by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 86 colleges for Women’s Softball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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.
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Amherst College tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Amherst, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,269, with expenses of about $19,269 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Tufts University is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #2. Located in Medford, MA, Tufts University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $17,307 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $16,174 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cambridge, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,440, with expenses of about $12,440 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Williams College ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Williamstown, MA, Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $14,047 in revenue per athlete, against $14,047 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bowdoin College earned the #5 place for student athletes. Located in Brunswick, ME, Bowdoin College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $15,804 per participant, against $14,541 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Middlebury College landed the #6 spot this year. Middlebury College is a private not-for-profit school based in Middlebury, VT. The program generates about $15,986 in revenue per athlete, compared with $15,986 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Colby College did well this year, earning the #7 position. Colby College is a private not-for-profit school based in Waterville, ME. The program generates about $17,367 in revenue per athlete, compared with $17,367 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bates College placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lewiston, ME. Team revenue averages $16,767 per participant, with expenses of about $16,130 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wellesley College came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in Wellesley, MA, Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,632 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $11,632 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bentley University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Waltham, MA, Bentley University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $20,648 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $20,559 per participant. The school awards about $8,029 in athletic aid per athlete.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute landed the #11 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,448, against $11,448 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Babson College ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Wellesley, MA, Babson College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $10,028 per participant, compared with $10,028 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Fairfield University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Fairfield, CT, Fairfield University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $42,153 per participant, against $42,153 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,587 per athlete.
Brandeis University did well this year, earning the #14 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waltham, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,899, against $14,899 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
College of the Holy Cross landed the #15 spot this year. College of the Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit school based in Worcester, MA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $44,453 in revenue per athlete, against $44,453 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,801 per athlete.
Saint Anselm College placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Saint Anselm College is a private not-for-profit school based in Manchester, NH. Team revenue averages $18,146 per participant, with expenses of about $18,681 per participant. The school awards about $5,219 in athletic aid per athlete.
Boston University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Located in Boston, MA, Boston 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 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $96,496, compared with $96,496 spent per athlete. The school awards about $27,954 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bryant University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Bryant University is a private not-for-profit school based in Smithfield, RI. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $43,587 in revenue per athlete, against $43,587 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,982 per athlete.
Emerson College placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boston, MA. The program generates about $11,575 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,960 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Connecticut came in at #20 in this year's ranking. University of Connecticut is a public school based in Storrs, CT. University of Connecticut records an NCAA APR of 996, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 83% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $85,811 per participant, with expenses of about $85,811 per participant. The school awards about $20,776 in athletic aid per athlete.
Providence College ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Providence, RI, Providence College is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 93%. The program generates about $65,249 in revenue per athlete, compared with $65,249 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,955.
Stonehill College landed the #22 spot this year. Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit school based in Easton, MA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $23,518 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $23,518 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,278 per athlete.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst landed the #23 spot this year. Based in Amherst, MA, University of Massachusetts-Amherst is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, alongside a GSR of 94%. Its federal graduation rate is 63%. The program generates about $67,766 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $67,766 per participant. Athletic aid averages $17,175 per athlete.
Assumption University ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Located in Worcester, MA, Assumption University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $14,011 in revenue per athlete, against $15,053 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $4,778 per athlete.
University of Rhode Island came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Kingston, RI, University of Rhode Island is a public institution. University of Rhode Island records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 83%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. The program generates about $50,519 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $50,519 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,857.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.