With all of the options student athletes have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for Division III Women's Softball ranking is part of that endeavor.
After analyzing 365 schools in the United States, we came up with our list of those that offered the best educational experiences for D3 Women's Softball athletes. 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.
Get Recruited to Play Sports in College
Gain Exposure & Get Discovered by College Coaches
Top Colleges in the U.S. for D3 Women's Softball athletes
Our 2023 rankings named Luther College the best school for D3 Women’s Softball athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Luther is located in Decorah, Iowa and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 499 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The team at Luther took home $202,676 in revenue and paid out $189,419 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $13,257 in profit.
In addition to its great ranking here, Luther is in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read More…
You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend Berry College. The school came in at #2 in this year’s ranking. Berry is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Mount Berry, Georgia. It awarded 438 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Berry took home $248,321 in revenue and paid out $234,380 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $13,941 in profit.
Berry excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Berry College
Out of the 365 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Williams College landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 737 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Williams took home $216,166 in revenue.
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. On top of its placing in this ranking, Williams also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 1% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Williams College
Out of the 365 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Amherst College landed the #4 spot on the list. 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 Softball team at Amherst made $261,871 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. In addition to its great ranking here, Amherst is in the top 1% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read More…
The excellent sports programs at Bowdoin College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D3 Women’s Softball athletes. Located in Brunswick, Maine, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 631 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Bowdoin took home $235,953 in revenue and paid out $213,265 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $22,688, which isn’t bad at all.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Bowdoin excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read More…
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. RPI is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Troy, New York. It awarded 1,566 bachelor’s degrees in .
RPI brought in $645,184 while tallying up $154,037 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Softball team. Thus, the team actually made $491,147, which isn’t bad at all.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, RPI also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
Full Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Sports Report
Emory University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking, coming in at #7. Emory is a private not-for-profit institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,663 bachelor’s degrees in .
Emory brought in $476,602 while tallying up $293,341 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Softball team. Thus, the team actually made $183,261, which isn’t bad at all.
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. On top of its placing in this ranking, Emory also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Emory University Sports Report
St. John Fisher College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. Fisher is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rochester, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 683 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at Fisher took home $172,102 in revenue and paid out $143,345 in expenses in recent times. Thus, the team actually made $28,757, which isn’t bad at all.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. On top of its placing in this ranking, Fisher also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full St. John Fisher College Sports Report
University of St Thomas Minnesota landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. University of St Thomas Minnesota is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota that handed out 1,722 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at UST MN made $615,447 in revenue.
UST MN also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
Full University of St Thomas Minnesota Sports Report
Ithaca College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. Ithaca, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,322 students in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at Ithaca brought home $205,958 in revenue in a single year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Ithaca also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking.
Read More…
Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking, coming in at #11. 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 $327,120 while tallying up $326,375 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Softball team. Thus, the team actually made $745, which isn’t bad at all.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, WUSTL also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on Washington University in St Louis
Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball list. MIT is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 1,361 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at MIT took home $154,072 in revenue.
With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, MIT is ranked #5 for overall quality in the United States.
Read More…
With a ranking of #13, Worcester Polytechnic Institute did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Worcester, Massachusetts that handed out 1,333 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at WPI brought home $189,264 in revenue in a single year.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. WPI also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Read More…
University of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,425 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at UChicago brought home $284,584 in revenue in a single year.
With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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
Messiah University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking, coming in at #15. Messiah is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 592 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Messiah made $118,726 in revenue.
In addition to its great ranking here, Messiah is in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Messiah University
Babson College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball list. Located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 564 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Babson College took home $238,389 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. In addition to its great ranking here, Babson College is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Babson College
With a ranking of #17, Moravian College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. Moravian is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 527 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at Moravian made $194,749 in revenue, while incurring $194,739 in expenses. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $10.
Read More…
With a ranking of #18, St Lawrence University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. St Lawrence University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Canton, New York that handed out 713 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at St. Lawrence took home $103,025 in revenue.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, St. Lawrence also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking.
Read More…
Central College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball list. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Pella, Iowa, and it awarded 259 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Central made $169,291 in revenue.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Central also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read More…
Whitworth University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking, coming in at #20. Whitworth is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Spokane, Washington. It awarded 643 bachelor’s degrees in .
Whitworth brought in $179,838 while tallying up $175,358 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Softball team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $4,480.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Whitworth also is in the top 20% of our overall quality ranking.
Read full sports report on Whitworth University
With a ranking of #21, Gettysburg College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. Gettysburg College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 764 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Softball team at Gettysburg made $122,078 in revenue.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, Gettysburg also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Gettysburg College Sports Report
With a ranking of #22, The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. UT Dallas is located in Richardson, Texas and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 4,995 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The D3 Women’s Softball team at UT Dallas brought home $161,334 in revenue in a single year.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, UT Dallas also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full The University of Texas at Dallas Sports Report
With a ranking of #23, Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bloomington, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 404 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Softball team at Illinois Wesleyan brought home $164,546 in revenue in a single year.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Illinois Wesleyan also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Illinois Wesleyan University
St Olaf College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Northfield, Minnesota, and it awarded 969 bachelor’s degrees in .
St. Olaf brought in $147,457 while tallying up $124,530 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Softball team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $22,927 in profit.
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, St. Olaf also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking.
Read More…
With a ranking of #25, Christopher Newport University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Softball ranking. Located in Newport News, Virginia, the small public school handed out 1,144 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Softball team at CNU took home $263,977 in revenue.
In addition to its great ranking here, CNU is in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Christopher Newport University Sports Report
Rest of the Top 50 Best Colleges for D3 Women's Softball athletes
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Get your FREE recruiting profile, assessment & game plan!
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%.
With all of the options student athletes have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for Division III Women's Softball ranking is part of that endeavor.
