by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 15 colleges for Women’s Rowing (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Leading the list is Stanford University, our #1 college for Women's Rowing (Division I). Based in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. Stanford University records an NCAA APR of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 97%. Its federal graduation rate is 97%. The program generates about $84,932 in revenue per athlete, compared with $84,932 spent per athlete. The school awards about $42,012 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Berkeley ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing (Division I). University of California-Berkeley is a public school based in Berkeley, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 98%. Its federal graduation rate is 96%. Team revenue averages $43,845 per participant, against $43,845 in expenses. The school awards about $21,267 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Rowing (Division I). Located in Seattle, WA, University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 998, alongside a GSR of 89%. About 85% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,616, compared with $50,875 spent per athlete. The school awards about $26,539 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Southern California ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing (Division I). Located in Los Angeles, CA, University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $71,977, compared with $71,977 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $40,006.
Santa Clara University earned the #5 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Santa Clara, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Team revenue averages $5,380 per participant, compared with $5,380 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,355.
University of California-Los Angeles placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing (Division I). Located in Los Angeles, CA, University of California-Los Angeles is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 980, with a Graduation Success Rate of 98%. Its federal graduation rate is 84%. Team revenue averages $34,881 per participant, against $34,881 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,306.
University of California-San Diego did well this year, earning the #7 position. Located in La Jolla, CA, University of California-San Diego is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $14,050 per participant, compared with $14,050 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,847 in athletic aid per athlete.
Oregon State University placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing (Division I). This public school is set in Corvallis, OR. The team's NCAA APR score is 981, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $60,448 per participant, against $60,448 in expenses. The school awards about $19,022 in athletic aid per athlete.
Washington State University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Washington State University is a public school based in Pullman, WA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 82%. Its federal graduation rate is 61%. The program generates about $21,065 in revenue per athlete, compared with $34,329 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,338.
Gonzaga University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Gonzaga University is a private not-for-profit school based in Spokane, WA. Gonzaga University records an NCAA APR of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,857, with expenses of about $23,349 per participant. The school awards about $14,963 in athletic aid per athlete.
Seattle University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Based in Seattle, WA, Seattle University is a private not-for-profit institution. Seattle University records an NCAA APR of 986, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,793, against $14,793 in expenses. The school awards about $19,482 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of San Diego placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing (Division I). University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit school based in San Diego, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 973, alongside a GSR of 96%. Its federal graduation rate is 77%. The program generates about $20,168 in revenue per athlete, against $20,168 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,537 per athlete.
Saint Mary's College of California ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing (Division I). Saint Mary's College of California is a private not-for-profit school based in Moraga, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. About 48% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $27,309 per participant, with expenses of about $27,309 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,999.
University of Portland landed the #14 spot this year. University of Portland is a private not-for-profit school based in Portland, OR. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $18,068 per participant, with expenses of about $18,068 per participant. The school awards about $17,618 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Sacramento placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing (Division I). This public school is set in Sacramento, CA. California State University-Sacramento records an NCAA APR of 977, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. About 84% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,462, with expenses of about $18,462 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,560 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.