by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 16 programs 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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University of Kentucky earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Softball. Located in Lexington, KY, University of Kentucky is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 57%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $154,134, with expenses of about $154,134 per participant. Athletic aid averages $23,921 per athlete.
Centre College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Danville, KY, Centre College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,304, against $7,304 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Western Kentucky University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. Located in Bowling Green, KY, Western Kentucky University is a public institution. Western Kentucky University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 89%. The federal graduation rate stands at 65%. Team revenue averages $60,105 per participant, against $60,105 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,243 per athlete.
University of Louisville landed the #4 spot for Women's Softball. University of Louisville is a public school based in Louisville, KY. The team's NCAA APR score is 988, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,766, against $75,695 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,083.
Transylvania University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Transylvania University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lexington, KY. The program generates about $10,069 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,069 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Northern Kentucky University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Northern Kentucky University is a public school based in Highland Heights, KY. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, alongside a GSR of 93%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $30,665, compared with $30,665 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,809.
Murray State University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Located in Murray, KY, Murray State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 976, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $36,252, compared with $30,277 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,774.
Asbury University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wilmore, KY. The program generates about $6,529 in revenue per athlete, against $6,529 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bellarmine University landed the #9 spot this year. Bellarmine University is a private not-for-profit school based in Louisville, KY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 980, alongside a GSR of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 81%. Team revenue averages $24,693 per participant, against $24,693 in expenses. The school awards about $10,105 in athletic aid per athlete.
Berea College landed the #10 spot this year. Berea College is a private not-for-profit school based in Berea, KY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,771, with expenses of about $11,314 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Eastern Kentucky University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Eastern Kentucky University is a public school based in Richmond, KY. The team's NCAA APR score is 980, alongside a GSR of 90%. The federal graduation rate stands at 63%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $44,834, compared with $44,834 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,644.
Morehead State University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Morehead, KY, Morehead State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 86%. The federal graduation rate stands at 32%. The program generates about $38,744 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $38,770 per participant. Athletic aid averages $4,170 per athlete.
Kentucky Wesleyan College ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Owensboro, KY. Team revenue averages $15,337 per participant, against $15,278 in expenses. The school awards about $8,522 in athletic aid per athlete.
Spalding University landed the #14 spot this year. Spalding University is a private not-for-profit school based in Louisville, KY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,064, against $6,064 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Thomas More University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Crestview Hills, KY. Team revenue averages $8,796 per participant, compared with $8,035 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,453.
Kentucky State University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Located in Frankfort, KY, Kentucky State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,344, against $12,344 in expenses. The school awards about $1,939 in athletic aid per athlete.
*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.