by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 131 programs for Women’s Rowing 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.
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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Leading the list is Duke University, our #1 college for Women's Rowing. Located in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 95%. Team revenue averages $83,575 per participant, compared with $81,606 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $34,321 per athlete.
Stanford University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 97%. Its federal graduation rate is 97%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $84,932, with expenses of about $84,932 per participant. The school awards about $42,012 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Notre Dame is one of the top schools for Women's Rowing, at #3. Located in Notre Dame, IN, University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 94%. Team revenue averages $45,125 per participant, with expenses of about $45,125 per participant. Athletic aid averages $34,391 per athlete.
Southern Methodist University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. This private not-for-profit school is set in Dallas, TX. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, alongside a GSR of 97%. The federal graduation rate stands at 93%. The program generates about $72,523 in revenue per athlete, against $72,523 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $56,388.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cambridge, MA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $15,783 in revenue per athlete, against $15,783 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Villanova University landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Villanova, PA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $20,853 per participant, compared with $20,853 spent per athlete. The school awards about $25,480 in athletic aid per athlete.
George Washington University landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Washington, DC, George Washington University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 82% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,445, against $29,445 in expenses. The school awards about $29,880 in athletic aid per athlete.
Tufts University landed the #8 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Medford, MA. Team revenue averages $7,423 per participant, against $7,139 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Williams College placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Located in Williamstown, MA, Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,859, compared with $6,859 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Virginia-Main Campus landed the #10 spot this year. Based in Charlottesville, VA, University of Virginia-Main Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, alongside a GSR of 96%. Its federal graduation rate is 88%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $45,743, with expenses of about $45,743 per participant. The school awards about $26,976 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wellesley College did well this year, earning the #11 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wellesley, MA. The program generates about $8,166 in revenue per athlete, against $8,166 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Delaware did well this year, earning the #12 position. University of Delaware is a public school based in Newark, DE. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $33,822, with expenses of about $33,822 per participant. Athletic aid averages $24,002 per athlete.
The University of Alabama came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Tuscaloosa, AL, The University of Alabama is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 998, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,128, with expenses of about $31,128 per participant. Athletic aid averages $20,760 per athlete.
Boston University ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. Boston University is a private not-for-profit school based in Boston, MA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 84%. The program generates about $32,821 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $32,821 per participant. The school awards about $27,954 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. This public school is set in Seattle, WA. University of Washington-Seattle Campus records an NCAA APR of 998, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. About 85% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $29,616 in revenue per athlete, compared with $50,875 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,539.
Hamilton College landed the #16 spot this year. Located in Clinton, NY, Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,861 per participant, against $6,861 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Central Florida ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. Located in Orlando, FL, University of Central Florida is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 998, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. The program generates about $122,101 in revenue per athlete, against $38,227 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $25,195 per athlete.
University of California-Berkeley ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. This public school is set in Berkeley, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991, and a 98% Graduation Success Rate. About 96% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $43,845 per participant, compared with $43,845 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $21,267 per athlete.
Colby College landed the #19 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waterville, ME. Team revenue averages $7,260 per participant, against $7,260 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute came in at #20 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. The program generates about $7,640 in revenue per athlete, against $7,640 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Syracuse University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. Based in Syracuse, NY, Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. The program generates about $37,005 in revenue per athlete, against $65,058 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $33,068.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. This public school is set in Chapel Hill, NC. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill records an NCAA APR of 996, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 98%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,804, with expenses of about $34,807 per participant. Athletic aid averages $17,771 per athlete.
Northeastern University placed #23 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Based in Boston, MA, Northeastern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, alongside a GSR of 95%. About 91% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $39,024 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $39,024 per participant. Athletic aid averages $24,558 per athlete.
University of Connecticut ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. This public school is set in Storrs, CT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 89%. The program generates about $41,008 in revenue per athlete, compared with $41,008 spent per athlete. The school awards about $20,776 in athletic aid per athlete.
Clemson University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Located in Clemson, SC, Clemson University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. About 84% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $59,575 in revenue per athlete, against $59,575 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $21,730 per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
See our data sources and methodologies.