by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 45 schools for Men’s Swimming & Diving 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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Nova Southeastern University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Nova Southeastern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The program generates about $25,263 in revenue per athlete, compared with $25,263 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,636.
William & Mary landed the #2 spot for Men's Swimming & Diving. William & Mary is a public school based in Williamsburg, VA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $44,769 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,898 spent per athlete. The school awards about $15,943 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rollins College landed the #3 spot for Men's Swimming & Diving. Rollins College is a private not-for-profit school based in Winter Park, FL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,967, with expenses of about $13,967 per participant. The school awards about $11,632 in athletic aid per athlete.
Washington and Lee University came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Men's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lexington, VA. The program generates about $5,771 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,384 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Florida Institute of Technology is one of the top schools for Men's Swimming & Diving, at #5. Florida Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Melbourne, FL. The program generates about $14,141 in revenue per athlete, against $14,141 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,103.
Florida Southern College did well this year, earning the #6 position. Based in Lakeland, FL, Florida Southern College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $17,064 per participant, compared with $17,064 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,785.
Florida State University placed #7 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, against $39,673 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,364.
Bellarmine University did well this year, earning the #8 position. Based in Louisville, KY, Bellarmine University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $12,849 per participant, compared with $12,849 spent per athlete. The school awards about $10,105 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lynn University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in Boca Raton, FL, Lynn University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $13,447 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,447 per participant. Athletic aid averages $12,987 per athlete.
Randolph-Macon College ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Swimming & Diving. Located in Ashland, VA, Randolph-Macon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,191, with expenses of about $4,190 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Asbury University landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Wilmore, KY, Asbury University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,797, compared with $6,797 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Catawba College did well this year, earning the #12 position. Located in Salisbury, NC, Catawba College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,564, compared with $21,064 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,164 per athlete.
University of Louisville landed the #13 spot this year. Located in Louisville, KY, University of Louisville is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 976, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 79%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,820, with expenses of about $47,154 per participant. The school awards about $21,083 in athletic aid per athlete.
Queens University of Charlotte landed the #14 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Charlotte, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 68% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 73%. The program generates about $20,831 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $20,831 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,282.
Roanoke College did well this year, earning the #15 position. Roanoke College is a private not-for-profit school based in Salem, VA. Team revenue averages $3,739 per participant, against $3,739 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Millsaps College landed the #16 spot this year. Located in Jackson, MS, Millsaps College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,086 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,086 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Lynchburg placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lynchburg, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,632, with expenses of about $4,632 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Gardner-Webb University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Based in Boiling Springs, NC, Gardner-Webb University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 958, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. The federal graduation rate stands at 73%. Team revenue averages $24,596 per participant, against $24,596 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,936 per athlete.
Wingate University landed the #19 spot this year. Located in Wingate, NC, Wingate University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,579, with expenses of about $22,745 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,748 per athlete.
Carson-Newman University placed #20 among the best colleges for Men's Swimming & Diving. Located in Jefferson City, TN, Carson-Newman University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $20,698 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $19,035 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,904.
Old Dominion University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Norfolk, VA. The team's NCAA APR score is 963, alongside a GSR of 83%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. The program generates about $20,506 in revenue per athlete, compared with $20,506 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,728.
Barton College landed the #22 spot this year. Barton College is a private not-for-profit school based in Wilson, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,503, with expenses of about $10,503 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,654.
Emory & Henry University did well this year, earning the #23 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Emory, VA. The program generates about $7,240 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,240 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,871 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lenoir-Rhyne University ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Men's Swimming & Diving. Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit school based in Hickory, NC. The program generates about $7,783 in revenue per athlete, against $7,783 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,094 per athlete.
King University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Bristol, TN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,294, compared with $26,317 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,932 in athletic aid per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.