It's not easy to decide which college to attend when there are so many options available for student athletes. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for Division III Women's Basketball ranking.
We analyzed 387 colleges and universities across the United States to determine which were the best for D3 Women's Basketball athletes. Instead of depending on subjective information, we focus on objective factors to determine this ranking. These factors include such things as the athletic competitiveness of the school and the school's overall quality. This means that a school must provide students with a great education in addition to having a good sports team if it wants to rank well.
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Top Colleges in the U.S. for D3 Women's Basketball athletes
Our analysis found Amherst College to be the best school for D3 Women’s Basketball athletes in this year’s ranking. Amherst is a private not-for-profit institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 759 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Basketball team at Amherst made $301,272 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Amherst also is in the top 1% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on Amherst College
Out of the 387 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,428 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
WUSTL brought in $392,056 while tallying up $381,038 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Basketball team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $11,018 for the sports team.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. On top of its placing in this ranking, WUSTL also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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A rank of #3 on our list means Trinity University is a great place for D3 Women’s Basketball athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in San Antonio, Texas, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 691 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Trinity U took home $373,003 in revenue and paid out $292,426 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $80,577 for the sports team.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Trinity U also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Read full sports report on Trinity University
The excellent sports programs at DePauw University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D3 Women’s Basketball athletes. DePauw is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Greencastle, Indiana. It awarded 532 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Basketball team at DePauw brought home $376,897 in revenue in a single year.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. DePauw excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tufts University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D3 Women’s Basketball athletes list. Tufts is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Medford, Massachusetts. It awarded 1,915 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Basketball team at Tufts brought home $225,440 in revenue in a single year.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. On top of its placing in this ranking, Tufts also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #6, University of St Thomas Minnesota did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball ranking. Located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,722 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Basketball team at UST MN made $1,165,978 in revenue.
In addition to its great ranking here, UST MN is in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Ohio Northern University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball list. ONU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ada, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 450 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Basketball team at ONU made $206,293 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. In addition to its great ranking here, ONU is in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Ohio Northern University Sports Report
Gustavus Adolphus College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #8. Saint Peter, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 682 students in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Basketball team at Gustavus Adolphus took home $236,562 in revenue.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Gustavus Adolphus also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking.
Full Gustavus Adolphus College Sports Report
Worcester Polytechnic Institute landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball ranking. Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1,333 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Basketball team at WPI made $298,078 in revenue.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, WPI also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
Full Worcester Polytechnic Institute Sports Report
Bowdoin College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball list. Located in Brunswick, Maine, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 631 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The team at Bowdoin took home $267,570 in revenue and paid out $251,972 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $15,598 in profit.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. On top of its placing in this ranking, Bowdoin 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 Bowdoin College
University of Scranton ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball list. Scranton, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 906 students in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Basketball team at University of Scranton made $306,801 in revenue.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, University of Scranton also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Whitman College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball ranking. Located in Walla Walla, Washington, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 389 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D3 Women’s Basketball team at Whitman made $301,931 in revenue, while incurring $289,968 in expenses. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $11,963.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. In addition to its great ranking here, Whitman is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Whitman College Sports Report
University of Puget Sound did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Tacoma, Washington, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 534 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D3 Women’s Basketball team at Puget Sound brought home $189,564 in revenue in a single year.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Puget Sound also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on University of Puget Sound
Ithaca College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball list. Ithaca is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,322 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Basketball team at Ithaca made $174,758 in revenue.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Ithaca also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking.
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SUNY Geneseo came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball ranking. Located in Geneseo, New York, the small public school awarded 1,128 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The team at SUNY Geneseo took home $203,057 in revenue and paid out $189,130 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $13,927, which isn’t bad at all.
SUNY Geneseo excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Wheaton College Illinois did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #16. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Wheaton, Illinois, and it awarded 648 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Basketball team at Wheaton College Illinois made $268,596 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. On top of its placing in this ranking, Wheaton College Illinois also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Wheaton College Illinois Sports Report
Massachusetts Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #17. MIT is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In , this school awarded 1,361 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Basketball team at MIT made $115,345 in revenue.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. MIT also took the #5 spot in our overall quality rankings.
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With a ranking of #18, Babson College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball ranking. Babson College is located in Wellesley, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 564 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Basketball team at Babson College took home $256,133 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Babson College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Babson College Sports Report
Messiah University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball ranking. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. It awarded 592 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Messiah took home $148,342 in revenue and paid out $136,984 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $11,358 for the sports team.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Messiah also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
Full Messiah University Sports Report
Carnegie Mellon University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #20. Carnegie Mellon University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 1,971 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Basketball team at Carnegie Mellon made $232,222 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. On top of its placing in this ranking, Carnegie Mellon also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Christopher Newport University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball ranking. Located in Newport News, Virginia, the small public school awarded 1,144 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D3 Women’s Basketball team at CNU brought home $335,921 in revenue in a single year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CNU also is in the top 20% of our overall quality ranking.
Full Christopher Newport University Sports Report
Hope College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball list. Hope College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Holland, Michigan that handed out 837 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Hope took home $318,076 in revenue and paid out $317,506 in expenses in recent times. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $570.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Hope also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Full Hope College Sports Report
With a ranking of #23, Catholic University of America did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball ranking. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 834 students in .
The D3 Women’s Basketball team at CUA made $305,408 in revenue, while incurring $274,357 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $31,051, which isn’t bad at all.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. CUA also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Full Catholic University of America Sports Report
University of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #24. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 2,425 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Basketball team at UChicago brought home $346,716 in revenue in a single year.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. UChicago excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on University of Chicago
Haverford College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Basketball ranking, coming in at #25. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 355 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Basketball team at Haverford took home $141,990 in revenue.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Haverford also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on Haverford College
Rest of the Top 50 Best Colleges for D3 Women's Basketball athletes
Not only did these schools make the top 50 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%.
It's not easy to decide which college to attend when there are so many options available for student athletes. At College Factual, we're committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our Best Colleges for Division III Women's Basketball ranking.
