by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 32 colleges for Men’s Crew (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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.
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Learn more about these schools below:
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best college for Men's Crew (Division I) in the United States. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit school based in Stanford, CA. Team revenue averages $53,699 per participant, compared with $53,699 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $42,012.
University of California-Berkeley is one of the top schools for Men's Crew (Division I), at #2. Located in Berkeley, CA, University of California-Berkeley is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $43,524, against $37,185 in expenses. The school awards about $21,267 in athletic aid per athlete.
Boston University is one of the top schools for Men's Crew (Division I), at #3. Located in Boston, MA, Boston University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $54,666, with expenses of about $54,666 per participant. The school awards about $27,954 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northeastern University is one of the top schools for Men's Crew (Division I), at #4. Based in Boston, MA, Northeastern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $49,974, compared with $49,974 spent per athlete. The school awards about $24,558 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colgate University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Colgate University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hamilton, NY. Team revenue averages $25,958 per participant, with expenses of about $25,958 per participant. The school awards about $22,658 in athletic aid per athlete.
Harvard University placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Crew (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Cambridge, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,991, compared with $20,991 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Yale University placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Crew (Division I). Based in New Haven, CT, Yale University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,178, against $28,178 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Princeton University placed #8 among the best colleges for Men's Crew (Division I). Based in Princeton, NJ, Princeton University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,981, with expenses of about $17,981 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Columbia University in the City of New York placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Crew (Division I). Located in New York, NY, Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $35,226, compared with $35,226 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Georgetown University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Washington, DC, Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,659, compared with $17,659 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,232 in athletic aid per athlete.
Brown University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in Providence, RI, Brown University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $22,020 per participant, with expenses of about $22,020 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus placed #12 among the best colleges for Men's Crew (Division I). University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a public school based in Seattle, WA. Team revenue averages $19,742 per participant, compared with $82,510 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,539.
Dartmouth College did well this year, earning the #13 position. Based in Hanover, NH, Dartmouth College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $17,867 per participant, with expenses of about $17,867 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Pennsylvania placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Crew (Division I). University of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit school based in Philadelphia, PA. Team revenue averages $15,255 per participant, compared with $15,255 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Syracuse University ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Men's Crew (Division I). Located in Syracuse, NY, Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $26,114 in revenue per athlete, compared with $41,316 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $33,068 per athlete.
University of Wisconsin-Madison ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Men's Crew (Division I). University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public school based in Madison, WI. Team revenue averages $4,278 per participant, with expenses of about $35,460 per participant. The school awards about $21,586 in athletic aid per athlete.
Santa Clara University placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Crew (Division I). Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit school based in Santa Clara, CA. Team revenue averages $14,341 per participant, with expenses of about $14,341 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,355 per athlete.
Drexel University landed the #18 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Philadelphia, PA. Team revenue averages $33,152 per participant, against $33,152 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,843.
Cornell University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Crew (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Ithaca, NY. The program generates about $11,985 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,883 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Temple University landed the #20 spot this year. This public school is set in Philadelphia, PA. Team revenue averages $32,309 per participant, compared with $32,309 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $28,567.
College of the Holy Cross landed the #21 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,421, against $11,421 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,801 per athlete.
Gonzaga University landed the #22 spot this year. Located in Spokane, WA, Gonzaga University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,884, against $15,929 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,963 per athlete.
University of California-San Diego placed #23 among the best colleges for Men's Crew (Division I). Based in La Jolla, CA, University of California-San Diego is a public institution. Team revenue averages $16,981 per participant, against $16,981 in expenses. The school awards about $9,847 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of San Diego placed #24 among the best colleges for Men's Crew (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in San Diego, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,371, against $13,371 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,537 per athlete.
Fairfield University ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Men's Crew (Division I). Fairfield University is a private not-for-profit school based in Fairfield, CT. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,521, against $4,521 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,587 per athlete.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.