by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 10 programs for Women’s Rowing 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:
No school ranked higher than Stanford University this year for Women's Rowing. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit school based in Stanford, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 97%. About 97% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $84,932 per participant, with expenses of about $84,932 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $42,012.
University of California-Berkeley is one of the top schools for Women's Rowing, at #2. Located in Berkeley, CA, University of California-Berkeley is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 991, and a 98% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 96%. The program generates about $43,845 in revenue per athlete, against $43,845 in expenses. The school awards about $21,267 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Southern California ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Based in Los Angeles, CA, University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 986, alongside a GSR of 94%. About 83% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $71,977 per participant, compared with $71,977 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $40,006 per athlete.
University of California-Los Angeles landed the #4 spot for Women's Rowing. University of California-Los Angeles is a public school based in Los Angeles, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 980, and a 98% Graduation Success Rate. About 84% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $34,881 per participant, compared with $34,881 spent per athlete. The school awards about $24,306 in athletic aid per athlete.
Santa Clara University landed the #5 spot for Women's Rowing. Based in Santa Clara, CA, Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,380, against $5,380 in expenses. The school awards about $19,355 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-San Diego ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. University of California-San Diego is a public school based in La Jolla, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $14,050 in revenue per athlete, against $14,050 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,847.
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Located in Arcata, CA, California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt is a public institution. The program generates about $27,737 in revenue per athlete, compared with $25,367 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $4,418 per athlete.
University of San Diego came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in San Diego, CA, University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 973, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. The federal graduation rate stands at 77%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,168, compared with $20,168 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $19,537 per athlete.
Saint Mary's College of California came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Saint Mary's College of California is a private not-for-profit school based in Moraga, CA. Saint Mary's College of California records an NCAA APR of 986, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. Its federal graduation rate is 48%. The program generates about $27,309 in revenue per athlete, compared with $27,309 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,999.
California State University-Sacramento landed the #10 spot this year. California State University-Sacramento is a public school based in Sacramento, CA. California State University-Sacramento records an NCAA APR of 977, alongside a GSR of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 84%. Team revenue averages $18,462 per participant, with expenses of about $18,462 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,560.
*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.
