by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 22 schools 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
No school ranked higher than Utah State University this year for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Logan, UT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $54,074, against $54,074 in expenses. The school awards about $14,542 in athletic aid per athlete.
Boise State University earned the #2 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Boise, ID. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 62%. The program generates about $68,284 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $68,284 per participant. Athletic aid averages $29,790 per athlete.
Colorado School of Mines is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #3. Based in Golden, CO, Colorado School of Mines is a public institution. The program generates about $22,358 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $22,358 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,984 per athlete.
Weber State University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Ogden, UT, Weber State University is a public institution. Weber State University records an NCAA APR of 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $37,889, compared with $37,889 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $10,446 per athlete.
Colorado State University-Fort Collins landed the #5 spot for Women's Softball. Based in Fort Collins, CO, Colorado State University-Fort Collins is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 60%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $53,884, compared with $53,884 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,001.
Brigham Young University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Brigham Young University is a private not-for-profit school based in Provo, UT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 980, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 79%. Team revenue averages $49,150 per participant, against $87,129 in expenses. The school awards about $13,191 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northwest Nazarene University landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Nampa, ID, Northwest Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,784, with expenses of about $22,784 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,381 per athlete.
University of Utah placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Salt Lake City, UT. University of Utah records an NCAA APR of 982, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,653, with expenses of about $103,720 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $29,047.
Colorado Christian University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Colorado Christian University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lakewood, CO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,138, compared with $27,138 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,910 per athlete.
Utah Valley University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Orem, UT, Utah Valley University is a public institution. Utah Valley University records an NCAA APR of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 42%. The program generates about $47,011 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $47,011 per participant. The school awards about $7,013 in athletic aid per athlete.
Utah Tech University landed the #11 spot this year. Based in Saint George, UT, Utah Tech University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 980, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 95%. Team revenue averages $38,006 per participant, compared with $38,006 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,796 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Montana did well this year, earning the #12 position. Located in Missoula, MT, The University of Montana is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, and a 87% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Team revenue averages $14,835 per participant, with expenses of about $56,615 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,798.
University of Northern Colorado ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Greeley, CO. University of Northern Colorado records an NCAA APR of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 86%. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. The program generates about $33,590 in revenue per athlete, compared with $33,590 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $12,220 per athlete.
Idaho State University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Idaho State University is a public school based in Pocatello, ID. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, with a Graduation Success Rate of 87%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $37,496 per participant, against $37,496 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $12,538 per athlete.
University of Colorado Colorado Springs came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Based in Colorado Springs, CO, University of Colorado Colorado Springs is a public institution. Team revenue averages $13,729 per participant, with expenses of about $13,331 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,988.
Southern Utah University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Cedar City, UT. The team's NCAA APR score is 972, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 54%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $35,024, with expenses of about $35,458 per participant. The school awards about $10,065 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fort Lewis College did well this year, earning the #17 position. Fort Lewis College is a public school based in Durango, CO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,024, with expenses of about $16,024 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,356.
Colorado Mesa University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in Grand Junction, CO, Colorado Mesa University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,274, compared with $18,981 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,175.
Metropolitan State University of Denver ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Metropolitan State University of Denver is a public school based in Denver, CO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,867, against $25,903 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,924 per athlete.
Colorado State University Pueblo placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Pueblo, CO, Colorado State University Pueblo is a public institution. Team revenue averages $14,479 per participant, against $14,479 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,320 per athlete.
Adams State University placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Alamosa, CO, Adams State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $10,821 per participant, against $10,821 in expenses. The school awards about $3,419 in athletic aid per athlete.
Montana State University Billings did well this year, earning the #22 position. This public school is set in Billings, MT. Team revenue averages $21,638 per participant, compared with $21,345 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,887.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.