by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 24 colleges for Women’s Softball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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: Clemson University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Softball. Clemson University is a public school based in Clemson, SC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $187,542, compared with $187,542 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,730. University of South Carolina-Columbia landed the #2 spot for Women's Softball. Based in Columbia, SC, University of South Carolina-Columbia is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 72%. The program generates about $147,058 in revenue per athlete, compared with $147,058 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $18,645 per athlete. Wofford College came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. Wofford College is a private not-for-profit school based in Spartanburg, SC. Wofford College records an NCAA APR of 987. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,096, compared with $48,096 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $26,368 per athlete. North Greenville University is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #4. Located in Tigerville, SC, North Greenville University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $30,097, with expenses of about $30,962 per participant. Athletic aid averages $15,158 per athlete.1
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Furman University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Based in Greenville, SC, Furman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 984, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $46,435 in revenue per athlete, against $46,435 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $28,699.5
College of Charleston placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Charleston, SC, College of Charleston is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. About 72% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $39,516 in revenue per athlete, against $39,516 in expenses. The school awards about $11,551 in athletic aid per athlete. Coastal Carolina University placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Conway, SC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 68%. Team revenue averages $67,140 per participant, against $67,140 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,875 per athlete. Presbyterian College landed the #8 spot this year. Presbyterian College is a private not-for-profit school based in Clinton, SC. The team's NCAA APR score is 990, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. The program generates about $38,016 in revenue per athlete, compared with $38,016 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,454 in athletic aid per athlete. Winthrop University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Rock Hill, SC. Winthrop University records an NCAA APR of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 88%. The program generates about $22,118 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $22,118 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,244.6
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University of South Carolina-Upstate did well this year, earning the #10 position. This public school is set in Spartanburg, SC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 86%. The federal graduation rate stands at 36%. The program generates about $34,559 in revenue per athlete, compared with $34,559 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,411 in athletic aid per athlete.10
Lander University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Greenwood, SC, Lander University is a public institution. The program generates about $27,226 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $21,621 per participant. The school awards about $5,383 in athletic aid per athlete. Southern Wesleyan University landed the #12 spot this year. Southern Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Central, SC. Team revenue averages $10,993 per participant, with expenses of about $10,993 per participant. The school awards about $5,609 in athletic aid per athlete. Charleston Southern University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Charleston Southern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Charleston, SC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 974, alongside a GSR of 95%. The federal graduation rate stands at 80%. The program generates about $31,305 in revenue per athlete, against $31,305 in expenses. The school awards about $15,092 in athletic aid per athlete. Converse University placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Spartanburg, SC, Converse University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,012, compared with $14,515 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,241.11
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Claflin University landed the #15 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Orangeburg, SC. The program generates about $13,569 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,569 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $4,337 per athlete.15
University of South Carolina Aiken landed the #16 spot this year. University of South Carolina Aiken is a public school based in Aiken, SC. The program generates about $20,167 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $20,168 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,318. Erskine College came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Due West, SC. Team revenue averages $12,235 per participant, compared with $12,235 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,924 per athlete. Francis Marion University placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Florence, SC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,345, with expenses of about $15,345 per participant. The school awards about $5,654 in athletic aid per athlete. Newberry College came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Newberry, SC. The program generates about $8,984 in revenue per athlete, against $9,993 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,596.16
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Coker University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Coker University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hartsville, SC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,359, with expenses of about $14,692 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,938.20
University of South Carolina Beaufort placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Bluffton, SC, University of South Carolina Beaufort is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,903, against $12,233 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $5,478 per athlete. South Carolina State University did well this year, earning the #22 position. Located in Orangeburg, SC, South Carolina State University is a public institution. South Carolina State University records an NCAA APR of 981, with a Graduation Success Rate of 82%. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,893, against $17,893 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $5,529 per athlete. Benedict College landed the #23 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Columbia, SC. Team revenue averages $11,924 per participant, compared with $12,104 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,098 in athletic aid per athlete. Allen University landed the #24 spot this year. Allen University is a private not-for-profit school based in Columbia, SC. Team revenue averages $5,244 per participant, against $5,244 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,826.21
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*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.