by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 20 colleges 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:
No school ranked higher than Washington University in St Louis this year for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in St. Louis, MO. The program generates about $20,147 in revenue per athlete, against $17,566 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Saint Louis University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Saint Louis, MO, Saint Louis University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 94%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,366, against $48,366 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,446.
University of Missouri-Columbia came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Columbia, MO. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 60%. The program generates about $146,339 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $146,339 per participant. The school awards about $16,637 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rockhurst University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. Based in Kansas City, MO, Rockhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,022, against $22,022 in expenses. The school awards about $8,130 in athletic aid per athlete.
Missouri State University-Springfield landed the #5 spot for Women's Softball. Missouri State University-Springfield is a public school based in Springfield, MO. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. Team revenue averages $47,078 per participant, with expenses of about $47,078 per participant. Athletic aid averages $12,364 per athlete.
Maryville University of Saint Louis landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Saint Louis, MO, Maryville University of Saint Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,186, with expenses of about $23,779 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,338.
Missouri University of Science and Technology came in at #7 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Rolla, MO. Team revenue averages $25,790 per participant, with expenses of about $25,674 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,772.
Lindenwood University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Saint Charles, MO, Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. About 85% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $30,034 per participant, against $30,034 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,722.
Southeast Missouri State University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in Cape Girardeau, MO, Southeast Missouri State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, alongside a GSR of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 81%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $30,697, against $30,697 in expenses. The school awards about $9,582 in athletic aid per athlete.
Drury University landed the #10 spot this year. Drury University is a private not-for-profit school based in Springfield, MO. Team revenue averages $19,286 per participant, compared with $19,286 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $8,859 per athlete.
Truman State University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in Kirksville, MO, Truman State University is a public institution. The program generates about $16,176 in revenue per athlete, compared with $16,176 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,206 per athlete.
University of Missouri-Kansas City did well this year, earning the #12 position. Based in Kansas City, MO, University of Missouri-Kansas City is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 969, and a 83% Graduation Success Rate. About 44% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $31,615 per participant, against $31,615 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,225 per athlete.
William Jewell College did well this year, earning the #13 position. Based in Liberty, MO, William Jewell College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $17,586 in revenue per athlete, against $15,843 in expenses. The school awards about $7,219 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Missouri-St Louis landed the #14 spot this year. Based in Saint Louis, MO, University of Missouri-St Louis is a public institution. Team revenue averages $23,220 per participant, against $21,762 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,395 per athlete.
Northwest Missouri State University landed the #15 spot this year. Located in Maryville, MO, Northwest Missouri State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $19,575 per participant, compared with $19,575 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,287 in athletic aid per athlete.
Webster University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Webster University is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Louis, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,260, against $10,744 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Central Missouri landed the #17 spot this year. University of Central Missouri is a public school based in Warrensburg, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $26,420, compared with $26,420 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,385 per athlete.
Southwest Baptist University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bolivar, MO. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,993, compared with $15,993 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,015 in athletic aid per athlete.
Missouri Western State University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Women's Softball. Based in Saint Joseph, MO, Missouri Western State University is a public institution. The program generates about $19,494 in revenue per athlete, compared with $19,511 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,151 per athlete.
Missouri Southern State University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Softball. Missouri Southern State University is a public school based in Joplin, MO. The program generates about $21,390 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $21,400 per participant. The school awards about $5,261 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.
