swarthmore College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. Based in Swarthmore, PA, Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,141 in revenue per athlete, against $10,313 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Villanova University landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Villanova, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. The program generates about $87,288 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $87,288 per participant. Athletic aid averages $25,480 per athlete.
George Washington University landed the #7 spot this year. George Washington University is a private not-for-profit school based in Washington, DC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. The program generates about $71,304 in revenue per athlete, compared with $71,304 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $29,880 per athlete.
The College of New Jersey did well this year, earning the #8 position. This public school is set in Ewing, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,968, against $10,968 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Colgate University did well this year, earning the #9 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hamilton, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 95%. The program generates about $77,925 in revenue per athlete, compared with $77,925 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $22,658 per athlete.
Georgetown University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Washington, DC, Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $43,219, with expenses of about $43,219 per participant. The school awards about $14,232 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fordham University landed the #11 spot this year. Based in Bronx, NY, Fordham University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $91,407, with expenses of about $91,407 per participant. Athletic aid averages $32,443 per athlete.
University of Rochester did well this year, earning the #12 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY. The program generates about $9,847 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,793 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lehigh University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Located in Bethlehem, PA, Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. Its federal graduation rate is 94%. The program generates about $80,732 in revenue per athlete, against $80,732 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,391.
Haverford College landed the #14 spot this year. Based in Haverford, PA, Haverford College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,719, with expenses of about $9,603 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute landed the #15 spot this year. Located in Troy, NY, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,845, compared with $9,299 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,263.
Union College placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Schenectady, NY, Union College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,389 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,139 spent per athlete. The school awards about $2,499 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rutgers University-New Brunswick did well this year, earning the #17 position. Rutgers University-New Brunswick is a public school based in New Brunswick, NJ. Rutgers University-New Brunswick records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $128,752, against $128,752 in expenses. The school awards about $26,379 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gettysburg College placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Gettysburg College is a private not-for-profit school based in Gettysburg, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,874, against $9,874 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Binghamton University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Based in Vestal, NY, Binghamton University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. The program generates about $72,668 in revenue per athlete, against $49,588 in expenses. The school awards about $9,522 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lafayette College placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Lafayette College is a private not-for-profit school based in Easton, PA. Lafayette College records an NCAA APR of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $65,195, compared with $65,195 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $18,987 per athlete.
Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Philadelphia, PA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 85%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,588, against $39,588 in expenses. The school awards about $13,694 in athletic aid per athlete.
Monmouth University landed the #22 spot this year. Located in West Long Branch, NJ, Monmouth University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 72%. The program generates about $57,366 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $57,366 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,376.
St. John's University-New York landed the #23 spot this year. St. John's University-New York is a private not-for-profit school based in Queens, NY. 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. The program generates about $69,630 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $69,630 per participant. Athletic aid averages $29,040 per athlete.
Stony Brook University landed the #24 spot this year. Located in Stony Brook, NY, Stony Brook University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 61% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $68,568, against $68,568 in expenses. The school awards about $15,341 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Scranton placed #25 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Scranton, PA. Team revenue averages $9,569 per participant, with expenses of about $9,569 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid 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. The methodology weighs 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.