by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 189 schools for Women’s Swimming & Diving by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual scores each program on 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Johns Hopkins University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Swimming & Diving. Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit school based in Baltimore, MD. Team revenue averages $12,902 per participant, with expenses of about $12,064 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,612.
New York University landed the #2 spot for Women's Swimming & Diving. New York University is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY. Team revenue averages $13,277 per participant, compared with $12,983 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Brandeis University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Swimming & Diving. Brandeis University is a private not-for-profit school based in Waltham, MA. The program generates about $9,871 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,871 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colorado School of Mines is one of the top schools for Women's Swimming & Diving, at #4. Based in Golden, CO, Colorado School of Mines is a public institution. Team revenue averages $11,646 per participant, against $11,646 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,984 per athlete.
Rockhurst University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Kansas City, MO, Rockhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $19,707 per participant, against $19,707 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,130 per athlete.
Stonehill College did well this year, earning the #6 position. Based in Easton, MA, Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. The program generates about $22,180 in revenue per athlete, against $22,180 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,278.
Whitman College placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Whitman College is a private not-for-profit school based in Walla Walla, WA. Team revenue averages $10,284 per participant, with expenses of about $8,628 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Swarthmore College ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Swimming & Diving. Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit school based in Swarthmore, PA. Team revenue averages $7,580 per participant, with expenses of about $5,854 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Washington and Lee University landed the #9 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lexington, VA. The program generates about $6,085 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,833 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Stevens Institute of Technology landed the #10 spot this year. Based in Hoboken, NJ, Stevens Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,188 per participant, with expenses of about $7,188 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus did well this year, earning the #11 position. This public school is set in Pittsburgh, PA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 997, and a 96% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 85%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $59,866, against $59,866 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $30,613.
William & Mary came in at #12 in this year's ranking. William & Mary is a public school based in Williamsburg, VA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,103, against $9,649 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $15,943.
Vanderbilt University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Located in Nashville, TN, Vanderbilt University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 993, alongside a GSR of 95%. Its federal graduation rate is 95%. The program generates about $82,859 in revenue per athlete, compared with $82,859 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $42,235 per athlete.
Drexel University placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Philadelphia, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. Team revenue averages $30,059 per participant, with expenses of about $30,059 per participant. The school awards about $25,843 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gettysburg College placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Gettysburg College is a private not-for-profit school based in Gettysburg, PA. The program generates about $7,025 in revenue per athlete, against $7,025 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Franklin and Marshall College did well this year, earning the #16 position. Located in Lancaster, PA, Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,482 per participant, with expenses of about $4,918 per participant. Athletic aid averages $53 per athlete.
Rollins College came in at #17 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Winter Park, FL. Team revenue averages $10,998 per participant, against $10,998 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,632.
University of California-Santa Barbara did well this year, earning the #18 position. Based in Santa Barbara, CA, University of California-Santa Barbara is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 96% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,881, with expenses of about $17,881 per participant. The school awards about $11,355 in athletic aid per athlete.
Purdue University-Main Campus placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in West Lafayette, IN, Purdue University-Main Campus is a public institution. Purdue University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 96%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,553, with expenses of about $44,896 per participant. The school awards about $19,382 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ursinus College landed the #20 spot this year. Located in Collegeville, PA, Ursinus College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,172 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,172 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Florida State University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. Located in Tallahassee, FL, Florida State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 996, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 84%. The program generates about $31,328 in revenue per athlete, against $31,328 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,364 per athlete.
Xavier University did well this year, earning the #22 position. Xavier University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cincinnati, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $17,049 per participant, against $17,049 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $20,280 per athlete.
Mount St. Mary's University ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Emmitsburg, MD. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 91% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,022, compared with $40,022 spent per athlete. The school awards about $12,910 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bard College came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in Annandale-On-Hudson, NY, Bard College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,880, against $9,880 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
St Lawrence University landed the #25 spot this year. St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit school based in Canton, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,596, with expenses of about $6,596 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,126.
These programs also stood out among the best 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.