List of Colleges with Women’s Wrestling Programs

Most U.S. women’s wrestling programs compete against each other as part of the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA), regardless of whether they’re a Division 2, Division 3, NAIA or NJCAA team.

How to find the right women’s wrestling team for you

We always advise that student-athletes include a mix of schools in their target list, as you never know which school might be the right fit for you athletically, academically, and socially until you do your research. Every day, we hear from athletes who signed with a school they never would have thought of until they broadened their school search. It’s also smart to consider what college would look like if you were to stop wrestling, because not every college athlete competes all four years of school. That’s why it’s essential to determine which school is the best overall fit.

Tuition cost, financial aid, scholarship, and grants should also be an important part of the process—if not the most important. Tuition can vary wildly between colleges, as well as scholarship and financial aid amounts, so make sure to crunch the numbers and plan out what financial commitments you and your family will have to make.

When narrowing down schools, the best strategy is to cast a wide net and go from there. Reach out to each school and try to get a feeling for what the coach’s style is, whether it’s positive reinforcement or tough-as-nails drill sergeant. Knowing yourself, which style do you respond to? In addition to the coach, you can reach out to alumni and current wrestlers to get an idea of what the school is like. Obviously, visiting the college is a great idea, as this will allow you the chance to get many of the answers that you’re looking for. With more than 30 women’s wrestling programs out there, you could realistically reach out to every program.

Finally, do not be shy to ask questions. Whether it’s your parents, teachers, coaches, or admissions department at a college, asking questions will prevent you from making an uniformed decision.

Women’s college wrestling rankings 

Finding the right college fit means finding a school that meets a student-athlete’s athletic, academic, social and financial needs. To help you better identify their right college fit NCSA’s Power Rankings rank the four-year NCAA and NAIA wrestling colleges based on size, location, cost and more. Below is a list of the top 10 women’s wrestling colleges.

1. Gannon University
2. Pacific University
3. Oklahoma City University
4. Baker University
5. North Central College
6. McKendree University
7. Adrian College
8. Warner Pacific University
9. King University – Tennessee
10. Colorado Mesa University

View the complete NCSA Power Rankings of top women’s college wrestling schools. 

You can also check in how teams are performing thanks to the WCWA women’s college individual and team rankings, which are updated a few times each year. 

View the complete list of women’s wrestling colleges below.