by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 21 programs for Women’s Softball 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 Macalester College, our #1 college for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Paul, MN. The program generates about $13,898 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,887 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Carleton College ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Carleton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Northfield, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,862, compared with $7,880 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. Based in Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public institution. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities records an NCAA APR of 989, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 63%. The program generates about $17,452 in revenue per athlete, against $129,274 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,174.
St Olaf College landed the #4 spot for Women's Softball. Based in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,743, with expenses of about $10,628 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Duluth earned the #5 place for student athletes. Based in Duluth, MN, University of Minnesota-Duluth is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,588, compared with $19,588 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,671 in athletic aid per athlete.
Winona State University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Winona, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,984, compared with $19,984 spent per athlete. The school awards about $3,907 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gustavus Adolphus College came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Gustavus Adolphus College is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Peter, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,348, against $6,348 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Winona, MN, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,245 in revenue per athlete, against $7,245 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Martin Luther College came in at #9 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in New Ulm, MN. Team revenue averages $4,513 per participant, against $4,513 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
St Catherine University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. St Catherine University is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Paul, MN. The program generates about $9,375 in revenue per athlete, against $9,375 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Minnesota State University Moorhead landed the #11 spot this year. This public school is set in Moorhead, MN. Team revenue averages $19,659 per participant, with expenses of about $18,604 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,722.
University of Northwestern-St Paul did well this year, earning the #12 position. Based in Saint Paul, MN, University of Northwestern-St Paul is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $3,560 per participant, with expenses of about $3,560 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bemidji State University placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Bemidji, MN. The program generates about $15,721 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,721 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,153 per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Crookston placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Crookston, MN. Team revenue averages $19,563 per participant, against $19,563 in expenses. The school awards about $7,101 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Morris came in at #15 in this year's ranking. University of Minnesota-Morris is a public school based in Morris, MN. The program generates about $7,414 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,450 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
North Central University placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Based in Minneapolis, MN, North Central University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,929 in revenue per athlete, against $6,929 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $49 per athlete.
Saint Cloud State University did well this year, earning the #17 position. This public school is set in Saint Cloud, MN. Team revenue averages $16,627 per participant, with expenses of about $16,627 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,426 per athlete.
Bethany Lutheran College landed the #18 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Mankato, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,219, with expenses of about $12,980 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hamline University placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Paul, MN. Team revenue averages $6,873 per participant, against $6,873 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Augsburg University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Augsburg University is a private not-for-profit school based in Minneapolis, MN. Team revenue averages $8,971 per participant, against $8,971 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Southwest Minnesota State University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Southwest Minnesota State University is a public school based in Marshall, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,332, against $16,332 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $2,980 per athlete.
*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.