by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. We have ranked 27 programs for Women’s Rowing 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Our analysis found Massachusetts Institute of Technology to be the best college for Women's Rowing in the New England Region. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cambridge, MA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,783, compared with $15,783 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Williams College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Williamstown, MA, Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,859, with expenses of about $6,859 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Tufts University landed the #3 spot for Women's Rowing. Tufts University is a private not-for-profit school based in Medford, MA. Team revenue averages $7,423 per participant, with expenses of about $7,139 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Northeastern University is one of the top schools for Women's Rowing, at #4. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boston, MA. Northeastern University records an NCAA APR of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,024, compared with $39,024 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $24,558 per athlete.
Wellesley College is one of the top schools for Women's Rowing, at #5. Located in Wellesley, MA, Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,166 per participant, compared with $8,166 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Boston University landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boston, MA. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 84%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,821, with expenses of about $32,821 per participant. The school awards about $27,954 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Connecticut placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. This public school is set in Storrs, CT. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. Team revenue averages $41,008 per participant, compared with $41,008 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,776.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Amherst, MA, University of Massachusetts-Amherst is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 86% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $34,107 per participant, against $34,107 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,175.
University of Rhode Island ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. University of Rhode Island is a public school based in Kingston, RI. University of Rhode Island records an NCAA APR of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 79%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $36,792, with expenses of about $36,792 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,857.
Colby College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waterville, ME. The program generates about $7,260 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,260 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bates College came in at #11 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lewiston, ME. The program generates about $6,643 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,663 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Merrimack College landed the #12 spot this year. Based in North Andover, MA, Merrimack College is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $13,213 per participant, against $13,213 in expenses. The school awards about $20,394 in athletic aid per athlete.
Boston College ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Rowing. Based in Chestnut Hill, MA, Boston College is a private not-for-profit institution. Boston College records an NCAA APR of 982, and a 97% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,248, with expenses of about $24,248 per participant. Athletic aid averages $29,391 per athlete.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Located in Worcester, MA, Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,640 per participant, compared with $7,640 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
College of the Holy Cross placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 91% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $13,128 per participant, compared with $13,128 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,801.
Dartmouth College landed the #16 spot this year. Based in Hanover, NH, Dartmouth College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 998, alongside a GSR of 98%. The program generates about $14,461 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $14,461 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Harvard University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Located in Cambridge, MA, Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Team revenue averages $24,304 per participant, against $24,304 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Sacred Heart University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in Fairfield, CT, Sacred Heart University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 986, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 85%. The program generates about $9,942 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,942 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,128 per athlete.
Connecticut College did well this year, earning the #19 position. Located in New London, CT, Connecticut College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,778 in revenue per athlete, against $6,778 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Fairfield University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Located in Fairfield, CT, Fairfield University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,657, compared with $6,657 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $19,587 per athlete.
Yale University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Located in New Haven, CT, Yale University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, alongside a GSR of 98%. The program generates about $27,045 in revenue per athlete, against $27,045 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Brown University did well this year, earning the #22 position. Located in Providence, RI, Brown University is a private not-for-profit institution. Brown University records an NCAA APR of 992, alongside a GSR of 98%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,765, with expenses of about $18,765 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bryant University placed #23 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Based in Smithfield, RI, Bryant University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 952. The program generates about $12,758 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $12,758 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,982.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Located in Buzzards Bay, MA, Massachusetts Maritime Academy is a public institution. Team revenue averages $3,508 per participant, compared with $3,492 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Assumption University placed #25 among the best colleges for Women's Rowing. Located in Worcester, MA, Assumption University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $2,993 per participant, against $2,932 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,778.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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.