by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 26 schools for Women’s Rowing (Division I) 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
No school ranked higher than George Washington University this year for Women's Rowing (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Washington, DC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,445, against $29,445 in expenses. The school awards about $29,880 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Delaware came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Rowing (Division I). 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%. The program generates about $33,822 in revenue per athlete, compared with $33,822 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $24,002 per athlete.
Villanova University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing (Division I). Located in Villanova, PA, Villanova University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $20,853 in revenue per athlete, against $20,853 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,480.
Syracuse University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit school based in Syracuse, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 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, compared with $65,058 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $33,068 per athlete.
Temple University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Rowing (Division I). Located in Philadelphia, PA, Temple University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. The program generates about $30,625 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $30,625 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $28,567.
Georgetown University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in Washington, DC, Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution. Georgetown University records an NCAA APR of 1000. Team revenue averages $9,780 per participant, against $9,780 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,232 per athlete.
Monmouth University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing (Division I). Based in West Long Branch, NJ, Monmouth University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992. Team revenue averages $31,057 per participant, against $31,057 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,376.
Rutgers University-New Brunswick landed the #8 spot this year. This public school is set in New Brunswick, NJ. Rutgers University-New Brunswick records an NCAA APR of 992, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 78%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,986, with expenses of about $27,986 per participant. The school awards about $26,379 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fordham University placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing (Division I). Based in Bronx, NY, Fordham University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $26,717 per participant, compared with $26,717 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $32,443.
Bucknell University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Bucknell University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lewisburg, PA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 95% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $10,752 per participant, with expenses of about $10,752 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,655.
Lehigh University landed the #11 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bethlehem, PA. Lehigh University records an NCAA APR of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 91% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $13,367 per participant, with expenses of about $13,367 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,391.
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Located in New York, NY, Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The program generates about $17,511 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $17,511 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Drexel University placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing (Division I). Based in Philadelphia, PA, Drexel University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 985, alongside a GSR of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 79%. Team revenue averages $24,268 per participant, with expenses of about $24,268 per participant. Athletic aid averages $25,843 per athlete.
Marist University did well this year, earning the #14 position. Marist University is a private not-for-profit school based in Poughkeepsie, NY. Marist University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 88%. The program generates about $12,855 in revenue per athlete, against $12,855 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,661.
Colgate University landed the #15 spot this year. Located in Hamilton, NY, Colgate University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,812, against $9,812 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $22,658 per athlete.
University of Pennsylvania came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Located in Philadelphia, PA, University of Pennsylvania is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 98%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,309, compared with $12,309 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Princeton University did well this year, earning the #17 position. Based in Princeton, NJ, Princeton University is a private not-for-profit institution. Princeton University records an NCAA APR of 996, alongside a GSR of 98%. Team revenue averages $15,952 per participant, compared with $15,952 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia did well this year, earning the #18 position. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia is a private not-for-profit institution. Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 68%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,717, with expenses of about $16,717 per participant. The school awards about $13,694 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola University Maryland landed the #19 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Baltimore, MD. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The program generates about $4,742 in revenue per athlete, against $4,742 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,638.
University at Albany landed the #20 spot this year. This public school is set in Albany, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Team revenue averages $11,300 per participant, compared with $19,787 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,856 per athlete.
La Salle University landed the #21 spot this year. La Salle University is a private not-for-profit school based in Philadelphia, PA. La Salle University records an NCAA APR of 988, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 68%. Team revenue averages $21,789 per participant, against $21,789 in expenses. The school awards about $16,413 in athletic aid per athlete.
Duquesne University did well this year, earning the #22 position. Duquesne University is a private not-for-profit school based in Pittsburgh, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 73%. Team revenue averages $14,004 per participant, compared with $14,004 spent per athlete. The school awards about $17,755 in athletic aid per athlete.
Cornell University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Ithaca, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 97%. The program generates about $22,495 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $16,879 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Iona University placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing (Division I). Iona University is a private not-for-profit school based in New Rochelle, NY. Iona University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,241, compared with $7,241 spent per athlete. The school awards about $10,814 in athletic aid per athlete.
Robert Morris University placed #25 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing (Division I). Based in Moon Township, PA, Robert Morris University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 976, and a 86% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 70%. The program generates about $19,234 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $19,234 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,083.
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. 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.