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2023 Top Illinois Women's D1 Softball Schools

11 Colleges
$31,191 Avg Tuition & Fees*
50% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

When pursuing a degree in today's world, student athletes have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Division I Women's Softball in Illinois ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Our analysis looked at 11 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for D1 Women's Softball athletes in Illinois. To come up with this ranking, we look at a number of factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include the school's overall quality as determined by our Best Colleges ranking and the athletic competitiveness of the school. Thus, in order to rank well, the school must offer a quality education in addition to having a great sports team.

Learn more about our ranking methodology.

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Top Colleges in Illinois for D1 Women's Softball athletes in Illinois

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school for D1 Women’s Softball athletes in Illinois working on their bachelor’s degree. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 2,688 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at Northwestern took home $213,129 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 992. 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. Northwestern also made our overall quality list, coming in at #1. Full Northwestern University Sports Report

2

You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 in this year’s ranking. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 9,150 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. The D1 Women’s Softball team at UIUC brought home $280,920 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 994 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 93%. In addition to its Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UIUC is ranked #3 for overall quality in Illinois. Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Sports Report

3
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePaul University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D1 Women’s Softball athletes in Illinois 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. The D1 Women’s Softball team at DePaul brought home $1,493,338 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 997. On top of its placing in this ranking, DePaul 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 DePaul University

4
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

A rank of #4 on our list means Loyola University Chicago is a great place for D1 Women’s Softball athletes in Illinois working on their bachelor’s degree. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 3,286 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Softball team at Loyola Chicago made $991,167 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 986, 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 88%. Loyola Chicago excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read More…

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D1 Women’s Softball athletes in Illinois list. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 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 great academic progress rate of 996 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too. Read More…

6
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. 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 . The D1 Women’s Softball team at Illinois State brought home $1,025,657 in revenue in a single year. Sports aren’t the only thing that the team excels at - they had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000. Read full sports report on Illinois State University

7
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, Bradley University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking. Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 1,190 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at Bradley took home $867,390 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 997. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Bradley also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking. Read full sports report on Bradley University

8

Northern Illinois University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking. This fairly large public school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 2,844 bachelor’s degrees in . On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Softball team at NIU made $697,064 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 992, signifying that team members care about their grades. Read full sports report on Northern Illinois University

9

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in Illinois 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 full sports report on Southern Illinois University Carbondale

10
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,132 students in . Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at EIU took home $570,973 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 996, signifying that team members care about their grades. Full Eastern Illinois University Sports Report

11

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Macomb, Illinois, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,237 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at WIU took home $561,948 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 990, signifying that team members care about their grades. Full Western Illinois University Sports Report

Best Colleges for D1 Women's Softball in the Great Lakes Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 11 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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