The 1981 NCAA Division I field hockey tournament was the first annual single-elimination tournament hosted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the national champion of women's collegiate field hockey among its Division I members in the United States, the culmination of the 1981 NCAA Division I field hockey season.

Connecticut won the first championship, defeating the Massachusetts in the final, 4–1.

[1] The tournament finals were played at Memorial Stadium at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut from November 14–22.