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 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.
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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Stevens Institute of Technology tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located 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. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
The College of New Jersey earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Ewing, NJ, The College of New Jersey is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,968, compared with $10,968 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rutgers University-New Brunswick earned the #3 place for student athletes. Rutgers University-New Brunswick is a public school based in New Brunswick, NJ. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $128,752 per participant, with expenses of about $128,752 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,379.
Monmouth University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in West Long Branch, NJ, Monmouth University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 72%. Team revenue averages $57,366 per participant, against $57,366 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $20,376 per athlete.
Seton Hall University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in South Orange, NJ, Seton Hall University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 988, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 88%. Team revenue averages $67,860 per participant, against $67,860 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $32,496.
Rowan University landed the #6 spot this year. Located in Glassboro, NJ, Rowan University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,008, with expenses of about $14,964 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Stockton University landed the #7 spot this year. This public school is set in Galloway, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,861, with expenses of about $9,861 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Drew University did well this year, earning the #8 position. Based in Madison, NJ, Drew University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,419 in revenue per athlete, against $9,419 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus did well this year, earning the #9 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Teaneck, NJ. Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus records an NCAA APR of 991, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $26,585 per participant, with expenses of about $26,585 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,185.
Montclair State University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Montclair, NJ, Montclair State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $10,407 per participant, compared with $7,928 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Princeton University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Princeton, NJ. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Team revenue averages $42,837 per participant, compared with $42,837 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Georgian Court University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lakewood, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $26,111, compared with $25,862 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,874 in athletic aid per athlete.
Caldwell University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Caldwell, NJ. The program generates about $15,242 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,673 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,698.
Rider University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Lawrenceville, NJ, Rider University is a private not-for-profit institution. Rider University records an NCAA APR of 964, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 77% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $26,994, against $26,994 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,540 per athlete.
Felician University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Lodi, NJ, Felician University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $16,762 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $16,762 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,189 per athlete.
Saint Peter's University placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Jersey City, NJ, Saint Peter's University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 977, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 54% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,355, against $16,355 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $10,025 per athlete.
William Paterson University of New Jersey came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Located in Wayne, NJ, William Paterson University of New Jersey is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,478, against $4,879 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Kean University landed the #18 spot this year. Located in Union, NJ, Kean University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,220, compared with $9,220 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Saint Elizabeth University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Located in Morristown, NJ, Saint Elizabeth University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,196 in revenue per athlete, against $5,123 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
New Jersey City University did well this year, earning the #20 position. New Jersey City University is a public school based in Jersey City, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,360, with expenses of about $9,160 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
See our data sources and methodologies.
