by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 39 programs for Women’s Fencing by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual evaluates each program using a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and aid per athlete from the EADA survey), and overall school quality, drawing on NCAA, U.S. Department of Education EADA, and IPEDS data. Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Stanford University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Fencing. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit school based in Stanford, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991. The program generates about $56,833 in revenue per athlete, compared with $56,833 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $42,012 per athlete.
Johns Hopkins University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Fencing. This private not-for-profit school is set in Baltimore, MD. Team revenue averages $6,885 per participant, with expenses of about $6,300 per participant. The school awards about $2,612 in athletic aid per athlete.
Duke University is one of the top schools for Women's Fencing, at #3. Located in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $52,661, compared with $53,860 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $34,321 per athlete.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Fencing. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Cambridge, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,571, compared with $4,571 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Tufts University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Fencing. Based in Medford, MA, Tufts University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,072, against $7,635 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Notre Dame landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Notre Dame, IN. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. About 91% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $50,474 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $50,474 per participant. Athletic aid averages $34,391 per athlete.
Ohio State University-Main Campus placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Fencing. Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public school based in Columbus, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $39,890 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $39,890 per participant. The school awards about $27,151 in athletic aid per athlete.
St. John's University-New York landed the #8 spot this year. St. John's University-New York is a private not-for-profit school based in Queens, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $46,403 per participant, against $46,403 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $29,040 per athlete.
Temple University landed the #9 spot this year. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Temple University is a public institution. Temple University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. The program generates about $47,474 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $47,474 per participant. The school awards about $28,567 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wellesley College did well this year, earning the #10 position. Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit school based in Wellesley, MA. Team revenue averages $8,381 per participant, compared with $8,381 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Boston College landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Chestnut Hill, MA, Boston College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Team revenue averages $15,646 per participant, compared with $15,646 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $29,391 per athlete.
Northwestern University landed the #12 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Evanston, IL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 979, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 96% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $19,702 per participant, against $49,562 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53,919.
New York University landed the #13 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in New York, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,111, with expenses of about $18,925 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
New Jersey Institute of Technology ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Fencing. This public school is set in Newark, NJ. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $20,573 in revenue per athlete, against $20,310 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $15,477 per athlete.
University of Detroit Mercy landed the #15 spot this year. Located in Detroit, MI, University of Detroit Mercy is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,787, against $20,787 in expenses. The school awards about $11,135 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stevens Institute of Technology did well this year, earning the #16 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hoboken, NJ. Team revenue averages $6,644 per participant, with expenses of about $6,644 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #17 spot this year. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public school based in Chapel Hill, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,340, against $32,738 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,771 per athlete.
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Fencing. Based in University Park, PA, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 979, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $14,197 in revenue per athlete, compared with $32,013 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $25,170 per athlete.
Harvard University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Located in Cambridge, MA, Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The program generates about $30,788 in revenue per athlete, compared with $30,788 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of the Incarnate Word placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Fencing. Located in San Antonio, TX, University of the Incarnate Word is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $35,656 per participant, compared with $35,656 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,744.
Haverford College ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Fencing. Located in Haverford, PA, Haverford College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,631, against $5,657 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Vassar College came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Based in Poughkeepsie, NY, Vassar College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,088, with expenses of about $7,088 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Columbia University in the City of New York did well this year, earning the #23 position. Located in New York, NY, Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The program generates about $14,287 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $14,287 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Princeton University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Princeton, NJ. Princeton University records an NCAA APR of 991, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. Team revenue averages $37,889 per participant, against $37,889 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-San Diego came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Located in La Jolla, CA, University of California-San Diego is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 80%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,843, with expenses of about $11,843 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,847.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology weighs a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and athletic aid from the federal EADA survey), and overall school quality. The current methodology measures academic-athletic quality and does not include team win/loss performance.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
