When pursuing a degree in today's world, student athletes have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for Division I Women's Basketball ranking is part of that endeavor.
We analyzed 324 colleges and universities across the United States to determine which were the best for D1 Women's Basketball athletes. Our ranking methodology focuses a number of different objective factors - such as the overall quality of the school, the school's athletic competitiveness, and the amount of athletic aid per student - to make this determination. Having a great sports team is not enough - the school must also focus on academic excellence.
We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
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Top Colleges in the U.S. for D1 Women's Basketball athletes
University of Connecticut tops this year’s ranking as the best school for D1 Women’s Basketball athletes. UCONN is located in Storrs, Connecticut and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 5,690 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The D1 Women’s Basketball team at UCONN brought home $8,519,682 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 989 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCONN also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on University of Connecticut
A rank of #2 on our list means Duke University is a great place for D1 Women’s Basketball athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Durham, North Carolina, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,312 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Duke made $2,643,254 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 973.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Duke also made our overall quality list, coming in at #2.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Notre Dame. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D1 Women’s Basketball athletes list. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,829 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Notre Dame took home $5,330,018 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 995.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. Notre Dame excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 1% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full University of Notre Dame Sports Report
The excellent sports programs at Stanford University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 Women’s Basketball athletes. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In , this school awarded 1,699 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Stanford made $8,049,798 in revenue. With a perfect academic progress rate of 1000, the team is showing that they know how to hit the books, too.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Stanford also is in the top 1% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on Stanford University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Baylor University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D1 Women’s Basketball athletes list. Waco, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 3,698 students in .
The D1 Women’s Basketball team at Baylor brought home $6,335,907 in revenue in a single year. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 981.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, Baylor also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Baylor University Sports Report
Vanderbilt University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 2,440 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Basketball team at Vanderbilt brought home $7,990,789 in revenue in a single year. The team has a great academic progress rate of 989, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, Vanderbilt also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Vanderbilt University
Northwestern University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,688 students in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Northwestern took home $250,122 in revenue. The team had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. In addition to its great ranking here, Northwestern is in the top 1% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Northwestern University Sports Report
With a ranking of #8, University of Maryland - College Park did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking. Located in College Park, Maryland, the large public school awarded 9,182 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at UMCP made $1,285,529 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 963.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. UMCP also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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University of Miami ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball list. U Miami is located in Coral Gables, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In , this school awarded 3,419 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The D1 Women’s Basketball team at U Miami brought home $6,162,525 in revenue in a single year.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. U Miami excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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With a ranking of #10, Marquette University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking. Marquette is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 2,470 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Marquette took home $4,329,846 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 990, signifying that team members care about their grades.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, Marquette is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Marquette University Sports Report
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking. Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, the large public school handed out 5,533 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at UT Knoxville took home $2,406,892 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 971.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. UT Knoxville excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Sports Report
DePaul University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball list. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 3,047 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at DePaul made $3,850,261 in revenue. With a perfect academic progress rate of 1000, the team is showing that they know how to hit the books, too.
DePaul excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full DePaul University Sports Report
With a ranking of #13, Gonzaga University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking. Gonzaga is located in Spokane, Washington and, has a medium-sized student population. In , this school awarded 1,289 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Gonzaga made $4,157,883 in revenue. Sports aren’t the only thing that the team excels at - they had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, Gonzaga is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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With a ranking of #14, Syracuse University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking. Syracuse is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Syracuse, New York. It awarded 4,205 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Syracuse made $1,608,302 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 983, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Syracuse excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Syracuse University Sports Report
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #15. This large public school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 10,374 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at UT Austin made $2,543,747 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 991 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. On top of its placing in this ranking, UT Austin also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on The University of Texas at Austin
University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, the large public school handed out 5,483 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at University of Virginia made $5,843,060 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 995, signifying that team members care about their grades.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. University of Virginia also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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Florida State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #17. Florida State University is a large public school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 9,550 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Florida State made $1,239,869 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 946.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Florida State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Florida State University
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #18. Ohio State is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11,957 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Ohio State made $693,032 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Ohio State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Ohio State University - Main Campus
Rice University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking. Rice is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,235 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Rice took home $2,290,444 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 996, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. In addition to its great ranking here, Rice is in the top 1% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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With a ranking of #20, Elon University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking. Elon, North Carolina is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,802 students in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Elon took home $1,805,124 in revenue. The team had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. On top of its placing in this ranking, Elon also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Elon University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #21. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 8,969 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Basketball team at U-M brought home $613,770 in revenue in a single year.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. U-M also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Read full sports report on University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
George Washington University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking. GWU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Washington, District of Columbia. It awarded 3,466 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at GWU took home $2,789,008 in revenue and paid out $2,789,007 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $1 in profit. The team has a great academic progress rate of 991, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, GWU is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on George Washington University
Wake Forest University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1,546 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at Wake Forest University made $4,196,981 in revenue. Sports aren’t the only thing that the team excels at - they had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, Wake Forest University also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Wake Forest University Sports Report
With a ranking of #24, Quinnipiac University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking. Quinnipiac is located in Hamden, Connecticut and, has a medium-sized student population. In , this school awarded 1,770 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The D1 Women’s Basketball team at Quinnipiac brought home $2,464,703 in revenue in a single year. The team had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. Quinnipiac excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Quinnipiac University
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Basketball ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 9,851 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Basketball team at UCLA took home $5,635,343 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 989 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCLA also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on University of California - Los Angeles
Rest of the Top 15% Best Colleges for D1 Women's Basketball athletes
Not only did these schools make the top 49 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.
References
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
The academic progress rate (APR) of each team was made available by the NCAA.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
When pursuing a degree in today's world, student athletes have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for Division I Women's Basketball ranking is part of that endeavor.
