by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 168 colleges for Men’s Swimming & Diving by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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:
Johns Hopkins University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit school based in Baltimore, MD. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,955, with expenses of about $9,955 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,612.
New York University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in New York, NY, New York University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,471 in revenue per athlete, against $11,250 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Seattle University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Seattle, WA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $24,502 in revenue per athlete, against $23,877 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,482.
Colorado School of Mines ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. This public school is set in Golden, CO. Team revenue averages $10,538 per participant, compared with $10,538 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,984 per athlete.
University of California-San Diego ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. This public school is set in La Jolla, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $13,573 per participant, against $13,573 in expenses. The school awards about $9,847 in athletic aid per athlete.
Swarthmore College landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Swarthmore, PA. Team revenue averages $9,303 per participant, compared with $7,184 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Brandeis University placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waltham, MA. Team revenue averages $8,649 per participant, with expenses of about $8,649 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Union College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Schenectady, NY, Union College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,747, against $8,720 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $2,499 per athlete.
St Lawrence University placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Located in Canton, NY, St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,588, against $10,588 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,126.
Stevens Institute of Technology came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Based in Hoboken, NJ, Stevens Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,188 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,188 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Men's Swimming & Diving. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, and a 94% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 71%. Team revenue averages $55,686 per participant, compared with $55,686 spent per athlete. The school awards about $30,613 in athletic aid per athlete.
William & Mary came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Based in Williamsburg, VA, William & Mary is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $44,769 per participant, compared with $9,898 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,943.
Whitman College placed #13 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Walla Walla, WA. Team revenue averages $9,884 per participant, against $8,213 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Rollins College ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Men's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Winter Park, FL. The program generates about $13,967 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,967 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,632 per athlete.
Purdue University-Main Campus landed the #15 spot this year. Based in West Lafayette, IN, Purdue University-Main Campus is a public institution. Purdue University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 994, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $10,055 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $49,366 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,382 per athlete.
Washington and Lee University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Men's Swimming & Diving. Based in Lexington, VA, Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,771, compared with $5,384 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Franklin and Marshall College did well this year, earning the #17 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lancaster, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,221, with expenses of about $5,581 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53.
Gettysburg College placed #18 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Based in Gettysburg, PA, Gettysburg College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,710 per participant, compared with $6,710 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bard College came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Located in Annandale-On-Hudson, NY, Bard College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $12,115 in revenue per athlete, against $12,115 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Providence College did well this year, earning the #20 position. Located in Providence, RI, Providence College is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 90%. About 78% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $10,704 in revenue per athlete, compared with $10,704 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $25,955 per athlete.
Florida State University placed #21 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Located in Tallahassee, FL, Florida State University is a public institution. Florida State University records an NCAA APR of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 84%. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,673, compared with $39,673 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,364.
Ursinus College placed #22 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Ursinus College is a private not-for-profit school based in Collegeville, PA. The program generates about $8,528 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,528 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Pacific Lutheran University placed #23 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Based in Tacoma, WA, Pacific Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,962, against $13,962 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ohio State University-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #24 position. Based in Columbus, OH, Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 978, with a Graduation Success Rate of 86%. Its federal graduation rate is 85%. Team revenue averages $70,358 per participant, with expenses of about $70,358 per participant. The school awards about $27,151 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bellarmine University placed #25 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Based in Louisville, KY, Bellarmine University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $12,849 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $12,849 per participant. Athletic aid averages $10,105 per athlete.
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. 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
See our data sources and methodologies.
