by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 78 colleges for Women’s Softball in Plains States by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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 Washington University in St Louis, our #1 college for Women's Softball in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in St. Louis, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,147, compared with $17,566 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Louis University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Saint Louis University is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Louis, MO. Saint Louis University records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 94% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,366, with expenses of about $48,366 per participant. The school awards about $13,446 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rockhurst University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball in Plains States. Located in Kansas City, MO, Rockhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $22,022 in revenue per athlete, against $22,022 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,130 per athlete.
University of Missouri-Columbia came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball in Plains States. This public school is set in Columbia, MO. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $146,339, against $146,339 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $16,637 per athlete.
Missouri State University-Springfield landed the #5 spot for Women's Softball in Plains States. This public school is set in Springfield, MO. Missouri State University-Springfield records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $47,078, with expenses of about $47,078 per participant. Athletic aid averages $12,364 per athlete.
Macalester College placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Softball in Plains States. Located in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,898 in revenue per athlete, against $13,887 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Maryville University of Saint Louis came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Saint Louis, MO, Maryville University of Saint Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $25,186 in revenue per athlete, compared with $23,779 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,338 in athletic aid per athlete.
Carleton College landed the #8 spot this year. Located in Northfield, MN, Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,862, against $7,880 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Grinnell College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball in Plains States. Grinnell College is a private not-for-profit school based in Grinnell, IA. The program generates about $9,047 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,047 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
St Olaf College landed the #10 spot this year. Based in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $10,743 per participant, compared with $10,628 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Drake University landed the #11 spot this year. Based in Des Moines, IA, Drake University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 80%. Team revenue averages $45,921 per participant, against $45,921 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,413.
Wichita State University landed the #12 spot this year. Located in Wichita, KS, Wichita State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 53%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $99,714, against $99,714 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,114 per athlete.
University of Kansas came in at #13 in this year's ranking. University of Kansas is a public school based in Lawrence, KS. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. The federal graduation rate stands at 65%. The program generates about $116,863 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $116,863 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,506.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Softball in Plains States. Based in Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 65% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $13,224 in revenue per athlete, against $164,017 in expenses. The school awards about $16,793 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Dakota did well this year, earning the #15 position. University of North Dakota is a public school based in Grand Forks, ND. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $38,168, compared with $38,168 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,250 in athletic aid per athlete.
Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the #16 spot this year. Located in Rolla, MO, Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public institution. Team revenue averages $25,790 per participant, against $25,674 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,772.
University of Nebraska at Omaha placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Softball in Plains States. Based in Omaha, NE, University of Nebraska at Omaha is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 37%. Team revenue averages $64,393 per participant, with expenses of about $51,253 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,713.
University of Mary ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball in Plains States. Located in Bismarck, ND, University of Mary is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $17,288 in revenue per athlete, against $17,288 in expenses. The school awards about $6,321 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Northern Iowa came in at #19 in this year's ranking. University of Northern Iowa is a public school based in Cedar Falls, IA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $37,521, against $37,521 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,720 per athlete.
Iowa State University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Softball in Plains States. Located in Ames, IA, Iowa State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 70%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,011, against $81,683 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $16,185 per athlete.
Luther College ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball in Plains States. Luther College is a private not-for-profit school based in Decorah, IA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,213, compared with $8,905 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gustavus Adolphus College landed the #22 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Peter, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,348, compared with $6,348 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Creighton University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Located in Omaha, NE, Creighton University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 980, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 57% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $32,813 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $70,452 per participant. The school awards about $17,224 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities did well this year, earning the #24 position. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public school based in Minneapolis, MN. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities records an NCAA APR of 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 63%. The program generates about $17,452 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $129,274 per participant. The school awards about $27,174 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lindenwood University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Charles, MO. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 85%. The program generates about $30,034 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $30,034 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,722 per athlete.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.
