by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 21 schools for Women’s Rowing by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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:
Leading the list is Hamilton College, our #1 college for Women's Rowing. Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Clinton, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,861, compared with $6,861 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Marist University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Located in Poughkeepsie, NY, Marist University is a private not-for-profit institution. Marist University records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,855, with expenses of about $12,855 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,661 per athlete.
University of Rochester ranked #3 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, compared with $5,978 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Syracuse University landed the #4 spot for Women's Rowing. Based in Syracuse, NY, Syracuse University is a private not-for-profit institution. Syracuse University records an NCAA APR of 995, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $37,005 per participant, compared with $65,058 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $33,068.
Union College is one of the top schools for Women's Rowing, at #5. This private not-for-profit school is set in Schenectady, NY. Team revenue averages $3,153 per participant, compared with $3,163 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,499.
University at Albany placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. University at Albany is a public school based 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. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,856.
St Lawrence University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Canton, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,079, with expenses of about $7,079 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,126 per athlete.
Colgate University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Hamilton, NY, Colgate University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,812, with expenses of about $9,812 per participant. Athletic aid averages $22,658 per athlete.
Skidmore College placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Located in Saratoga Springs, NY, Skidmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,838, with expenses of about $3,838 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Iona University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. This private not-for-profit school is set in New Rochelle, NY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The program generates about $7,241 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,241 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,814.
Columbia University in the City of New York placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Based in New York, NY, Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution. Columbia University in the City of New York records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,511, against $17,511 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Fordham University landed the #12 spot this year. Fordham University is a private not-for-profit school based in Bronx, NY. Fordham University records an NCAA APR 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.
St. John Fisher University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Located in Rochester, NY, St. John Fisher University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,040, compared with $4,021 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hobart William Smith Colleges landed the #14 spot this year. Based in Geneva, NY, Hobart William Smith Colleges is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,113, with expenses of about $10,113 per participant. The school awards about $50 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ithaca College did well this year, earning the #15 position. Located in Ithaca, NY, Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,464 per participant, with expenses of about $5,464 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Canisius University landed the #16 spot this year. Located in Buffalo, NY, Canisius University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 990, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 84%. Team revenue averages $8,929 per participant, against $8,929 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,300 per athlete.
Cornell University did well this year, earning the #17 position. Cornell University is a private not-for-profit school based in Ithaca, NY. The team's NCAA APR score is 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 97%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,495, with expenses of about $16,879 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Nazareth University landed the #18 spot this year. Nazareth University is a private not-for-profit school based in Rochester, NY. Team revenue averages $6,131 per participant, compared with $5,882 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Rochester Institute of Technology ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. Based in Rochester, NY, Rochester Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,327 per participant, with expenses of about $3,601 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,070 per athlete.
Dominican University New York did well this year, earning the #20 position. Dominican University New York is a private not-for-profit school based in Orangeburg, NY. The program generates about $7,937 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,937 spent per athlete. The school awards about $4,678 in athletic aid per athlete.
D'Youville University did well this year, earning the #21 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Buffalo, NY. The program generates about $7,073 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,073 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,393 in athletic aid per athlete.
*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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.