by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 6 schools for Women’s Swimming & Diving by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Whitman College earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Walla Walla, WA. Team revenue averages $10,284 per participant, with expenses of about $8,628 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Washington State University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Pullman, WA, Washington State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 77%. Team revenue averages $56,276 per participant, against $80,857 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,338.
Seattle University landed the #3 spot for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Seattle, WA. Seattle University records an NCAA APR of 972, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. The program generates about $18,020 in revenue per athlete, against $17,401 in expenses. The school awards about $19,482 in athletic aid per athlete.
Pacific Lutheran University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Tacoma, WA, Pacific Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,611 in revenue per athlete, against $8,611 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Whitworth University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Spokane, WA. The program generates about $9,627 in revenue per athlete, against $8,984 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Puget Sound landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Tacoma, WA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,432, compared with $4,432 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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.