2023 Top Great Lakes Region Women's Basketball Schools
146Colleges
$38,680Avg Tuition & Fees*
58%Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
With all of the options student athletes have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Colleges for Women's Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking - to help you make that decision.
Our analysis looked at 146 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for Women's Basketball athletes in the Great Lakes Region. 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.
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to online students or returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you're torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
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Top Colleges in the Great Lakes Region for Women's Basketball athletes in the Great Lakes Region
University of Notre Dame tops this year’s ranking as the best school for Women’s Basketball athletes in the Great Lakes Region. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Notre Dame, Indiana, and it awarded 2,829 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Women’s Basketball team at Notre Dame brought home $5,330,018 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 995.
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. In addition to its Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Notre Dame is ranked #2 for overall quality in the Great Lakes Region .
Full University of Notre Dame Sports Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball athletes in the Great Lakes Region list. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 2,688 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Basketball team at Northwestern made $250,122 in revenue. The team had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our overall quality rankings.
Full Northwestern University Sports Report
You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend Marquette University. The school came in at #3 in this year’s ranking. Marquette is a private not-for-profit institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,470 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the 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.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. Marquette 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 Marquette University
You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #4 in this year’s ranking. DePaul is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3,047 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Women’s Basketball team at DePaul brought home $3,850,261 in revenue in a single year. With a perfect academic progress rate of 1000, the team is showing that they know how to hit the books, too.
In addition to its great ranking here, DePaul is in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on DePaul University
Out of the 146 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large public school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 11,957 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Basketball team at Ohio State took home $693,032 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Ohio State 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 Ohio State University - Main Campus
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. This large public school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 8,969 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Basketball team at U-M took home $613,770 in revenue.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. U-M did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our overall quality list.
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Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, the large public school handed out 8,676 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Purdue took home $7,008,122 in revenue and paid out $4,577,307 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $2,430,815, which isn’t bad at all.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. In addition to its great ranking here, Purdue is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Purdue University - Main Campus Sports Report
With a ranking of #8, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. IU Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 7,504 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Women’s Basketball team at IU Bloomington brought home $5,237,191 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 980 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. IU Bloomington 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 Indiana University - Bloomington
Michigan State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Michigan State is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,247 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Basketball team at Michigan State made $863,585 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 953.
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, Michigan State is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Michigan State University
With a ranking of #10, University of Dayton did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Dayton, Ohio, and it awarded 2,118 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Women’s Basketball team at UDayton brought home $1,618,489 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 990 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. UDayton excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full University of Dayton Sports Report
DePauw University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. DePauw University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Greencastle, Indiana that handed out 532 bachelor’s degrees in .
The 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 also made our overall quality list, coming in at #5.
Read full sports report on DePauw University
Ohio University - Athens Campus ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region list. OHIO Athens is a large public school situated in Athens, Ohio. It awarded 5,850 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Women’s Basketball team at OHIO Athens brought home $1,777,198 in revenue in a single year.
Read full sports report on Ohio University - Athens Campus
With a ranking of #13, University of Evansville did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UE is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Evansville, Indiana. It awarded 453 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Basketball team at UE took home $1,668,936 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 957.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UE also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on University of Evansville
Central Michigan University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region list. Central Michigan is a fairly large public school situated in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It awarded 3,164 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Basketball team at Central Michigan took home $1,688,871 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 996, signifying that team members care about their grades.
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Ohio Northern University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. Ohio Northern University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Ada, Ohio that handed out 450 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Basketball team at ONU took home $206,293 in revenue.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, ONU is in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Ohio Northern University
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region list. Cincinnati, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 6,665 students in .
The Women’s Basketball team at UC brought home $2,948,270 in revenue in a single year. The team has a great academic progress rate of 991, signifying that team members care about their grades.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Sports Report
Wheaton College Illinois landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 648 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Women’s Basketball team at Wheaton College Illinois brought home $268,596 in revenue in a single year.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, Wheaton College Illinois is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Bradley University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Peoria, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,190 students in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Basketball team at Bradley took home $1,781,915 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 995.
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, Bradley also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of Toledo landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Toledo is a fairly large public school situated in Toledo, Ohio. It awarded 2,940 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Basketball team at University of Toledo made $2,470,297 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 996 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
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Michigan Technological University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan Tech is a public institution located in Houghton, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,198 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Women’s Basketball team at Michigan Tech made $708,776 in revenue, while incurring $706,525 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $2,251, which isn’t bad at all.
In addition to its great ranking here, Michigan Tech is in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Michigan Technological University
With a ranking of #21, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large public school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 9,741 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Women’s Basketball team at UW - Madison brought home $752,441 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 987.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. UW - Madison 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 Wisconsin - Madison
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, the large public school awarded 4,359 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The Women’s Basketball team at IUPUI brought home $1,392,087 in revenue in a single year. The team has a great academic progress rate of 995, signifying that team members care about their grades.
Read full sports report on Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis
Ashland University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ashland is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ashland, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 697 bachelor’s degrees in .
The Women’s Basketball team at Ashland brought home $726,567 in revenue in a single year.
Full Ashland University Sports Report
Ball State University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Muncie, Indiana, the fairly large public school awarded 3,343 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Basketball team at Ball State made $1,697,807 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 986.
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Women’s Basketball in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Located in Champaign, Illinois, the large public school handed out 9,150 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the Women’s Basketball team at UIUC took home $832,527 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 995.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. UIUC 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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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%.
