by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 6 colleges for Women’s Softball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
No school ranked higher than Nebraska Wesleyan University this year for Women's Softball. Based in Lincoln, NE, Nebraska Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,149 per participant, compared with $7,390 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Softball. This public school is set in Lincoln, NE. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 65%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,224, compared with $164,017 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,793 per athlete.
Creighton University is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #3. Located in Omaha, NE, Creighton University is a private not-for-profit institution. Creighton University records an NCAA APR of 980, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 57%. The program generates about $32,813 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $70,452 per participant. Athletic aid averages $17,224 per athlete.
University of Nebraska at Omaha is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #4. Based in Omaha, NE, University of Nebraska at Omaha is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. About 37% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $64,393, with expenses of about $51,253 per participant. Athletic aid averages $10,713 per athlete.
University of Nebraska at Kearney is one of the top schools for Women's Softball, at #5. This public school is set in Kearney, NE. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,010, against $20,833 in expenses. The school awards about $4,590 in athletic aid per athlete.
Chadron State College did well this year, earning the #6 position. Based in Chadron, NE, Chadron State College is a public institution. Team revenue averages $16,717 per participant, with expenses of about $16,717 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,283.
*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.