by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 8 colleges for Women’s Swimming & Diving by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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:
Lewis University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Romeoville, IL, Lewis University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $18,169 per participant, with expenses of about $18,169 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,669 per athlete.
Illinois Institute of Technology ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,357, against $5,357 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
North Central College earned the #3 place for student athletes. Located in Naperville, IL, North Central College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,521 in revenue per athlete, against $5,328 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Eastern Illinois University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Charleston, IL, Eastern Illinois University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,298, with expenses of about $9,298 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,653.
McKendree University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. McKendree University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lebanon, IL. The program generates about $20,007 in revenue per athlete, against $20,007 in expenses. The school awards about $6,695 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois College landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Jacksonville, IL, Illinois College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,929 per participant, with expenses of about $6,929 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Quincy University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Quincy, IL, Quincy University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $16,689 per participant, against $16,736 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,507.
Millikin University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Decatur, IL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,689, with expenses of about $6,689 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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.