NCAA · Women's Cross Country
Women's Cross Country programs
668 programs across 3 divisions, each with its coaching staff, roster, budget and the school behind it.
668
Programs
346 D1 · 101 D2 · 221 D3
4,568
Roster spots
last season
191,733
High-school players
2024-25
1 in 42
Odds of any NCAA spot · 2.4%
1 in 290 (0.34%) for Division I
17
D-I roster cap
14 of 346 programs over it last season
$162k
Median D-I budget
$14,760 per player
6 in Alaska, Hawaii or abroad not shown
Division IDivision IIDivision III
When coaches may contact you
The first date a coach in each division may email or call a recruit, by high-school graduation year — the general NCAA rule for women's cross country. You may write to any coach at any time.
| Grad year | Division I | Division II | Division III |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | June 15, 2025 | June 15, 2025 | Any time |
| 2028 | June 15, 2026 | June 15, 2026 | Any time |
| 2029 | June 15, 2027 | June 15, 2027 | Any time |
| 2030 | June 15, 2028 | June 15, 2028 | Any time |
The full guide: eligibility, what to send, and how the roster cap changes the math.
Division by division
| Division | Programs | Spots | Median budget | Per player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division I | 346 | 656 | $162k | $15k |
| Division II | 101 | 1,152 | $81k | $7k |
| Division III | 221 | 2,760 | $35k | $3k |
Division I roster cap 17 from 2025-26: last season 14 programs carried more, 3 were exactly at it and 26 had room. Players already on a roster may stay, so the squeeze lands on the next classes. How the caps work.
Odds: 2.4% of high-school players hold an NCAA roster spot (1 in 42); 1 in 290 (0.34%) in Division I. Transfers and international players hold some of those spots. The honest version · every sport.
Biggest team budgets · Division I
| # | School | Team budget | Roster | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwestern University Big Ten Conference | $1.3M | 25 | 1000 | |
| 2 | Stanford University Atlantic Coast Conference | $879k | 18 | 995 | |
| 3 | Saint Mary's College of California West Coast Conference | $647k | 35 | 1000 | |
| 4 | Merrimack College Metro Conference | $552k | 21 | — | |
| 5 | Loyola Marymount University West Coast Conference | $526k | 13 | 979 | |
| 6 | The University of Tulsa American Conference | $484k | 25 | 995 | |
| 7 | Seton Hall University BIG EAST Conference | $453k | 17 | 1000 | |
| 8 | Hampton University Coastal Athletic Association | $428k | 7 | 932 | |
| 9 | Northern Illinois University Horizon League | $402k | 10 | 985 | |
| 10 | University of Delaware Conference USA | $393k | 22 | 994 |
Best Academic Progress Rates · Division I
| # | School | APR | Roster | Budget | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American University Patriot League | 1000 | — | — | |
| 2 | Arizona State University Big 12 Conference | 1000 | — | — | |
| 3 | Auburn University Southeastern Conference | 1000 | — | — | |
| 4 | Austin Peay State University United Athletic Conference | 1000 | — | — | |
| 5 | Ball State University Mid-American Conference | 1000 | — | — | |
| 6 | Binghamton University America East Conference | 1000 | — | — | |
| 7 | Boston University Patriot League | 1000 | — | — | |
| 8 | Bryant University America East Conference | 1000 | — | — | |
| 9 | Bucknell University Patriot League | 1000 | — | — | |
| 10 | California State University, Northridge Big West Conference | 1000 | — | — |
Most room on the roster · Division I
| # | School | Room under the cap | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long Island University Northeast Conference | 12 | — | |
| 2 | Hampton University Coastal Athletic Association | 10 | 932 | |
| 3 | Stetson University Atlantic Sun Conference | 10 | 981 | |
| 4 | Florida Gulf Coast University Atlantic Sun Conference | 9 | 1000 | |
| 5 | LSU New Orleans Southland Conference | 9 | 977 | |
| 6 | Niagara University Metro Conference | 9 | 992 | |
| 7 | Presbyterian College Big South Conference | 9 | 1000 | |
| 8 | Florida A&M University Southwestern Athletic Conf. | 8 | 986 | |
| 9 | Mercyhurst University Northeast Conference | 8 | — | |
| 10 | North Carolina Central University Mid-Eastern Athletic Conf. | 8 | 962 |
Lowest net price · Division I
| # | School | Net price | Roster | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio University Mid-American Conference | $3,897 | — | — | |
| 2 | California State University, Fullerton Big West Conference | $6,283 | — | 964 | |
| 3 | California State University, Bakersfield Big West Conference | $6,567 | — | 994 | |
| 4 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Southland Conference | $6,978 | — | 968 | |
| 5 | California State University, Fresno Pac-12 Conference | $7,303 | — | 962 | |
| 6 | University of New Mexico Mountain West Conference | $7,528 | — | 996 | |
| 7 | Coppin State University Mid-Eastern Athletic Conf. | $7,684 | — | 921 | |
| 8 | Northern Kentucky University Horizon League | $8,151 | — | 1000 | |
| 9 | California State University, Northridge Big West Conference | $8,222 | — | 1000 | |
| 10 | New Mexico State University Conference USA | $8,353 | — | 994 |
Every women's cross country coach's email, filters for roster room, budget, admission rate, majors and cost — and one reviewed email per school from your own Gmail.Start your board