by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 24 schools for Women’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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Learn more about these schools below:
Leading the list is DePauw University, our #1 college for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Greencastle, IN, DePauw University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,475 per participant, against $5,475 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Illinois Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Chicago, IL. Team revenue averages $5,357 per participant, against $5,357 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Butler University landed the #3 spot for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Indianapolis, IN. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,324, against $9,541 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,113.
Lewis University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Lewis University is a private not-for-profit school based in Romeoville, IL. The program generates about $18,169 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $18,169 per participant. The school awards about $9,669 in athletic aid per athlete.
Purdue University-Main Campus ranked #5 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. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,382.
Xavier University landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cincinnati, OH. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $17,049 in revenue per athlete, against $17,049 in expenses. The school awards about $20,280 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Central College landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,521 per participant, with expenses of about $5,328 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Franciscan University of Steubenville came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private not-for-profit school based in Steubenville, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,476, compared with $1,476 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Eastern Illinois University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Eastern Illinois University is a public school based in Charleston, IL. Eastern Illinois University records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 90%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,298, with expenses of about $9,298 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,653.
Ohio State University-Main Campus ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Swimming & Diving. This public school is set in Columbus, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 982, and a 97% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $77,604, compared with $77,604 spent per athlete. The school awards about $27,151 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hanover College landed the #11 spot this year. Hanover College is a private not-for-profit school based in Hanover, IN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,224, against $8,224 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Alma College placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Alma College is a private not-for-profit school based in Alma, MI. Team revenue averages $7,430 per participant, against $7,430 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
McKendree University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Lebanon, IL, McKendree University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $20,007 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $20,007 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,695 per athlete.
Beloit College came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in Beloit, WI, Beloit College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,065 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,065 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mount Union did well this year, earning the #15 position. University of Mount Union is a private not-for-profit school based in Alliance, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,645, against $4,645 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Valparaiso University came in at #16 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Valparaiso, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 990, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,330, with expenses of about $7,007 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,540 per athlete.
Illinois College came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Based in Jacksonville, IL, Illinois College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,929 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,929 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Albion College placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Albion, MI, Albion College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,391, compared with $7,901 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Millikin University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Based in Decatur, IL, Millikin University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,689 per participant, compared with $6,689 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Quincy University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Quincy, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,689, against $16,736 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,507.
Heidelberg University placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Heidelberg University is a private not-for-profit school based in Tiffin, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,004, with expenses of about $9,004 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Shawnee State University did well this year, earning the #22 position. Based in Portsmouth, OH, Shawnee State University is a public institution. The program generates about $8,181 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,075 spent per athlete. The school awards about $3,174 in athletic aid per athlete.
The University of Olivet placed #23 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Olivet, MI. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,878, against $4,878 in expenses. 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. 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.