by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 57 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.
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Jump to the options below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Johns Hopkins University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Baltimore, MD, Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,902, with expenses of about $12,064 per participant. Athletic aid averages $2,612 per athlete.
New York University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. New York University is a private not-for-profit school based in New York, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,277, with expenses of about $12,983 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Swarthmore College ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Swarthmore, PA, Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,580, with expenses of about $5,854 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the top schools for Women's Swimming & Diving, at #4. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hoboken, NJ. Team revenue averages $7,188 per participant, against $7,188 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Mount St. Mary's University ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Emmitsburg, MD. Mount St. Mary's University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 91%. The program generates about $40,022 in revenue per athlete, against $40,022 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,910.
Drexel University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Drexel University is a private not-for-profit school based in Philadelphia, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 92%. The program generates about $30,059 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $30,059 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,843.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. About 85% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $59,866, against $59,866 in expenses. The school awards about $30,613 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gettysburg College placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Located in Gettysburg, PA, Gettysburg College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,025, against $7,025 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Franklin and Marshall College came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lancaster, PA. Team revenue averages $6,482 per participant, with expenses of about $4,918 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53.
Ursinus College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. 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. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bard College placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Annandale-On-Hudson, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,880, with expenses of about $9,880 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
St Lawrence University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Swimming & Diving. Located in Canton, NY, St Lawrence University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,596 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,596 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,126 per athlete.
Gannon University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Located in Erie, PA, Gannon University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,939 per participant, with expenses of about $11,939 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,313.
Saint Francis University landed the #14 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Loretto, PA. Saint Francis University posts a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $24,022 per participant, with expenses of about $24,022 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,253.
Ithaca College ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Ithaca, NY, Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,888 in revenue per athlete, against $6,888 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Dickinson College placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Carlisle, PA, Dickinson College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,345 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,045 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Elizabethtown College landed the #17 spot this year. Located in Elizabethtown, PA, Elizabethtown College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,269 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,269 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Saint Peter's University placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Located in Jersey City, NJ, Saint Peter's University is a private not-for-profit institution. Saint Peter's University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $9,056 in revenue per athlete, against $9,056 in expenses. The school awards about $10,025 in athletic aid per athlete.
Rowan University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Women's Swimming & Diving. This public school is set in Glassboro, NJ. Team revenue averages $10,177 per participant, against $9,114 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Drew University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Madison, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,706, compared with $7,706 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Manhattan University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Based in Riverdale, NY, Manhattan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994, alongside a GSR of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. The program generates about $14,305 in revenue per athlete, against $14,220 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $14,484 per athlete.
Messiah University came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Messiah University is a private not-for-profit school based in Mechanicsburg, PA. Team revenue averages $2,085 per participant, compared with $1,742 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Clarkson University did well this year, earning the #23 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Potsdam, NY. Team revenue averages $3,723 per participant, against $3,818 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $4,842 per athlete.
Saint Vincent College landed the #24 spot this year. Based in Latrobe, PA, Saint Vincent College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,746 per participant, compared with $6,746 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Juniata College ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Huntingdon, PA, Juniata College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,790, compared with $7,244 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.