by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 58 schools for Women’s Outdoor Track and Field by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual evaluates each program using 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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Explore the leading programs below:
University of Delaware tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. University of Delaware is a public school based in Newark, DE. The program generates about $13,537 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,537 per participant. Athletic aid averages $24,002 per athlete.
Loyola University Maryland came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. Loyola University Maryland is a private not-for-profit school based in Baltimore, MD. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,176, against $6,176 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,638.
Franklin and Marshall College is one of the top schools for Women's Outdoor Track and Field, at #3. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lancaster, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,807, compared with $3,009 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53.
Hamilton College earned the #4 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Clinton, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,749, against $2,749 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Francis University is one of the top schools for Women's Outdoor Track and Field, at #5. This private not-for-profit school is set in Loretto, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,899, against $14,899 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,253.
Vassar College placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. Vassar College is a private not-for-profit school based in Poughkeepsie, NY. Team revenue averages $3,162 per participant, against $3,013 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Niagara University placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. Based in Niagara University, NY, Niagara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,684 per participant, compared with $13,684 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,462.
Ithaca College did well this year, earning the #8 position. Based in Ithaca, NY, Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,497, with expenses of about $3,497 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
St Lawrence University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit school based in Canton, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,370, against $2,370 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,126.
Rochester Institute of Technology came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Rochester, NY, Rochester Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,593, with expenses of about $3,499 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,070 per athlete.
Molloy University did well this year, earning the #11 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rockville Centre, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,395, compared with $3,573 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,589.
University at Albany landed the #12 spot this year. Based in Albany, NY, University at Albany is a public institution. The program generates about $9,317 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,968 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,856.
DeSales University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. This private not-for-profit school is set in Center Valley, PA. Team revenue averages $3,964 per participant, with expenses of about $3,941 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Thomas Jefferson University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. Thomas Jefferson University is a private not-for-profit school based in Philadelphia, PA. Team revenue averages $2,789 per participant, with expenses of about $2,789 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,341.
University of Scranton did well this year, earning the #15 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Scranton, PA. Team revenue averages $1,184 per participant, compared with $1,184 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Dickinson College did well this year, earning the #16 position. Dickinson College is a private not-for-profit school based in Carlisle, PA. Team revenue averages $1,061 per participant, compared with $771 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Saint Vincent College ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. Saint Vincent College is a private not-for-profit school based in Latrobe, PA. The program generates about $2,948 in revenue per athlete, compared with $2,948 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
St. John Fisher University placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. Based in Rochester, NY, St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,690, compared with $1,632 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Adelphi University landed the #19 spot this year. Based in Garden City, NY, Adelphi University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $1,838 in revenue per athlete, against $1,838 in expenses. The school awards about $7,963 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bard College did well this year, earning the #20 position. Bard College is a private not-for-profit school based in Annandale-On-Hudson, NY. Team revenue averages $1,735 per participant, compared with $1,735 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Juniata College did well this year, earning the #21 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Huntingdon, PA. Team revenue averages $3,261 per participant, with expenses of about $3,210 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Drew University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. Drew University is a private not-for-profit school based in Madison, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,889, with expenses of about $1,889 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Holy Family University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Holy Family University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,363, against $5,331 in expenses. The school awards about $5,523 in athletic aid per athlete.
Goldey-Beacom College placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. Goldey-Beacom College is a private not-for-profit school based in Wilmington, DE. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,707, with expenses of about $6,707 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,149 per athlete.
Roberts Wesleyan University ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Outdoor Track and Field. Located in Rochester, NY, Roberts Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,780 per participant, compared with $3,380 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,925.
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. 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.