by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 8 programs for Women’s Softball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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:
Our analysis found Saint Anselm College to be the best college for Women's Softball in New Hampshire. Located in Manchester, NH, Saint Anselm College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $18,146 per participant, against $18,681 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $5,219 per athlete.
Rivier University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Nashua, NH, Rivier University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,685 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,685 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Dartmouth College is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #3. Dartmouth College is a private not-for-profit school based in Hanover, NH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The program generates about $29,419 in revenue per athlete, compared with $29,419 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Keene State College is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #4. Based in Keene, NH, Keene State College is a public institution. The program generates about $7,813 in revenue per athlete, against $7,596 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Franklin Pierce University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Franklin Pierce University is a private not-for-profit school based in Rindge, NH. The program generates about $17,585 in revenue per athlete, compared with $17,585 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $292 per athlete.
Southern New Hampshire University landed the #6 spot this year. Southern New Hampshire University is a private not-for-profit school based in Manchester, NH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,512, with expenses of about $17,512 per participant. The school awards about $4,849 in athletic aid per athlete.
Plymouth State University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Plymouth, NH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,340, against $5,475 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
New England College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Henniker, NH, New England College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,511 per participant, compared with $9,511 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.