by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 82 schools for Women’s Wrestling by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Sacred Heart University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Wrestling. Based in Fairfield, CT, Sacred Heart University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $15,343 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,343 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,128.
Muhlenberg College ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Wrestling. Located in Allentown, PA, Muhlenberg College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $18,298 per participant, with expenses of about $13,164 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
John Carroll University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Wrestling. John Carroll University is a private not-for-profit school based in University Heights, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,188, against $14,188 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Iowa came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Wrestling. This public school is set in Iowa City, IA. The program generates about $7,320 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $60,611 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,176.
Gannon University is one of the top schools for Women's Wrestling, at #5. This private not-for-profit school is set in Erie, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,498, compared with $13,140 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,313.
Grand Valley State University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Wrestling. This public school is set in Allendale, MI. The program generates about $19,485 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $18,770 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,088 per athlete.
Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Bloomington, IL, Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,276, with expenses of about $11,276 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ursinus College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Collegeville, PA. The program generates about $10,795 in revenue per athlete, against $10,795 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Presbyterian College placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Wrestling. This private not-for-profit school is set in Clinton, SC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,495, with expenses of about $17,495 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,454 per athlete.
Baldwin Wallace University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Wrestling. Located in Berea, OH, Baldwin Wallace University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,349, with expenses of about $11,349 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
D'Youville University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Wrestling. This private not-for-profit school is set in Buffalo, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,458, against $18,458 in expenses. The school awards about $8,393 in athletic aid per athlete.
Otterbein University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Otterbein University is a private not-for-profit school based in Westerville, OH. The program generates about $10,314 in revenue per athlete, against $10,186 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Loras College landed the #13 spot this year. Loras College is a private not-for-profit school based in Dubuque, IA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,269, with expenses of about $8,269 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Trine University landed the #14 spot this year. Trine University is a private not-for-profit school based in Angola, IN. Team revenue averages $8,733 per participant, against $8,781 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Elmhurst University placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Wrestling. Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit school based in Elmhurst, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,656, compared with $8,229 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
William Jewell College did well this year, earning the #16 position. Located in Liberty, MO, William Jewell College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,863 in revenue per athlete, against $11,399 in expenses. The school awards about $7,219 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Central College did well this year, earning the #17 position. Based in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,529 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,042 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Misericordia University did well this year, earning the #18 position. Located in Dallas, PA, Misericordia University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,560, with expenses of about $6,560 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Linfield University landed the #19 spot this year. Located in McMinnville, OR, Linfield University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,731, against $9,055 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Sioux Falls ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Wrestling. This private not-for-profit school is set in Sioux Falls, SD. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,824, against $12,603 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,811.
McDaniel College landed the #21 spot this year. McDaniel College is a private not-for-profit school based in Westminster, MD. The program generates about $9,900 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,085 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Northern Michigan University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Marquette, MI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,971, against $25,209 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,323.
Utica University landed the #23 spot this year. Utica University is a private not-for-profit school based in Utica, NY. Team revenue averages $18,847 per participant, with expenses of about $17,681 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
McKendree University placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Wrestling. McKendree University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lebanon, IL. Team revenue averages $12,962 per participant, compared with $12,962 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,695 per athlete.
Menlo College did well this year, earning the #25 position. Menlo College is a private not-for-profit school based in Atherton, CA. The program generates about $21,158 in revenue per athlete, against $21,158 in expenses. The school awards about $13,086 in athletic aid per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on 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.