University of Arizona and Arizona State University-Tempe are among U.S. colleges that spend the most on athletic student aid for women's teams, according to a Higher Education Tribune analysis of the latest federal data.
The top college was University of Denver, which spent $7.1 million on women's athletic student aid, or $26,724 per female player.
Data in this analysis is from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education, which compiles athletics data annually from more than 2,000 schools receiving federal financial aid.
More than 1,300 of those schools provide student aid to players on men's teams. In all, they spent more than $1.8 billion in 2016 on aid for 186,773 players.
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Top 100 schools: Women’s athletic student aid
| School | State | Division | Undergraduate Enrollment | Women's Team Athletic Student Aid | Total Women's Team Participation | Athletic Aid Per Athlete |
| University of Denver | CO | NCAA Division I without football | 5,478 | $5,944,641 | 158 | $37,624 |
| Northwestern University | IL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 8,249 | $8,499,161 | 243 | $34,976 |
| University of San Francisco | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 6,413 | $3,925,324 | 116 | $33,839 |
| Seton Hall University | NJ | NCAA Division I without football | 5,484 | $4,141,931 | 126 | $32,872 |
| Southern Methodist University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 6,294 | $8,954,734 | 273 | $32,801 |
| University of Miami | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 10,102 | $8,058,019 | 251 | $32,104 |
| Tulane University of Louisiana | LA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 6,487 | $5,812,815 | 190 | $30,594 |
| Vanderbilt University | TN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 6,808 | $6,419,726 | 210 | $30,570 |
| Wake Forest University | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 4,899 | $5,492,727 | 183 | $30,015 |
| Duke University | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 6,449 | $9,309,330 | 316 | $29,460 |
| Syracuse University | NY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 14,324 | $8,929,483 | 309 | $28,898 |
| Hofstra University | NY | NCAA Division I without football | 6,462 | $4,643,479 | 168 | $27,640 |
| University of the Pacific | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 3,375 | $5,230,081 | 195 | $26,821 |
| University of Maryland-College Park | MD | NCAA Division I-FBS | 26,174 | $7,081,943 | 265 | $26,724 |
| University of Tulsa | OK | NCAA Division I-FBS | 3,248 | $6,947,764 | 262 | $26,518 |
| Texas Christian University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 8,591 | $7,583,286 | 294 | $25,793 |
| University of Southern California | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,070 | $8,304,049 | 324 | $25,630 |
| University of Notre Dame | IN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 8,480 | $9,091,364 | 357 | $25,466 |
| DePaul University | IL | NCAA Division I without football | 13,126 | $3,944,198 | 157 | $25,122 |
| LIU Brooklyn | NY | NCAA Division I without football | 3,749 | $4,972,447 | 199 | $24,987 |
| Rice University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 3,824 | $4,818,921 | 193 | $24,969 |
| Boston University | MA | NCAA Division I without football | 16,199 | $10,081,694 | 410 | $24,589 |
| Stanford University | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 7,032 | $11,553,110 | 471 | $24,529 |
| Auburn University | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,260 | $6,936,875 | 285 | $24,340 |
| Northeastern University | MA | NCAA Division I without football | 13,345 | $6,820,464 | 283 | $24,101 |
| University of Arizona | AZ | NCAA Division I-FBS | 29,049 | $6,325,862 | 264 | $23,962 |
| University of Evansville | IN | NCAA Division I without football | 2,015 | $2,879,658 | 122 | $23,604 |
| Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | LA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 23,036 | $6,641,741 | 283 | $23,469 |
| Loyola Marymount University | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 5,987 | $5,369,815 | 232 | $23,146 |
| Furman University | SC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,691 | $4,639,569 | 201 | $23,082 |
| George Washington University | DC | NCAA Division I without football | 10,343 | $6,723,457 | 293 | $22,947 |
| Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus | NJ | NCAA Division I without football | 2,329 | $3,185,324 | 139 | $22,916 |
| Drexel University | PA | NCAA Division I without football | 13,258 | $4,730,352 | 210 | $22,525 |
| Menlo College | CA | NAIA Division I | 760 | $2,655,007 | 118 | $22,500 |
| Quinnipiac University | CT | NCAA Division I without football | 6,784 | $7,849,924 | 351 | $22,364 |
| St John's University-New York | NY | NCAA Division I without football | 11,468 | $4,666,428 | 210 | $22,221 |
| Temple University | PA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 26,128 | $5,825,646 | 263 | $22,151 |
| Clemson University | SC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,849 | $6,391,848 | 289 | $22,117 |
| Wofford College | SC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 1,664 | $2,911,583 | 133 | $21,892 |
| Pepperdine University | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 3,220 | $4,594,580 | 210 | $21,879 |
| University of Kentucky | KY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,772 | $4,874,527 | 228 | $21,380 |
| Hope International University | CA | NAIA Division I | 726 | $1,903,122 | 91 | $20,913 |
| Middle Tennessee State University | TN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,985 | $3,236,802 | 156 | $20,749 |
| University of Connecticut | CT | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,538 | $7,831,353 | 379 | $20,663 |
| Providence College | RI | NCAA Division I without football | 3,768 | $5,263,026 | 255 | $20,639 |
| University of Colorado Boulder | CO | NCAA Division I-FBS | 25,692 | $4,610,230 | 224 | $20,581 |
| University of San Diego | CA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,433 | $4,777,174 | 234 | $20,415 |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus | VA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,420 | $7,731,752 | 379 | $20,400 |
| Boston College | MA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 9,486 | $9,399,378 | 461 | $20,389 |
| Mississippi State University | MS | NCAA Division I-FBS | 16,134 | $3,823,872 | 188 | $20,340 |
| Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | PA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 39,883 | $8,439,419 | 416 | $20,287 |
| University of Detroit Mercy | MI | NCAA Division I without football | 2,160 | $3,499,386 | 176 | $19,883 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 27,833 | $11,393,247 | 575 | $19,814 |
| Samford University | AL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,204 | $3,541,759 | 179 | $19,786 |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,818 | $4,804,967 | 243 | $19,774 |
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | IL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 32,126 | $5,256,915 | 266 | $19,763 |
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | TN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,719 | $6,058,070 | 308 | $19,669 |
| Belmont University | TN | NCAA Division I without football | 5,925 | $3,098,439 | 159 | $19,487 |
| University of Richmond | VA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,998 | $4,558,118 | 236 | $19,314 |
| University of Florida | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 30,583 | $5,725,250 | 297 | $19,277 |
| University of Hartford | CT | NCAA Division I without football | 4,506 | $2,834,177 | 148 | $19,150 |
| The University of Texas at El Paso | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 13,321 | $3,044,393 | 161 | $18,909 |
| Lynn University | FL | NCAA Division II without football | 1,948 | $2,066,540 | 110 | $18,787 |
| University of Oregon | OR | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,309 | $5,267,978 | 282 | $18,681 |
| Elon University | NC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,854 | $4,090,945 | 219 | $18,680 |
| Stetson University | FL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,017 | $3,712,495 | 199 | $18,656 |
| University of Georgia | GA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 26,252 | $6,284,332 | 340 | $18,483 |
| Campbell University | NC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,734 | $4,055,916 | 220 | $18,436 |
| Baylor University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 14,087 | $7,678,906 | 418 | $18,371 |
| Barry University | FL | NCAA Division II without football | 2,889 | $2,222,528 | 122 | $18,217 |
| American University | DC | NCAA Division I without football | 6,981 | $3,032,965 | 167 | $18,161 |
| Harcum College | PA | Other | 1,078 | $724,624 | 40 | $18,116 |
| Fordham University | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 8,725 | $6,355,844 | 351 | $18,108 |
| Indiana University-Bloomington | IN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 31,884 | $7,039,065 | 389 | $18,095 |
| New York Institute of Technology | NY | NCAA Division II without football | 3,168 | $1,872,559 | 104 | $18,005 |
| University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | PA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,129 | $5,382,650 | 299 | $18,002 |
| Old Dominion University | VA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,173 | $3,616,793 | 201 | $17,994 |
| Colgate University | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,864 | $5,562,701 | 310 | $17,944 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | GA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 13,698 | $3,662,306 | 209 | $17,523 |
| Mercer University | GA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,012 | $3,177,886 | 183 | $17,365 |
| Colorado State University-Fort Collins | CO | NCAA Division I-FBS | 21,211 | $4,010,894 | 232 | $17,288 |
| Presbyterian College | SC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 943 | $2,050,217 | 119 | $17,229 |
| The University of Alabama | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 29,071 | $7,285,549 | 423 | $17,224 |
| Saint Mary's College of California | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 2,590 | $3,655,260 | 213 | $17,161 |
| West Virginia University | WV | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,524 | $4,732,009 | 276 | $17,145 |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick | NJ | NCAA Division I-FBS | 33,939 | $6,372,446 | 372 | $17,130 |
| University of Mississippi | MS | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,649 | $3,970,678 | 232 | $17,115 |
| University of Missouri-Columbia | MO | NCAA Division I-FBS | 24,060 | $4,619,056 | 274 | $16,858 |
| Cumberland University | TN | NAIA Division I | 1,265 | $1,870,618 | 111 | $16,852 |
| Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 41,666 | $9,444,421 | 562 | $16,805 |
| University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | OK | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,218 | $5,937,240 | 354 | $16,772 |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | VA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 25,175 | $4,949,786 | 297 | $16,666 |
| University of Utah | UT | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,081 | $4,577,073 | 275 | $16,644 |
| Lehigh University | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,990 | $5,820,025 | 351 | $16,581 |
| Houston Baptist University | TX | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,160 | $2,761,469 | 167 | $16,536 |
| Arizona State University-Tempe | AZ | NCAA Division I-FBS | 38,761 | $5,620,873 | 341 | $16,483 |
| Ball State University | IN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,018 | $4,044,812 | 247 | $16,376 |
| Iowa State University | IA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,791 | $3,992,372 | 244 | $16,362 |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 8,941 | $3,223,132 | 197 | $16,361 |
| University of Bridgeport | CT | NCAA Division II without football | 2,140 | $2,469,484 | 151 | $16,354 |