by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 7 programs for Women’s Swimming & Diving by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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.
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Explore the leading programs below:
Stonehill College earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Swimming & Diving. Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit school based in Easton, MA. Stonehill College records an NCAA APR of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,180, compared with $22,180 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $14,278 per athlete.
Brandeis University earned the #2 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waltham, MA. Team revenue averages $9,871 per participant, against $9,871 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Merrimack College earned the #3 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in North Andover, MA. Merrimack College records an NCAA APR of 987, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. About 84% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $32,302 per participant, with expenses of about $32,302 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,394.
Assumption University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. Team revenue averages $4,820 per participant, with expenses of about $4,867 per participant. The school awards about $4,778 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gordon College earned the #5 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wenham, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,724, compared with $2,284 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Swimming & Diving. This public school is set in North Dartmouth, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,092, against $14,745 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Western New England University placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Springfield, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,354, against $1,808 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. 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.