by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 7 programs for Women’s Fencing by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual scores each program on 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.
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Explore the leading programs below:
Leading the list is Denison University, our #1 college for Women's Fencing. Located in Granville, OH, Denison University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $12,013 per participant, compared with $12,013 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Notre Dame landed the #2 spot for Women's Fencing. University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit school based in Notre Dame, IN. University of Notre Dame records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. Team revenue averages $50,474 per participant, compared with $50,474 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $34,391 per athlete.
Ohio State University-Main Campus came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Fencing. Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public school based in Columbus, OH. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,890, compared with $39,890 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,151.
University of Detroit Mercy came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Fencing. This private not-for-profit school is set in Detroit, MI. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The program generates about $20,787 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $20,787 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,135 per athlete.
Northwestern University landed the #5 spot for Women's Fencing. Located in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Northwestern University records an NCAA APR of 979, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 96%. Team revenue averages $19,702 per participant, with expenses of about $49,562 per participant. The school awards about $53,919 in athletic aid per athlete.
Cleveland State University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Fencing. Cleveland State University is a public school based in Cleveland, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 980, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $9,244 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,040 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,645 per athlete.
Lawrence University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Appleton, WI, Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,516 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,516 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on 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.