by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 27 programs for Women’s Outdoor Track and Field (Division III) 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.
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Learn more about these schools below:
Middlebury College tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). Middlebury College is a private not-for-profit school based in Middlebury, VT. The program generates about $5,322 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,322 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wellesley College earned the #2 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wellesley, MA. The program generates about $3,961 in revenue per athlete, against $3,961 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of the top schools for Women's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III), at #3. Based in Cambridge, MA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $2,386 per participant, with expenses of about $2,386 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Colby College is one of the top schools for Women's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III), at #4. Colby College is a private not-for-profit school based in Waterville, ME. The program generates about $3,430 in revenue per athlete, compared with $3,430 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Williams College earned the #5 place for student athletes. Based in Williamstown, MA, Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $1,843 per participant, against $1,843 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Amherst College landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Amherst, MA, Amherst College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,360, with expenses of about $2,360 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Endicott College landed the #7 spot this year. Endicott College is a private not-for-profit school based in Beverly, MA. Team revenue averages $2,803 per participant, with expenses of about $2,803 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Salve Regina University placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). Located in Newport, RI, Salve Regina University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,219, compared with $3,118 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Massachusetts Maritime Academy is a public school based in Buzzards Bay, MA. Team revenue averages $2,170 per participant, compared with $2,507 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Connecticut College landed the #10 spot this year. Located in New London, CT, Connecticut College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $1,504 per participant, against $1,504 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Hartford came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Based in West Hartford, CT, University of Hartford is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,656, with expenses of about $2,919 per participant. The school awards about $587 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gordon College landed the #12 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wenham, MA. Team revenue averages $2,468 per participant, against $2,200 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of New England came in at #13 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Biddeford, ME. Team revenue averages $3,224 per participant, with expenses of about $3,204 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Nichols College came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in Dudley, MA, Nichols College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $2,909 in revenue per athlete, compared with $2,978 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Husson University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Based in Bangor, ME, Husson University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,322, against $4,322 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Roger Williams University did well this year, earning the #16 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bristol, RI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,773, with expenses of about $1,871 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wentworth Institute of Technology ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). This private not-for-profit school is set in Boston, MA. The program generates about $875 in revenue per athlete, against $928 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Western New England University did well this year, earning the #18 position. Western New England University is a private not-for-profit school based in Springfield, MA. Team revenue averages $1,653 per participant, against $1,653 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Western Connecticut State University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Women's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). This public school is set in Danbury, CT. Team revenue averages $6,618 per participant, against $6,618 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Fitchburg State University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). Fitchburg State University is a public school based in Fitchburg, MA. Team revenue averages $1,745 per participant, with expenses of about $1,745 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Worcester State University placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). Located in Worcester, MA, Worcester State University is a public institution. The program generates about $1,621 in revenue per athlete, against $1,548 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Maine at Presque Isle placed #22 among the best colleges for Women's Outdoor Track and Field (Division III). University of Maine at Presque Isle is a public school based in Presque Isle, ME. The program generates about $6,440 in revenue per athlete, against $6,440 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Rhode Island College did well this year, earning the #23 position. This public school is set in Providence, RI. The program generates about $3,296 in revenue per athlete, against $3,296 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Thomas College came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Thomas College is a private not-for-profit school based in Waterville, ME. Team revenue averages $2,586 per participant, with expenses of about $2,586 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $244.
Johnson & Wales University-Providence came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Providence, RI, Johnson & Wales University-Providence is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $1,315 in revenue per athlete, against $1,315 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*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.