by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 38 schools for Women’s Tennis by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Leading the list is Wake Forest University, our #1 college for Women's Tennis. This private not-for-profit school is set in Winston-Salem, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $148,144, compared with $148,144 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $38,933 per athlete.
Duke University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Duke University is a private not-for-profit school based in Durham, NC. Duke University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $199,939, against $219,477 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,321.
Catawba College ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Tennis. This private not-for-profit school is set in Salisbury, NC. Team revenue averages $27,459 per participant, against $29,607 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,164.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Tennis. Located in Chapel Hill, NC, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 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%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $63,744, with expenses of about $167,055 per participant. The school awards about $17,771 in athletic aid per athlete.
Elon University is one of the top schools for Women's Tennis, at #5. Located in Elon, NC, Elon University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $95,868, against $95,868 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $25,795 per athlete.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Raleigh, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Team revenue averages $68,686 per participant, against $195,221 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $18,384 per athlete.
Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte did well this year, earning the #7 position. Located in Charlotte, NC, Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,735, compared with $5,031 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Appalachian State University did well this year, earning the #8 position. Based in Boone, NC, Appalachian State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $51,102 per participant, compared with $51,102 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,299 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in Charlotte, NC, University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a public institution. University of North Carolina at Charlotte records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $95,457, compared with $97,431 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,522 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lenoir-Rhyne University landed the #10 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hickory, NC. Team revenue averages $16,519 per participant, compared with $16,519 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,094 per athlete.
Barton College ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Tennis. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wilson, NC. The program generates about $19,280 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $19,280 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,654 per athlete.
Wingate University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wingate, NC. The program generates about $35,256 in revenue per athlete, against $35,487 in expenses. The school awards about $6,748 in athletic aid per athlete.
Campbell University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Tennis. Located in Buies Creek, NC, Campbell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $73,150, with expenses of about $73,150 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,433.
East Carolina University landed the #14 spot this year. This public school is set in Greenville, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 983, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $51,060 per participant, compared with $50,420 spent per athlete. The school awards about $12,584 in athletic aid per athlete.
Davidson College came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Davidson College is a private not-for-profit school based in Davidson, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. The program generates about $32,760 in revenue per athlete, against $43,219 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,830.
University of Mount Olive did well this year, earning the #16 position. Located in Mount Olive, NC, University of Mount Olive is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,219, compared with $25,024 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,775 per athlete.
Winston-Salem State University placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Tennis. Based in Winston-Salem, NC, Winston-Salem State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,186, against $16,186 in expenses. The school awards about $6,441 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gardner-Webb University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in Boiling Springs, NC, Gardner-Webb University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $50,832, with expenses of about $50,832 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,936 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro did well this year, earning the #19 position. University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a public school based in Greensboro, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. Team revenue averages $33,960 per participant, compared with $33,960 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,162 per athlete.
Guilford College came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Based in Greensboro, NC, Guilford College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,859 per participant, compared with $10,560 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lees-McRae College ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Tennis. Located in Banner Elk, NC, Lees-McRae College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $30,559, compared with $30,559 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,547 per athlete.
North Carolina Central University landed the #22 spot this year. This public school is set in Durham, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 78%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $49,839, against $49,839 in expenses. The school awards about $14,804 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina Wilmington came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Based in Wilmington, NC, University of North Carolina Wilmington is a public institution. University of North Carolina Wilmington records an NCAA APR of 973, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. Team revenue averages $41,901 per participant, compared with $41,901 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,667 in athletic aid per athlete.
Queens University of Charlotte did well this year, earning the #24 position. Queens University of Charlotte is a private not-for-profit school based in Charlotte, NC. Queens University of Charlotte records an NCAA APR of 926, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 87% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $26,766 per participant, compared with $26,766 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,282 in athletic aid per athlete.
Western Carolina University landed the #25 spot this year. This public school is set in Cullowhee, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 975, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $33,321 in revenue per athlete, against $33,321 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,960.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.