by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 24 colleges for Men’s Swimming & Diving by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Purdue University-Main Campus earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Men's Swimming & Diving. Based in West Lafayette, IN, Purdue University-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 90%. Team revenue averages $10,055 per participant, against $49,366 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,382 per athlete.
John Carroll University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in University Heights, OH, John Carroll University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,525, against $6,525 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
DePauw University ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Based in Greencastle, IN, DePauw University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,227 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,227 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lewis University is one of the top schools for Men's Swimming & Diving, at #4. Lewis University is a private not-for-profit school based in Romeoville, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,761, compared with $27,761 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,669.
Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Men's Swimming & Diving. Illinois Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL. The program generates about $5,357 in revenue per athlete, against $5,357 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Xavier University placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Based in Cincinnati, OH, Xavier University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, and a 95% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 90%. The program generates about $2,067 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,918 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,280.
Ohio State University-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #7 position. Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public school based in Columbus, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 978, and a 86% Graduation Success Rate. About 85% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $70,358 per participant, against $70,358 in expenses. The school awards about $27,151 in athletic aid per athlete.
Valparaiso University did well this year, earning the #8 position. Located in Valparaiso, IN, Valparaiso University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $6,367 per participant, with expenses of about $6,344 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,540 per athlete.
Hanover College placed #9 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Located in Hanover, IN, Hanover College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,224, with expenses of about $8,224 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
North Central College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,951, with expenses of about $3,028 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Alma College did well this year, earning the #11 position. Located in Alma, MI, Alma College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,047, compared with $8,047 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Beloit College placed #12 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Based in Beloit, WI, Beloit College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,566 per participant, against $5,566 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Franklin College ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Men's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Franklin, IN. Team revenue averages $8,085 per participant, compared with $8,029 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Mount Union landed the #14 spot this year. Based in Alliance, OH, University of Mount Union is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,221 in revenue per athlete, against $5,221 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Ripon College landed the #15 spot this year. Based in Ripon, WI, Ripon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,226, compared with $8,067 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Eastern Illinois University landed the #16 spot this year. Eastern Illinois University is a public school based in Charleston, IL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 974, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,061, compared with $7,061 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,653.
Illinois College landed the #17 spot this year. Illinois College is a private not-for-profit school based in Jacksonville, IL. The program generates about $6,525 in revenue per athlete, against $6,525 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Albion College placed #18 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Located in Albion, MI, Albion College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,077, against $8,617 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Millikin University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Millikin University is a private not-for-profit school based in Decatur, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,832, with expenses of about $7,832 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Heidelberg University landed the #20 spot this year. Based in Tiffin, OH, Heidelberg University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,205 in revenue per athlete, against $13,205 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Quincy University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Based in Quincy, IL, Quincy University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $14,179 in revenue per athlete, against $14,262 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,507 per athlete.
Shawnee State University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Shawnee State University is a public school based in Portsmouth, OH. Team revenue averages $5,550 per participant, against $5,508 in expenses. The school awards about $3,174 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology weighs 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.