by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 29 colleges for Women’s Swimming & Diving by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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.
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Use the shortcuts below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Leading the list is Swarthmore College, our #1 college for Women's Swimming & Diving. Located in Swarthmore, PA, Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,580 in revenue per athlete, against $5,854 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Franklin and Marshall College is one of the top schools for Women's Swimming & Diving, at #2. Based in Lancaster, PA, Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,482 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,918 per participant. Athletic aid averages $53 per athlete.
Gettysburg College earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Gettysburg, PA, Gettysburg College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,025 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,025 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ursinus College earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Collegeville, PA, Ursinus College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,172 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,172 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Gannon University landed the #5 spot for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Erie, PA, Gannon University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,939 in revenue per athlete, against $11,939 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $9,313 per athlete.
Dickinson College ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Swimming & Diving. Dickinson College is a private not-for-profit school based in Carlisle, PA. The program generates about $3,345 in revenue per athlete, against $4,045 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Drexel University landed the #7 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Philadelphia, PA. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 92% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $30,059, against $30,059 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,843.
Elizabethtown College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Elizabethtown College is a private not-for-profit school based in Elizabethtown, PA. The program generates about $4,269 in revenue per athlete, against $4,269 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Messiah University placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Messiah University is a private not-for-profit school based in Mechanicsburg, PA. Team revenue averages $2,085 per participant, with expenses of about $1,742 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Francis University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Located in Loretto, PA, Saint Francis University is a private not-for-profit institution. Student-athletes graduate at a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,022, with expenses of about $24,022 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,253.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus came in at #11 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Pittsburgh, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 96%. Its federal graduation rate is 85%. The program generates about $59,866 in revenue per athlete, compared with $59,866 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $30,613.
Saint Vincent College landed the #12 spot this year. Saint Vincent College is a private not-for-profit school based in Latrobe, PA. Team revenue averages $6,746 per participant, with expenses of about $6,746 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Marywood University placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Scranton, PA. Team revenue averages $5,552 per participant, compared with $4,437 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Juniata College ranked #14 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, against $7,244 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lebanon Valley College placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Annville, PA, Lebanon Valley College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $1,768 in revenue per athlete, against $1,768 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Allegheny College placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Meadville, PA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,368, with expenses of about $7,368 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wilkes University ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The program generates about $9,272 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,272 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Misericordia University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Dallas, PA, Misericordia University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,646 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,646 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Millersville University of Pennsylvania ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Millersville, PA, Millersville University of Pennsylvania is a public institution. Team revenue averages $9,675 per participant, against $9,675 in expenses. The school awards about $2,830 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lycoming College came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Lycoming College is a private not-for-profit school based in Williamsport, PA. The program generates about $10,259 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,292 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Arcadia University placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Glenside, PA, Arcadia University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,131 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,131 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Located in East Stroudsburg, PA, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania is a public institution. Team revenue averages $11,934 per participant, with expenses of about $11,985 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,313.
Widener University ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Swimming & Diving. Located in Chester, PA, Widener University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,579 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,411 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania landed the #24 spot this year. Located in Kutztown, PA, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is a public institution. The program generates about $7,564 in revenue per athlete, against $5,585 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $1,904.
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is a public school based in Shippensburg, PA. The program generates about $5,687 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,362 spent per athlete. The school awards about $2,132 in athletic aid per athlete.
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. 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.