by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 89 colleges for Women’s Rowing (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual weighs 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:
No school ranked higher than Duke University this year for Women's Rowing (Division I). Based in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 996, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 95%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $83,575, compared with $81,606 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,321.
Stanford University is one of the top schools for Women's Rowing (Division I), at #2. This private not-for-profit school is set in Stanford, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, alongside a GSR 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 (Division I), at #3. Located in Notre Dame, IN, University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution. University of Notre Dame records an NCAA APR of 996, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 94% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $45,125, compared with $45,125 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $34,391 per athlete.
Southern Methodist University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Dallas, TX. The team's NCAA APR score is 996, alongside a GSR of 97%. Its federal graduation rate is 93%. The program generates about $72,523 in revenue per athlete, against $72,523 in expenses. The school awards about $56,388 in athletic aid per athlete.
George Washington University is one of the top schools for Women's Rowing (Division I), at #5. George Washington University is a private not-for-profit school based in Washington, DC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. Team revenue averages $29,445 per participant, with expenses of about $29,445 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $29,880.
Villanova University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Villanova University is a private not-for-profit school based in Villanova, PA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $20,853 per participant, against $20,853 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $25,480 per athlete.
University of Virginia-Main Campus landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Charlottesville, VA, University of Virginia-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. 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.
University of Delaware placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing (Division I). Located in Newark, DE, University of Delaware is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $33,822 per participant, against $33,822 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $24,002 per athlete.
University of Central Florida landed the #9 spot this year. University of Central Florida is a public school based in Orlando, FL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 998, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. About 82% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $122,101 per participant, against $38,227 in expenses. The school awards about $25,195 in athletic aid per athlete.
Boston University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Boston, MA, Boston University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 84% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,821, against $32,821 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $27,954 per athlete.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Based in Seattle, WA, University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 998, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. About 85% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,616, against $50,875 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,539.
Syracuse University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Syracuse, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $37,005 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $65,058 per participant. Athletic aid averages $33,068 per athlete.
The University of Alabama landed the #13 spot this year. This public school is set in Tuscaloosa, AL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 998, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $31,128, against $31,128 in expenses. The school awards about $20,760 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Berkeley came in at #14 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Berkeley, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991, alongside a GSR of 98%. Its federal graduation rate is 96%. Team revenue averages $43,845 per participant, against $43,845 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,267.
University of Southern California did well this year, earning the #15 position. Located in Los Angeles, CA, University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 986, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $71,977, with expenses of about $71,977 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $40,006.
Northeastern University came in at #16 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boston, MA. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. The federal graduation rate stands at 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,024, against $39,024 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $24,558 per athlete.
Clemson University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Based in Clemson, SC, Clemson University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 84%. The program generates about $59,575 in revenue per athlete, against $59,575 in expenses. The school awards about $21,730 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing (Division I). Based in Ann Arbor, MI, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 96%. About 86% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $2,833 in revenue per athlete, compared with $50,175 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $28,650.
University of Connecticut landed the #19 spot this year. This public school is set in Storrs, CT. University of Connecticut records an NCAA APR of 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 89% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $41,008 per participant, compared with $41,008 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $20,776 per athlete.
Temple University landed the #20 spot this year. Temple University is a public school based in Philadelphia, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. The program generates about $30,625 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $30,625 per participant. Athletic aid averages $28,567 per athlete.
University of Miami did well this year, earning the #21 position. University of Miami is a private not-for-profit school based in Coral Gables, FL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, alongside a GSR of 97%. The federal graduation rate stands at 81%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $53,824, with expenses of about $53,824 per participant. Athletic aid averages $38,474 per athlete.
University of Tulsa came in at #22 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Tulsa, OK. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, alongside a GSR of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $44,964, against $44,964 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $34,797 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill placed #23 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing (Division I). University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public school based in Chapel Hill, NC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 98% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $17,804 per participant, with expenses of about $34,807 per participant. The school awards about $17,771 in athletic aid per athlete.
Indiana University-Bloomington came in at #24 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Bloomington, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. About 79% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $40,093 per participant, with expenses of about $40,093 per participant. The school awards about $23,161 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Rhode Island ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing (Division I). University of Rhode Island is a public school based in Kingston, RI. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 79% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $36,792 per participant, against $36,792 in expenses. The school awards about $19,857 in athletic aid per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.