by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 20 colleges for Women’s Outdoor Track and Field by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Stanford University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. Located in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $42,928, with expenses of about $42,928 per participant. Athletic aid averages $42,012 per athlete.
University of California-Irvine is one of the top schools for Women's Outdoor Track and Field, at #2. University of California-Irvine is a public school based in Irvine, CA. Team revenue averages $11,237 per participant, with expenses of about $11,237 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,955.
California Institute of Technology is one of the top schools for Women's Outdoor Track and Field, at #3. Based in Pasadena, CA, California Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,031 in revenue per athlete, against $4,031 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Santa Barbara landed the #4 spot for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. University of California-Santa Barbara is a public school based in Santa Barbara, CA. Team revenue averages $7,281 per participant, against $7,281 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,355.
Santa Clara University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. This private not-for-profit school is set in Santa Clara, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,603, compared with $3,603 spent per athlete. The school awards about $19,355 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Mary's College of California landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Moraga, CA. The program generates about $5,609 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,609 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $18,999 per athlete.
University of the Pacific landed the #7 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Stockton, CA. Team revenue averages $4,652 per participant, with expenses of about $4,652 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,596.
Chapman University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. Based in Orange, CA, Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $2,315 in revenue per athlete, against $2,315 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
California Baptist University placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. Located in Riverside, CA, California Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $39,354 per participant, against $39,354 in expenses. The school awards about $23,790 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Redlands placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit school based in Redlands, CA. Team revenue averages $4,297 per participant, with expenses of about $3,996 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
California Lutheran University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in Thousand Oaks, CA, California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,622, compared with $2,622 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-San Bernardino came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Based in San Bernardino, CA, California State University-San Bernardino is a public institution. The program generates about $17,325 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $17,260 per participant. The school awards about $5,698 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Merced did well this year, earning the #13 position. This public school is set in Merced, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,500, against $4,596 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $1,179.
California State University-Chico did well this year, earning the #14 position. Based in Chico, CA, California State University-Chico is a public institution. Team revenue averages $7,091 per participant, with expenses of about $7,502 per participant. The school awards about $2,367 in athletic aid per athlete.
Sonoma State University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Located in Rohnert Park, CA, Sonoma State University is a public institution. The program generates about $4,039 in revenue per athlete, against $4,039 in expenses. The school awards about $3,732 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of La Verne ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. Located in La Verne, CA, University of La Verne is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,623, with expenses of about $2,493 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
San Francisco State University landed the #17 spot this year. Based in San Francisco, CA, San Francisco State University is a public institution. The program generates about $8,050 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,050 spent per athlete. The school awards about $2,480 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Dominguez Hills landed the #18 spot this year. California State University-Dominguez Hills is a public school based in Carson, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,005, with expenses of about $10,005 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,780.
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt landed the #19 spot this year. Based in Arcata, CA, California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt is a public institution. Team revenue averages $11,995 per participant, compared with $6,678 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,418.
California State University-Los Angeles placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. Based in Los Angeles, CA, California State University-Los Angeles is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,635, compared with $3,635 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,687 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
