by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 39 colleges 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Leading the list is Duke University, our #1 college for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Durham, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $146,126 per participant, against $165,190 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,321.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Raleigh, NC. North Carolina State University at Raleigh records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $47,900, compared with $94,461 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $18,384 per athlete.
East Carolina University is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #3. East Carolina University is a public school based in Greenville, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 88%. The program generates about $53,604 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $51,532 per participant. The school awards about $12,584 in athletic aid per athlete.
Elon University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Elon University is a private not-for-profit school based in Elon, NC. Elon University records an NCAA APR of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. Team revenue averages $60,952 per participant, compared with $60,952 spent per athlete. The school awards about $25,795 in athletic aid per athlete.
Catawba College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. Based in Salisbury, NC, Catawba College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,574, compared with $21,356 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,164 per athlete.
Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Charlotte, NC, Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,656 per participant, against $10,352 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in Chapel Hill, NC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 81%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $43,028, against $88,610 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,771 per athlete.
Lenoir-Rhyne University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Located in Hickory, NC, Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $20,831 per participant, with expenses of about $20,831 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,094 per athlete.
Gardner-Webb University landed the #9 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boiling Springs, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 64%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,282, with expenses of about $29,282 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,936 per athlete.
Western Carolina University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Cullowhee, NC, Western Carolina University is a public institution. Western Carolina University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 78%. Team revenue averages $27,824 per participant, with expenses of about $27,824 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,960 per athlete.
Barton College did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in Wilson, NC, Barton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,243 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,243 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,654.
University of North Carolina Wilmington came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Based in Wilmington, NC, University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. Team revenue averages $25,955 per participant, compared with $25,955 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,667 in athletic aid per athlete.
Winston-Salem State University placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Winston-Salem State University is a public school based in Winston-Salem, NC. Team revenue averages $16,901 per participant, compared with $16,901 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,441 per athlete.
Wingate University placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wingate, NC. The program generates about $25,297 in revenue per athlete, compared with $23,233 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,748 in athletic aid per athlete.
Campbell University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Campbell University is a private not-for-profit school based in Buies Creek, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, alongside a GSR of 89%. About 48% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $47,009, against $47,009 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,433.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #16 spot this year. Based in Charlotte, NC, University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 990, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $73,203 in revenue per athlete, against $72,875 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,522.
University of Mount Olive landed the #17 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Mount Olive, NC. Team revenue averages $15,031 per participant, with expenses of about $14,812 per participant. The school awards about $7,775 in athletic aid per athlete.
Appalachian State University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in Boone, NC, Appalachian State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, alongside a GSR of 93%. About 52% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $44,124 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $44,124 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,299.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Greensboro, NC, University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,274, against $40,274 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,162 per athlete.
Guilford College came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Located in Greensboro, NC, Guilford College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,526, against $5,479 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Queens University of Charlotte landed the #21 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Charlotte, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 953, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 63%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,424, against $39,424 in expenses. The school awards about $13,282 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Carolina Central University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. North Carolina Central University is a public school based in Durham, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 996, alongside a GSR of 85%. About 42% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $25,856 per participant, with expenses of about $25,856 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,804 per athlete.
Elizabeth City State University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Located in Elizabeth City, NC, Elizabeth City State University is a public institution. The program generates about $6,062 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,062 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,147.
Lees-McRae College placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Lees-McRae College is a private not-for-profit school based in Banner Elk, NC. Team revenue averages $10,213 per participant, with expenses of about $10,213 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,547 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke did well this year, earning the #25 position. Located in Pembroke, NC, University of North Carolina at Pembroke is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,865, against $9,238 in expenses. The school awards about $3,165 in athletic aid per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.