by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 40 colleges for Women’s Tennis by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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.
Not quite what you need? Jump to the options below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Leading the list is Stanford University, our #1 college for Women's Tennis. This private not-for-profit school is set in Stanford, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $149,378 per participant, compared with $149,378 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $42,012 per athlete.
California Institute of Technology is one of the top schools for Women's Tennis, at #2. This private not-for-profit school is set in Pasadena, CA. Team revenue averages $8,958 per participant, compared with $8,958 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Southern California is one of the top schools for Women's Tennis, at #3. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit school based in Los Angeles, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $147,174 in revenue per athlete, against $147,174 in expenses. The school awards about $40,006 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Los Angeles earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Los Angeles, CA, University of California-Los Angeles is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $199,180, against $199,180 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $24,306 per athlete.
Occidental College earned the #5 place for student athletes. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Occidental College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,755, with expenses of about $10,033 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Chapman University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Tennis. This private not-for-profit school is set in Orange, CA. The program generates about $6,480 in revenue per athlete, against $6,480 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Santa Clara University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in Santa Clara, CA, Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Santa Clara University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $64,978 in revenue per athlete, against $64,978 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,355 per athlete.
University of California-Berkeley ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Tennis. Located in Berkeley, CA, University of California-Berkeley is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. The program generates about $140,408 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $140,408 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,267.
Saint Mary's College of California landed the #9 spot this year. Located in Moraga, CA, Saint Mary's College of California is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. The program generates about $110,861 in revenue per athlete, compared with $110,861 spent per athlete. The school awards about $18,999 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of San Diego did well this year, earning the #10 position. University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit school based in San Diego, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 991, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $163,754, with expenses of about $163,754 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,537.
Point Loma Nazarene University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Tennis. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Diego, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $43,424, against $43,424 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,927 per athlete.
University of California-Santa Cruz landed the #12 spot this year. Located in Santa Cruz, CA, University of California-Santa Cruz is a public institution. Team revenue averages $10,618 per participant, with expenses of about $10,618 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Pepperdine University landed the #13 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Malibu, CA. Pepperdine University records an NCAA APR of 968, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. The program generates about $187,930 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $187,930 per participant. Athletic aid averages $27,861 per athlete.
Loyola Marymount University did well this year, earning the #14 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Los Angeles, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 957, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $114,399, compared with $114,399 spent per athlete. The school awards about $40,056 in athletic aid per athlete.
San Jose State University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. San Jose State University is a public school based in San Jose, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 86%. Its federal graduation rate is 44%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $78,981, compared with $78,981 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,034 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Davis placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Tennis. This public school is set in Davis, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $46,408 in revenue per athlete, compared with $46,408 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,267 in athletic aid per athlete.
Dominican University of California did well this year, earning the #17 position. Based in San Rafael, CA, Dominican University of California is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $24,031 per participant, with expenses of about $24,031 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,270.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Tennis. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a public school based in San Luis Obispo, CA. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $60,642, against $60,642 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $10,344 per athlete.
California Lutheran University landed the #19 spot this year. Based in Thousand Oaks, CA, California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,136, with expenses of about $9,136 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Irvine did well this year, earning the #20 position. Located in Irvine, CA, University of California-Irvine is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $36,062, against $36,062 in expenses. The school awards about $13,955 in athletic aid per athlete.
San Diego State University did well this year, earning the #21 position. This public school is set in San Diego, CA. San Diego State University records an NCAA APR of 982, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $79,102, compared with $110,538 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,450.
University of Redlands did well this year, earning the #22 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Redlands, CA. The program generates about $19,008 in revenue per athlete, against $15,347 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Sacramento placed #23 among the best colleges for Women's Tennis. Based in Sacramento, CA, California State University-Sacramento is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. The program generates about $87,085 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $87,085 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,560.
University of California-San Diego landed the #24 spot this year. Located in La Jolla, CA, University of California-San Diego is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $37,558 per participant, against $37,558 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,847 per athlete.
California State University-Fullerton came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Fullerton, CA, California State University-Fullerton is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $65,129, compared with $65,129 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,497 in athletic aid 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.