2023 Top Great Lakes Region Women's D1 Softball Schools
39Colleges
$36,719Avg Tuition & Fees*
58%Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*
When it comes to choosing a college, student athletes have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Colleges for Division I Women's Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking - to help you make that decision.
After analyzing 39 schools in the Great Lakes Region , we came up with our list of those that offered the best educational experiences for D1 Women's Softball 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 D1 Women's Softball athletes in the Great Lakes Region
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor tops this year’s ranking as the best school for D1 Women’s Softball athletes in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the large public school handed out 8,969 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at U-M took home $486,371 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. U-M not only placed well in this ranking, but it is also #4 on our overall quality list.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Sports Report
The excellent sports programs at Northwestern University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 Women’s Softball athletes in the Great Lakes Region. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 2,688 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Softball team at Northwestern made $213,129 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 992, signifying that team members care about their grades.
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. In addition to its Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Northwestern is ranked #1 for overall quality in the Great Lakes Region .
Full Northwestern University Sports Report
A rank of #3 on our list means University of Notre Dame is a great place for D1 Women’s Softball athletes in the Great Lakes Region working on their bachelor’s degree. Notre Dame is located in Notre Dame, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In , this school awarded 2,829 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at Notre Dame took home $2,345,981 in revenue. With a perfect academic progress rate of 1000, the team is showing that they know how to hit the books, too.
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. Notre Dame not only placed well in this ranking, but it is also #2 on our overall quality list.
Full University of Notre Dame Sports Report
The excellent sports programs at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 Women’s Softball athletes in the Great Lakes Region. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,150 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at UIUC took home $280,920 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 994 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. UIUC 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 Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
A rank of #5 on our list means DePaul University is a great place for D1 Women’s Softball athletes in the Great Lakes Region working on their bachelor’s degree. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 3,047 students in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Softball team at DePaul made $1,493,338 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 997, signifying that team members care about their grades.
DePaul also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
Read full sports report on DePaul University
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large public school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 11,957 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Softball team at Ohio State brought home $186,377 in revenue in a single year.
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, Ohio State 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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With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large public school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 9,741 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Softball team at UW - Madison brought home $304,082 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.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Madison also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Sports Report
Loyola University Chicago ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 3,286 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Softball team at Loyola Chicago brought home $991,167 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 986 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Loyola Chicago 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 Loyola University Chicago
Central Michigan University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and it awarded 3,164 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at Central Michigan took home $849,271 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 997, signifying that team members care about their grades.
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Michigan State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, the large public school awarded 9,247 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Softball team at Michigan State made $135,117 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 988.
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, Michigan State also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on Michigan State University
With a ranking of #11, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Athens, Ohio, the large public school handed out 5,850 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Softball team at OHIO Athens brought home $860,068 in revenue in a single year.
Read full sports report on Ohio University - Athens Campus
With a ranking of #12, Miami University - Oxford did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public school located in Oxford, Ohio that handed out 4,655 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at Miami University - Oxford took home $1,061,450 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 989, 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. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Miami University - Oxford also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on Miami University - Oxford
University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the large public school handed out 5,250 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Softball team at UIC brought home $952,656 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 996.
Read full sports report on University of Illinois at Chicago
Illinois State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4,495 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at Illinois State took home $1,025,657 in revenue. The team had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
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Valparaiso University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Valparaiso, Indiana, and it awarded 736 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Valpo took home $833,316 in revenue and paid out $800,056 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $33,260 for the sports team. The great academic progress rate of 993 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Full Valparaiso University Sports Report
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 7,504 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Softball team at IU Bloomington brought home $1,649,452 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 997 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its great ranking here, IU Bloomington is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Indiana University - Bloomington Sports Report
With a ranking of #17, University of Dayton did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UDayton is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dayton, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,118 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Softball team at UDayton made $408,977 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 963.
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.
Read full sports report on University of Dayton
Bradley University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #18. 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 .
The D1 Women’s Softball team at Bradley brought home $867,390 in revenue in a single year. The team has a great academic progress rate of 997, 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 87%. In addition to its great ranking here, Bradley is in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Bradley University Sports Report
Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, the large public school awarded 8,676 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D1 Women’s Softball team at Purdue brought home $122,360 in revenue in a single year.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Purdue also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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University of Evansville came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Evansville is a small private not-for-profit school located in Evansville, Indiana that handed out 453 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at UE took home $849,771 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 988 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
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 More…
Butler University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Butler is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and, has a medium-sized student population. In , this school awarded 1,278 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The team at Butler took home $941,763 in revenue and paid out $921,689 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $20,074 in profit. The great academic progress rate of 991 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Butler excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read More…
Ball State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region list. Ball State is a fairly large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 3,343 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Softball team at Ball State made $1,013,717 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 994.
Read full sports report on Ball State University
Northern Illinois University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,844 students in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Softball team at NIU made $697,064 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 992 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Full Northern Illinois University Sports Report
Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, the fairly large public school handed out 2,016 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at SIUC took home $764,202 in revenue. Sports aren’t the only thing that the team excels at - they had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
Read More…
Kent State University at Kent ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Kent, Ohio, the large public school awarded 5,070 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The team at Kent State took home $791,911 in revenue and paid out $784,270 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $7,641 in profit.
Full Kent State University at Kent Sports Report
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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%.
