by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 24 programs for Women’s Softball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual evaluates each program using 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: Our analysis found University of Florida to be the best college for Women's Softball in Florida. Located in Gainesville, FL, University of Florida is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 996, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. The program generates about $49,947 in revenue per athlete, compared with $177,584 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $23,180 per athlete. University of Central Florida landed the #2 spot for Women's Softball. Located in Orlando, FL, University of Central Florida is a public institution. University of Central Florida records an NCAA APR of 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 65%. The program generates about $132,545 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $132,545 per participant. Athletic aid averages $25,195 per athlete. Florida State University landed the #3 spot for Women's Softball. Based in Tallahassee, FL, Florida State University is a public institution. Florida State University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Team revenue averages $176,994 per participant, with expenses of about $176,994 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,364 per athlete. University of South Florida earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Tampa, FL, University of South Florida is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 72%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $63,396, against $63,396 in expenses. The school awards about $15,287 in athletic aid per athlete.1
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Florida Gulf Coast University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. Based in Fort Myers, FL, Florida Gulf Coast University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. About 79% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $36,926 in revenue per athlete, compared with $36,926 spent per athlete. The school awards about $18,812 in athletic aid per athlete.5
Eckerd College ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Located in Saint Petersburg, FL, Eckerd College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $26,564 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $26,564 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,706. Florida Atlantic University landed the #7 spot this year. Florida Atlantic University is a public school based in Boca Raton, FL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $69,464 per participant, with expenses of about $69,464 per participant. The school awards about $16,971 in athletic aid per athlete. Rollins College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Winter Park, FL. Team revenue averages $23,796 per participant, against $23,796 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,632. Nova Southeastern University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Nova Southeastern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $34,083, against $34,083 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,636 per athlete.6
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Stetson University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in DeLand, FL, Stetson University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $50,006 in revenue per athlete, compared with $50,006 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $17,035 per athlete.10
Florida Institute of Technology did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in Melbourne, FL, Florida Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $26,922 in revenue per athlete, against $26,922 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,103 per athlete. Florida Southern College ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Florida Southern College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lakeland, FL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,746, with expenses of about $24,746 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,785 per athlete. Florida International University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Miami, FL, Florida International University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 57%. Team revenue averages $45,934 per participant, with expenses of about $45,934 per participant. Athletic aid averages $16,058 per athlete. University of North Florida placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Jacksonville, FL, University of North Florida is a public institution. University of North Florida records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. The program generates about $34,185 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $34,185 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,675.11
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Jacksonville University placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Jacksonville, FL, Jacksonville University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 986, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $47,840 per participant, compared with $47,840 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,287.15
Lynn University landed the #16 spot this year. Lynn University is a private not-for-profit school based in Boca Raton, FL. The program generates about $26,795 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $26,795 per participant. Athletic aid averages $12,987 per athlete. Palm Beach Atlantic University landed the #17 spot this year. Located in West Palm Beach, FL, Palm Beach Atlantic University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,632, against $25,439 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,383. Flagler College ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Saint Augustine, FL, Flagler College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $33,076 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $33,076 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,076. University of West Florida came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Based in Pensacola, FL, University of West Florida is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,657, against $23,686 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,536 per athlete.1617
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Barry University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Barry University is a private not-for-profit school based in Miami, FL. The program generates about $24,446 in revenue per athlete, against $24,446 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,733.20
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University is a public school based in Tallahassee, FL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 979, with a Graduation Success Rate of 77%. Its federal graduation rate is 61%. Team revenue averages $15,954 per participant, against $15,964 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,235 per athlete. Saint Leo University landed the #22 spot this year. Based in Saint Leo, FL, Saint Leo University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,801, compared with $16,667 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,812 in athletic aid per athlete. Bethune-Cookman University ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Daytona Beach, FL, Bethune-Cookman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 986, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. The federal graduation rate stands at 44%. The program generates about $43,847 in revenue per athlete, against $43,847 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,940. Edward Waters University landed the #24 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Jacksonville, FL. Team revenue averages $12,339 per participant, compared with $12,339 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $4,248 per athlete.21
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*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.