by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 18 colleges for Men’s Swimming & Diving 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is Seattle University, our #1 college for Men's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Seattle, WA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $24,502 per participant, against $23,877 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,482 per athlete.
Whitman College ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Whitman College is a private not-for-profit school based in Walla Walla, WA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,884, with expenses of about $8,213 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of California-San Diego ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Based in La Jolla, CA, University of California-San Diego is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $13,573 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,573 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,847 in athletic aid per athlete.
California Lutheran University landed the #4 spot for Men's Swimming & Diving. Located in Thousand Oaks, CA, California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,480 in revenue per athlete, against $6,480 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of California-Santa Barbara landed the #5 spot for Men's Swimming & Diving. This public school is set in Santa Barbara, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. Its federal graduation rate is 79%. Team revenue averages $19,398 per participant, compared with $19,398 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,355 in athletic aid per athlete.
Pacific Lutheran University placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Located in Tacoma, WA, Pacific Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $13,962 per participant, against $13,962 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lewis & Clark College came in at #7 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Portland, OR. Team revenue averages $6,506 per participant, against $6,506 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Willamette University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Swimming & Diving. Willamette University is a private not-for-profit school based in Salem, OR. Team revenue averages $6,157 per participant, against $6,157 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of the Pacific placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Located in Stockton, CA, University of the Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 981, with a Graduation Success Rate of 80%. Its federal graduation rate is 38%. Team revenue averages $24,678 per participant, against $24,678 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,596.
Whitworth University did well this year, earning the #10 position. Based in Spokane, WA, Whitworth University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,252 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,208 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Redlands came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in Redlands, CA, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,220, against $5,577 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
George Fox University did well this year, earning the #12 position. Based in Newberg, OR, George Fox University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,328 per participant, with expenses of about $6,278 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo did well this year, earning the #13 position. Located in San Luis Obispo, CA, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a public institution. The Graduation Success Rate here is 76%. Its federal graduation rate is 72%. The program generates about $10,326 in revenue per athlete, compared with $10,326 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $10,344 per athlete.
Concordia University-Irvine came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in Irvine, CA, Concordia University-Irvine is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,738, with expenses of about $14,738 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,027 per athlete.
Fresno Pacific University did well this year, earning the #15 position. Based in Fresno, CA, Fresno Pacific University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,933, with expenses of about $14,440 per participant. The school awards about $9,517 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of La Verne placed #16 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in La Verne, CA. Team revenue averages $7,368 per participant, against $6,584 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Puget Sound ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Men's Swimming & Diving. University of Puget Sound is a private not-for-profit school based in Tacoma, WA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,029, compared with $4,029 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Linfield University placed #18 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in McMinnville, OR. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,865, against $6,265 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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
See our data sources and methodologies.