by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 42 schools for Women’s Softball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Baylor University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Softball. Baylor University is a private not-for-profit school based in Waco, TX. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. About 81% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $119,687 in revenue per athlete, against $119,687 in expenses. The school awards about $30,455 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #2 spot for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Austin, TX. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. The federal graduation rate stands at 73%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,486, with expenses of about $181,515 per participant. The school awards about $22,650 in athletic aid per athlete.
Texas State University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in San Marcos, TX, Texas State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 74%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $65,463, compared with $65,463 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,371 per athlete.
Texas A&M University-College Station ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This public school is set in College Station, TX. Texas A&M University-College Station records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 91%. About 74% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $26,208 per participant, with expenses of about $144,869 per participant. The school awards about $17,123 in athletic aid per athlete.
Sam Houston State University is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #5. This public school is set in Huntsville, TX. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 81% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $41,519 per participant, compared with $41,519 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,743.
University of Houston landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Houston, TX, University of Houston is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 987, alongside a GSR of 95%. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. Team revenue averages $65,972 per participant, with expenses of about $65,972 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,948.
Abilene Christian University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Abilene, TX, Abilene Christian University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 81%. Its federal graduation rate is 63%. Team revenue averages $74,827 per participant, against $53,883 in expenses. The school awards about $26,012 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Dallas landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Irving, TX, University of Dallas is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,564, against $4,564 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Austin College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Located in Sherman, TX, Austin College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,239 per participant, compared with $7,620 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Texas at El Paso landed the #10 spot this year. Located in El Paso, TX, The University of Texas at El Paso is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, alongside a GSR of 95%. The federal graduation rate stands at 64%. The program generates about $15,321 in revenue per athlete, against $48,050 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $18,754 per athlete.
Texas Lutheran University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Texas Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit school based in Seguin, TX. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,949, with expenses of about $14,107 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Houston Christian University landed the #12 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Houston, TX. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 982, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 73%. The program generates about $46,447 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $46,447 per participant. The school awards about $20,924 in athletic aid per athlete.
Texas Tech University landed the #13 spot this year. Based in Lubbock, TX, Texas Tech University is a public institution. Texas Tech University records an NCAA APR of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $40,646 per participant, against $158,730 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,662 per athlete.
LeTourneau University landed the #14 spot this year. LeTourneau University is a private not-for-profit school based in Longview, TX. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,657, with expenses of about $11,657 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lubbock Christian University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Based in Lubbock, TX, Lubbock Christian University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $27,878 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $27,878 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,404 per athlete.
University of North Texas did well this year, earning the #16 position. University of North Texas is a public school based in Denton, TX. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, alongside a GSR of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 59%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $62,792, compared with $62,792 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,504 per athlete.
The University of Texas at Arlington came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Arlington, TX. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 979, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. The federal graduation rate stands at 73%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,912, with expenses of about $40,912 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,666.
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. University of Mary Hardin-Baylor is a private not-for-profit school based in Belton, TX. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,118, compared with $9,118 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Tarleton State University landed the #19 spot this year. Tarleton State University is a public school based in Stephenville, TX. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, alongside a GSR of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 68%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $44,865, against $44,865 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,883.
Hardin-Simmons University did well this year, earning the #20 position. Based in Abilene, TX, Hardin-Simmons University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,817 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,371 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Texas A & M International University placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Laredo, TX, Texas A & M International University is a public institution. The program generates about $19,409 in revenue per athlete, against $19,409 in expenses. The school awards about $8,327 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Texas at Tyler ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Tyler, TX, The University of Texas at Tyler is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,555, against $32,555 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,209.
Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi landed the #23 spot this year. This public school is set in Corpus Christi, TX. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, alongside a GSR of 92%. About 53% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $30,881 per participant, compared with $30,881 spent per athlete. The school awards about $10,202 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Texas at San Antonio came in at #24 in this year's ranking. The University of Texas at San Antonio is a public school based in San Antonio, TX. The University of Texas at San Antonio records an NCAA APR of 974, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 54%. Team revenue averages $56,373 per participant, against $56,373 in expenses. The school awards about $16,155 in athletic aid per athlete.
East Texas Baptist University ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Marshall, TX. The program generates about $18,115 in revenue per athlete, compared with $18,115 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 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 ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on 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.