by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 54 colleges 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Leading the list is New York University, our #1 college for Women's Softball. New York University is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY. The program generates about $19,491 in revenue per athlete, compared with $18,937 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hamilton College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Clinton, NY. The program generates about $17,614 in revenue per athlete, compared with $17,614 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Rochester ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,847, against $9,793 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Colgate University is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #4. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hamilton, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 95%. The program generates about $77,925 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $77,925 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,658.
Fordham University is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #5. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bronx, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $91,407, compared with $91,407 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $32,443 per athlete.
Union College ranked #6 on our 2026 list 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. Athletic aid averages $2,499 per athlete.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Troy, NY, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,845 per participant, compared with $9,299 spent per athlete. The school awards about $3,263 in athletic aid per athlete.
Binghamton University placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Vestal, NY, Binghamton University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $72,668, against $49,588 in expenses. The school awards about $9,522 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stony Brook University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Stony Brook, NY. 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. Athletic aid averages $15,341 per athlete.
St. John's University-New York landed the #10 spot this year. Based in Queens, NY, St. John's University-New York is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 94%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $69,630, with expenses of about $69,630 per participant. Athletic aid averages $29,040 per athlete.
Marist University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Located in Poughkeepsie, NY, Marist University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 996, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 93%. The program generates about $54,883 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $54,883 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,661 per athlete.
Yeshiva University placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in New York, NY, Yeshiva University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,775 per participant, compared with $5,775 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Skidmore College landed the #13 spot this year. Based in Saratoga Springs, NY, Skidmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,100 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,100 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Syracuse University landed the #14 spot this year. Located in Syracuse, NY, Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 77%. Team revenue averages $50,022 per participant, with expenses of about $93,292 per participant. Athletic aid averages $33,068 per athlete.
Clarkson University landed the #15 spot this year. Based in Potsdam, NY, Clarkson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,539, with expenses of about $9,989 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,842.
Rochester Institute of Technology placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Rochester, NY, Rochester Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,089 per participant, compared with $11,479 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,070.
Molloy University did well this year, earning the #17 position. Located in Rockville Centre, NY, Molloy University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $20,543 in revenue per athlete, against $19,894 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,589.
St. John Fisher University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Located in Rochester, NY, St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,008, compared with $7,991 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
St Lawrence University placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Canton, NY, St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,639 in revenue per athlete, against $6,639 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,126.
Adelphi University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Garden City, NY, Adelphi University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,367, with expenses of about $19,367 per participant. The school awards about $7,963 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ithaca College did well this year, earning the #21 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Ithaca, NY. The program generates about $8,854 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,854 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hofstra University placed #22 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Hempstead, NY, Hofstra University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 47%. The program generates about $64,777 in revenue per athlete, against $64,777 in expenses. The school awards about $22,514 in athletic aid per athlete.
Nazareth University placed #23 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Rochester, NY, Nazareth University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,902 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,665 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Le Moyne College landed the #24 spot this year. Located in Syracuse, NY, Le Moyne College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 85% Graduation Success Rate. About 62% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $26,506 in revenue per athlete, against $26,513 in expenses. The school awards about $9,944 in athletic aid per athlete.
University at Buffalo ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Located in Buffalo, NY, University at Buffalo is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 987, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 56% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $47,371 in revenue per athlete, compared with $47,371 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,340.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.