2023 Top Plains States Region Women's Softball Schools
85Colleges
$36,376Avg Tuition & Fees*
57%Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
Student athletes have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Colleges for Women's Softball in the Plains States Region ranking - to help you make that decision.
We analyzed 85 colleges and universities across the Plains States Region to determine which were the best for Women's Softball athletes in the Plains States Region. Our ranking is based on several objective factors, including the school's overall quality and the athletic competitiveness of the school. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another. So, even if a school has a great team, it won't place well if it is also considered a low quality college or university.
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to online students or returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
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Top Colleges in the Plains States Region for Women's Softball athletes in the Plains States Region
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities tops this year’s ranking as the best school for Women’s Softball athletes in the Plains States Region. UMN Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 8,508 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Softball team at UMN Twin Cities made $86,774 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 993.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UMN Twin Cities also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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The excellent sports programs at University of Missouri - Columbia helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for Women’s Softball athletes in the Plains States Region. This large public school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 5,092 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Softball team at Mizzou took home $2,525,191 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 989 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Mizzou also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
Full University of Missouri - Columbia Sports Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Drake University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Softball athletes in the Plains States Region list. Located in Des Moines, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 813 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Softball team at Drake made $938,773 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 983.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Drake also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend Saint Louis University. The school came in at #4 in this year’s ranking. Saint Louis University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 1,669 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Softball team at SLU made $637,978 in revenue. The team had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, SLU also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Out of the 85 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the medium-sized public school handed out 2,246 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Softball team at UNI took home $792,876 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 989, signifying that team members care about their grades.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNI also is in the top 20% of our overall quality ranking.
Full University of Northern Iowa Sports Report
Creighton University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and it awarded 1,445 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Softball team at Creighton took home $978,542 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 987, signifying that team members care about their grades.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, Creighton is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Creighton University
Augustana University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Augustana Sioux Falls is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It awarded 569 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Softball team at Augustana Sioux Falls made $680,078 in revenue.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Augustana Sioux Falls also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Augustana University Sports Report
University of Nebraska - Lincoln came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, the large public school handed out 4,494 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Softball team at UNL took home $283,846 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 997 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
UNL excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Luther College landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Luther is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decorah, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 499 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Luther took home $202,676 in revenue and paid out $189,419 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $13,257 in profit.
Luther excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Luther College
University of Kansas landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. KU is located in Lawrence, Kansas and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 4,493 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Speaking financially, the Women’s Softball team at KU took home $225,855 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 982 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
KU also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Read full sports report on University of Kansas
Iowa State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #11. Iowa State University is a large public school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 6,795 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Women’s Softball team at Iowa State brought home $305,556 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 987 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, Iowa State also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Iowa State University
University of Iowa did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, the large public school awarded 5,533 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Softball team at Iowa made $315,978 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 976.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Iowa also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking.
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University of St Thomas Minnesota came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,722 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Softball team at UST MN took home $615,447 in revenue.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UST MN also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full University of St Thomas Minnesota Sports Report
With a ranking of #14, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. WUSTL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In , this school awarded 2,428 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
WUSTL brought in $327,120 while tallying up $326,375 in expenses for its Women’s Softball team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $745 for the sports team.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. WUSTL did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our overall quality list.
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North Dakota State University - Main Campus ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region list. North Dakota State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school located in Fargo, North Dakota that handed out 2,382 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Softball team at North Dakota State University took home $1,003,855 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 996.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, North Dakota State University also is in the top 20% of our overall quality ranking.
Full North Dakota State University - Main Campus Sports Report
Central College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Pella, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 259 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Softball team at Central made $169,291 in revenue.
Central excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Central College Sports Report
Winona State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Winona State is located in Winona, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In , this school awarded 1,483 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Softball team at Winona State made $475,569 in revenue.
Full Winona State University Sports Report
Rockhurst University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 619 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Softball team at Rockhurst took home $355,380 in revenue.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Rockhurst also is in the top 20% of our overall quality ranking.
Full Rockhurst University Sports Report
St Olaf College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. St. Olaf is located in Northfield, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 969 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The Women’s Softball team at St. Olaf made $147,457 in revenue, while incurring $124,530 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $22,927 in profit.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. St. Olaf excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Cornell College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #20. Cornell College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Mount Vernon, Iowa. It awarded 279 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Cornell College took home $177,095 in revenue and paid out $152,187 in expenses in recent times. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $24,908.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Cornell College also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Wichita State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. WSU is a public institution located in Wichita, Kansas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,423 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Women’s Softball team at WSU brought home $1,461,308 in revenue in a single year. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 997.
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University of North Dakota ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region list. Located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, the fairly large public school handed out 1,904 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Softball team at UND took home $1,038,401 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 986, signifying that team members care about their grades.
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With a ranking of #23, University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. UMSL is a public institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,786 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Softball team at UMSL took home $418,880 in revenue.
Full University of Missouri - St Louis Sports Report
Gustavus Adolphus College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #24. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Saint Peter, Minnesota, and it awarded 682 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Softball team at Gustavus Adolphus took home $146,121 in revenue.
In addition to its great ranking here, Gustavus Adolphus is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Gustavus Adolphus College Sports Report
Coe College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges for Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region list. Located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 434 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The Women’s Softball team at Coe brought home $134,449 in revenue in a single year.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. In addition to its great ranking here, Coe is in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.
References
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
The academic progress rate (APR) of each team was made available by the NCAA.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
