by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 10 colleges for Women’s Swimming & Diving by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Washington and Lee University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Swimming & Diving. Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit school based in Lexington, VA. Team revenue averages $6,085 per participant, against $5,833 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
William & Mary landed the #2 spot for Women's Swimming & Diving. William & Mary is a public school based in Williamsburg, VA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $29,103 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,649 per participant. Athletic aid averages $15,943 per athlete.
Randolph-Macon College came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Swimming & Diving. This private not-for-profit school is set in Ashland, VA. The program generates about $5,801 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,800 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Lynchburg is one of the top schools for Women's Swimming & Diving, at #4. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lynchburg, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,159, with expenses of about $7,159 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Emory & Henry University is one of the top schools for Women's Swimming & Diving, at #5. This private not-for-profit school is set in Emory, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,491, compared with $7,491 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,871 per athlete.
Roanoke College landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Salem, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $3,711, compared with $3,711 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Old Dominion University placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Based in Norfolk, VA, Old Dominion University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,599, with expenses of about $25,599 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,728.
Randolph College landed the #8 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lynchburg, VA. The program generates about $5,849 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $5,849 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Virginia Wesleyan University did well this year, earning the #9 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Virginia Beach, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $4,518, with expenses of about $4,518 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Southern Virginia University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Swimming & Diving. Southern Virginia University is a private not-for-profit school based in Buena Vista, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,678, against $5,678 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $90.
*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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.