by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 15 schools 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:
Catawba College tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Salisbury, NC. Team revenue averages $31,233 per participant, with expenses of about $24,604 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,164 per athlete.
Queens University of Charlotte landed the #2 spot for Women's Swimming & Diving. Queens University of Charlotte is a private not-for-profit school based in Charlotte, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 85% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,465, against $24,465 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,282.
Barton College came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Wilson, NC, Barton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,582, against $10,582 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,654 per athlete.
Wingate University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Wingate University is a private not-for-profit school based in Wingate, NC. Team revenue averages $21,347 per participant, with expenses of about $22,167 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,748.
Lenoir-Rhyne University is one of the top schools for Women's Swimming & Diving, at #5. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hickory, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,183, with expenses of about $8,183 per participant. The school awards about $7,094 in athletic aid per athlete.
Campbell University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Buies Creek, NC, Campbell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 81% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $32,947 per participant, compared with $32,947 spent per athlete. The school awards about $19,433 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gardner-Webb University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Located in Boiling Springs, NC, Gardner-Webb University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. The program generates about $21,842 in revenue per athlete, compared with $21,842 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $14,936 per athlete.
Guilford College placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Guilford College is a private not-for-profit school based in Greensboro, NC. The program generates about $1,668 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $3,224 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lees-McRae College landed the #9 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Banner Elk, NC. The program generates about $13,289 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,289 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,547.
William Peace University did well this year, earning the #10 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Raleigh, NC. Team revenue averages $8,271 per participant, compared with $9,181 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke did well this year, earning the #11 position. This public school is set in Pembroke, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,699, against $7,219 in expenses. The school awards about $3,165 in athletic aid per athlete.
Mars Hill University did well this year, earning the #12 position. Mars Hill University is a private not-for-profit school based in Mars Hill, NC. The program generates about $10,376 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,376 per participant. The school awards about $6,311 in athletic aid per athlete.
Warren Wilson College landed the #13 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Swannanoa, NC. The program generates about $2,843 in revenue per athlete, compared with $2,365 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Greensboro College did well this year, earning the #14 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Greensboro, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,667, with expenses of about $4,667 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Chowan University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Located in Murfreesboro, NC, Chowan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,876 per participant, compared with $11,876 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,571 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.