by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 25 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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No school ranked higher than University of Virginia-Main Campus this year for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Charlottesville, VA. University of Virginia-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 79%. Team revenue averages $100,177 per participant, compared with $100,177 spent per athlete. The school awards about $26,976 in athletic aid per athlete.
Christopher Newport University landed the #2 spot for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Newport News, VA. The program generates about $9,166 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,166 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
James Madison University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Harrisonburg, VA, James Madison University is a public institution. James Madison University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. Its federal graduation rate is 56%. Team revenue averages $76,950 per participant, with expenses of about $76,949 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,945 per athlete.
Randolph-Macon College earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Ashland, VA, Randolph-Macon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,430 per participant, against $9,428 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
George Mason University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. George Mason University is a public school based in Fairfax, VA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 65%. The program generates about $36,144 in revenue per athlete, compared with $36,144 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,956 per athlete.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Blacksburg, VA, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 982, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 65%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $30,627, with expenses of about $124,440 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $29,706.
University of Mary Washington came in at #7 in this year's ranking. University of Mary Washington is a public school based in Fredericksburg, VA. Team revenue averages $6,957 per participant, with expenses of about $6,763 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Liberty University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lynchburg, VA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, alongside a GSR of 95%. The federal graduation rate stands at 85%. The program generates about $81,139 in revenue per athlete, compared with $81,139 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,589 per athlete.
Longwood University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in Farmville, VA, Longwood University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 990, and a 83% Graduation Success Rate. About 70% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $57,464 in revenue per athlete, compared with $56,995 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $17,569 per athlete.
Shenandoah University did well this year, earning the #10 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Winchester, VA. The program generates about $4,751 in revenue per athlete, against $4,751 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Lynchburg placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Lynchburg, VA, University of Lynchburg is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,458, compared with $8,458 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Radford University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Radford, VA, Radford University is a public institution. Radford University records an NCAA APR of 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $28,138 per participant, compared with $28,138 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $8,467 per athlete.
Roanoke College came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Salem, VA, Roanoke College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,474, compared with $6,474 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Emory & Henry University landed the #14 spot this year. Based in Emory, VA, Emory & Henry University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,537 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,537 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,871 per athlete.
Hampton University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Located in Hampton, VA, Hampton University is a private not-for-profit institution. Hampton University records an NCAA APR of 967, with a Graduation Success Rate of 86%. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. The program generates about $42,396 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $38,307 per participant. The school awards about $18,394 in athletic aid per athlete.
Virginia Wesleyan University did well this year, earning the #16 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Virginia Beach, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,905, compared with $13,905 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Mary Baldwin University did well this year, earning the #17 position. Based in Staunton, VA, Mary Baldwin University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,825 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,825 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Eastern Mennonite University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Located in Harrisonburg, VA, Eastern Mennonite University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,726 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,726 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Norfolk State University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Norfolk State University is a public school based in Norfolk, VA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 960, and a 81% Graduation Success Rate. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,808, with expenses of about $25,808 per participant. The school awards about $11,545 in athletic aid per athlete.
Randolph College placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Located in Lynchburg, VA, Randolph College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,103, compared with $5,103 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Averett University did well this year, earning the #21 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Danville, VA. Team revenue averages $7,341 per participant, against $7,341 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Virginia State University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Petersburg, VA. Team revenue averages $11,918 per participant, against $11,918 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,082.
Virginia Union University landed the #23 spot this year. Virginia Union University is a private not-for-profit school based in Richmond, VA. Team revenue averages $11,220 per participant, against $10,909 in expenses. The school awards about $5,465 in athletic aid per athlete.
Southern Virginia University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in Buena Vista, VA, Southern Virginia University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,704 in revenue per athlete, against $6,704 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $90.
Ferrum College ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Ferrum, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,643, compared with $6,643 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 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
See our data sources and methodologies.