by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 8 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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Salve Regina University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Newport, RI, Salve Regina University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,178, against $7,012 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bryant University is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #2. Located in Smithfield, RI, Bryant University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $43,587 per participant, against $43,587 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,982 per athlete.
Providence College is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #3. Providence College is a private not-for-profit school based in Providence, RI. Providence College records an NCAA APR of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. About 93% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $65,249 in revenue per athlete, compared with $65,249 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $25,955 per athlete.
University of Rhode Island is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #4. Based in Kingston, RI, University of Rhode Island is a public institution. University of Rhode Island records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 83% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $50,519, compared with $50,519 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,857.
Roger Williams University is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #5. Based in Bristol, RI, Roger Williams University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,589, with expenses of about $8,246 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Brown University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Providence, RI. Brown University records an NCAA APR of 997, alongside a GSR of 100%. Team revenue averages $24,042 per participant, compared with $24,042 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Johnson & Wales University-Providence did well this year, earning the #7 position. Johnson & Wales University-Providence is a private not-for-profit school based in Providence, RI. Team revenue averages $7,624 per participant, compared with $7,624 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rhode Island College did well this year, earning the #8 position. Based in Providence, RI, Rhode Island College is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,100, compared with $7,100 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. Rankings consider 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.