by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 72 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:
Carnegie Mellon University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Pittsburgh, PA. The program generates about $16,100 in revenue per athlete, compared with $16,088 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Swarthmore College landed the #2 spot for Women's Softball. Based in Swarthmore, PA, Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,141 per participant, with expenses of about $10,313 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Villanova University is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #3. Located in Villanova, PA, Villanova University is a private not-for-profit institution. Villanova University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 92%. Team revenue averages $87,288 per participant, compared with $87,288 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $25,480 per athlete.
Haverford College landed the #4 spot for Women's Softball. Located in Haverford, PA, Haverford College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,719 in revenue per athlete, against $9,603 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Gettysburg College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Gettysburg, PA. Team revenue averages $9,874 per participant, with expenses of about $9,874 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Scranton came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in Scranton, PA, University of Scranton is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,569 per participant, against $9,569 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lehigh University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bethlehem, PA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 94%. About 94% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $80,732, against $80,732 in expenses. The school awards about $19,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
Muhlenberg College did well this year, earning the #8 position. Based in Allentown, PA, Muhlenberg College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,834 per participant, against $9,218 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Franklin and Marshall College did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Lancaster, PA, Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,175, compared with $6,821 spent per athlete. The school awards about $53 in athletic aid per athlete.
Thomas Jefferson University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,190, with expenses of about $19,190 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,341 per athlete.
Dickinson College ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Carlisle, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,858, with expenses of about $6,024 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lafayette College placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Easton, PA, Lafayette College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $65,195 per participant, compared with $65,195 spent per athlete. The school awards about $18,987 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia is a private not-for-profit institution. Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 85%. Team revenue averages $39,588 per participant, against $39,588 in expenses. The school awards about $13,694 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gannon University placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Erie, PA, Gannon University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,320, compared with $14,320 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,313 per athlete.
West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #15 spot this year. Based in West Chester, PA, West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a public institution. Team revenue averages $11,121 per participant, compared with $12,442 spent per athlete. The school awards about $2,168 in athletic aid per athlete.
Seton Hill University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Greensburg, PA, Seton Hill University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $16,554 in revenue per athlete, against $16,554 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,657.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus landed the #17 spot this year. University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus is a public school based in Pittsburgh, PA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 981, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 88%. The program generates about $93,693 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $93,693 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $30,613.
Lebanon Valley College landed the #18 spot this year. Based in Annville, PA, Lebanon Valley College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,617 per participant, against $8,138 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Elizabethtown College came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Based in Elizabethtown, PA, Elizabethtown College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,116 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,116 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ursinus College ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Located in Collegeville, PA, Ursinus College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,936, compared with $7,936 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Moravian University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Moravian University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bethlehem, PA. Team revenue averages $8,683 per participant, with expenses of about $7,243 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus came in at #22 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in University Park, PA. Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 993, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 90%. Team revenue averages $29,418 per participant, against $108,807 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,170.
Messiah University did well this year, earning the #23 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Mechanicsburg, PA. Team revenue averages $6,797 per participant, with expenses of about $6,668 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bucknell University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Based in Lewisburg, PA, Bucknell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Bucknell University records an NCAA APR of 987, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. Team revenue averages $67,145 per participant, with expenses of about $67,145 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,655 per athlete.
Robert Morris University placed #25 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Robert Morris University is a private not-for-profit school based in Moon Township, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. The program generates about $38,438 in revenue per athlete, against $38,438 in expenses. The school awards about $17,083 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.
This ranking is produced 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.