2023 Top Plains States Region Women's D1 Softball Schools
18Colleges
$26,819Avg Tuition & Fees*
45%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. 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 I Women's Softball in the Plains States Region ranking.
Our analysis looked at 18 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for D1 Women's Softball athletes in the Plains States Region. 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 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 Plains States Region for D1 Women's Softball athletes in the Plains States Region
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities tops this year’s ranking as the best school for D1 Women’s Softball athletes in the Plains States Region. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 8,508 students in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at UMN Twin Cities took home $86,774 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 993, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. UMN Twin Cities excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Sports Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Missouri - Columbia. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D1 Women’s Softball athletes in the Plains States Region list. Mizzou is located in Columbia, Missouri and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 5,092 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The D1 Women’s Softball team at Mizzou brought home $2,525,191 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 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Mizzou excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Out of the 18 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Drake University landed the #3 spot on the list. Drake is located in Des Moines, Iowa and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 813 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at Drake took home $938,773 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 983 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Drake 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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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Saint Louis University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Colleges for D1 Women’s Softball athletes in the Plains States Region list. SLU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,669 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Softball team at SLU made $637,978 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. SLU 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 Saint Louis University
The excellent sports programs at University of Northern Iowa helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D1 Women’s Softball athletes in the Plains States Region. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the medium-sized public school handed out 2,246 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Softball team at UNI brought home $792,876 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 989.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNI also is in the top 20% of our overall quality ranking.
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With a ranking of #6, Creighton University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Omaha, Nebraska, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1,445 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Softball team at Creighton made $978,542 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 987.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Creighton also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. UNL is located in Lincoln, Nebraska and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 4,494 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Softball team at UNL made $283,846 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 997 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
UNL also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Read full sports report on University of Nebraska - Lincoln
University of Kansas landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, the large public school awarded 4,493 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Softball team at KU made $225,855 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 982.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, KU also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
Full University of Kansas Sports Report
Iowa State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region list. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 6,795 students in .
The D1 Women’s Softball team at Iowa State brought home $305,556 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.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Iowa State 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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With a ranking of #10, University of Iowa did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Iowa is a large public school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 5,533 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at Iowa took home $315,978 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 976 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. Iowa 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 Iowa
North Dakota State University - Main Campus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. North Dakota State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school located in Fargo, North Dakota that handed out 2,382 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Softball team at North Dakota State University brought home $1,003,855 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 996 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
North Dakota State University 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 North Dakota State University - Main Campus
Wichita State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #12. WSU is a public institution located in Wichita, Kansas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,423 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Softball team at WSU made $1,461,308 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 997 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
Read full sports report on Wichita State University
With a ranking of #13, University of North Dakota did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, the fairly large public school handed out 1,904 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Softball team at UND brought home $1,038,401 in revenue in a single year. The team has a great academic progress rate of 986, signifying that team members care about their grades.
Read full sports report on University of North Dakota
Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Missouri State is located in Springfield, Missouri and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 3,449 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
On the financial side of things, the D1 Women’s Softball team at Missouri State made $775,692 in revenue.
Full Missouri State University - Springfield Sports Report
University of South Dakota did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Vermillion, South Dakota, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,293 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
The D1 Women’s Softball team at USD brought home $725,908 in revenue in a single year. The great academic progress rate of 985 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
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University of Missouri - Kansas City ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region list. Kansas City, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,658 students in .
Speaking financially, the D1 Women’s Softball team at UMKC took home $606,158 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 970.
Read full sports report on University of Missouri - Kansas City
South Dakota State University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. South Dakota State University is a fairly large public school located in Brookings, South Dakota that handed out 2,023 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Softball team at South Dakota State brought home $663,956 in revenue in a single year. The academic progress rate of the team is 974.
Full South Dakota State University Sports Report
Southeast Missouri State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Softball in the Plains States Region ranking. Southeast Missouri State University is a medium-sized public school located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri that handed out 1,629 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D1 Women’s Softball team at Southeast Missouri State University brought home $618,245 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 992.
Read full sports report on Southeast Missouri State University
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 18 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%.
