by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 43 schools for Women’s Rowing 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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Explore the leading programs below:
No school ranked higher than George Washington University this year for Women's Rowing. Located in Washington, DC, George Washington University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 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.
Villanova University is one of the top schools for Women's Rowing, at #2. 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, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $20,853 in revenue per athlete, compared with $20,853 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,480.
Hamilton College ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Clinton, NY. The program generates about $6,861 in revenue per athlete, against $6,861 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Delaware is one of the top schools for Women's Rowing, at #4. This public school is set in Newark, DE. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $33,822 per participant, with expenses of about $33,822 per participant. Athletic aid averages $24,002 per athlete.
Georgetown University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Based in Washington, DC, Georgetown University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,780, with expenses of about $9,780 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,232.
Syracuse University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Located in Syracuse, NY, Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Team revenue averages $37,005 per participant, against $65,058 in expenses. The school awards about $33,068 in athletic aid per athlete.
Franklin and Marshall College came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Based in Lancaster, PA, Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,894 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,848 per participant. Athletic aid averages $53 per athlete.
Temple University placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Temple University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $30,625, against $30,625 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $28,567 per athlete.
University of Rochester placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Located in Rochester, NY, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,910 per participant, with expenses of about $5,978 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bucknell University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lewisburg, PA. Bucknell University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 95% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $10,752 in revenue per athlete, against $10,752 in expenses. The school awards about $19,655 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lehigh University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Based in Bethlehem, PA, Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 91%. Team revenue averages $13,367 per participant, against $13,367 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,391 per athlete.
Union College ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. Based in Schenectady, NY, Union College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $3,153 per participant, with expenses of about $3,163 per participant. Athletic aid averages $2,499 per athlete.
Rutgers University-New Brunswick came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Located in New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers University-New Brunswick is a public institution. Rutgers University-New Brunswick records an NCAA APR of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. Its federal graduation rate is 78%. The program generates about $27,986 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $27,986 per participant. Athletic aid averages $26,379 per athlete.
Fordham University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in Bronx, NY, Fordham University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $26,717, with expenses of about $26,717 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $32,443.
Monmouth University landed the #15 spot this year. Monmouth University is a private not-for-profit school based in West Long Branch, NJ. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992. Team revenue averages $31,057 per participant, against $31,057 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $20,376 per athlete.
Marist University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. Marist University is a private not-for-profit school based in Poughkeepsie, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 88%. Team revenue averages $12,855 per participant, against $12,855 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,661 per athlete.
St Lawrence University placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. This private not-for-profit school is set in Canton, NY. The program generates about $7,079 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,079 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,126.
Skidmore College did well this year, earning the #18 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saratoga Springs, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,838, with expenses of about $3,838 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Drexel University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Philadelphia, PA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 79%. The program generates about $24,268 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $24,268 per participant. The school awards about $25,843 in athletic aid per athlete.
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Based in New York, NY, Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Team revenue averages $17,511 per participant, against $17,511 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Colgate University placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hamilton, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, alongside a GSR of 100%. The program generates about $9,812 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,812 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,658.
University at Albany placed #22 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Located in Albany, NY, University at Albany is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. Team revenue averages $11,300 per participant, against $19,787 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,856.
Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. Located in Philadelphia, PA, Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 68%. The program generates about $16,717 in revenue per athlete, compared with $16,717 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,694 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola University Maryland ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. 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%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,742, compared with $4,742 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,638 in athletic aid per athlete.
St. John Fisher University placed #25 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY. Team revenue averages $4,040 per participant, against $4,021 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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.