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2023 Top Women's D1 Swimming Schools

23 Colleges
$41,901 Avg Tuition & Fees*
66% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

Women's Division I Swimming & Diving BadgeWhen it comes to choosing a college, student athletes have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Best Colleges for Division I Women's Swimming ranking is part of that endeavor.

Our analysis looked at 23 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for D1 Women's Swimming athletes. To come up with this ranking, we look at a number of factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include the school's overall quality as determined by our Best Colleges ranking and the athletic competitiveness of the school. Thus, in order to rank well, the school must offer a quality education in addition to having a great sports team.

Learn more about our ranking methodology.

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Top Colleges in the U.S. for D1 Women's Swimming athletes

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California
#6 in Quality in the United States
$58,416 Avg Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Stanford University the best school for D1 Women’s Swimming athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Stanford, California, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,699 bachelor’s degrees in . The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Stanford also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 1% of all schools in this category. Read full sports report on Stanford University

2
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$41,070 Avg Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #2 in this year’s ranking. UT Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 10,374 bachelor’s degrees in . With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, UT Austin is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read full sports report on The University of Texas at Austin

3
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$64,726 Avg Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #3 in this year’s ranking. This large private not-for-profit school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 5,642 bachelor’s degrees in . Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. USC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list. Full University of Southern California Sports Report

4
UGA crest
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$30,220 Avg Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend University of Georgia. The school came in at #4 in this year’s ranking. UGA is a large public school situated in Athens, Georgia. It awarded 8,790 bachelor’s degrees in . With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. UGA excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read full sports report on University of Georgia

5
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$44,467 Avg Tuition & Fees

Out of the 23 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #5 spot on the list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 10,103 bachelor’s degrees in . The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, UC Berkeley also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis. Full University of California - Berkeley Sports Report

6
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$57,273 Avg Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 8,969 students in . Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. In addition to its great ranking here, U-M is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list. Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Sports Report

7
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$57,374 Avg Tuition & Fees

University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking, coming in at #7. University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 5,483 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. University of Virginia excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list. Full University of Virginia - Main Campus Sports Report

8
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$40,139 Avg Tuition & Fees

Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. Texas A&M College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13,536 bachelor’s degrees in . With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Texas A&M College Station excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list. Full Texas A&M University - College Station Sports Report

9
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
#2 in Quality in the United States
$62,688 Avg Tuition & Fees

Duke University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. Located in Durham, North Carolina, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,312 bachelor’s degrees in . The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Duke also took the #2 spot in our overall quality rankings. Full Duke University Sports Report

10
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama
Top 15% in Quality in the United States
$32,960 Avg Tuition & Fees

Auburn University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. Located in Auburn, Alabama, the large public school awarded 5,764 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. Auburn also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. Read More…

11
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$39,427 Avg Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the large public school awarded 9,741 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. In addition to its great ranking here, UW - Madison is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list. Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Sports Report

12
Top 15% in Quality in the United States
$31,664 Avg Tuition & Fees

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville ranked #12 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming list. UT Knoxville is a public institution located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5,533 bachelor’s degrees in . Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UT Knoxville also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking. Read More…

13
Top 20% in Quality in the United States
$31,970 Avg Tuition & Fees

University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming list. Located in Columbia, Missouri, the large public school handed out 5,092 bachelor’s degrees in . Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. Mizzou also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. Read More…

14
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$39,120 Avg Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #14, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. IU Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7,504 bachelor’s degrees in . With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. IU Bloomington excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read More…

15
UofL crest
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Top 25% in Quality in the United States
$28,866 Avg Tuition & Fees

University of Louisville did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking, coming in at #15. University of Louisville is a large public school located in Louisville, Kentucky that handed out 3,008 bachelor’s degrees in . Read More…

16
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$28,659 Avg Tuition & Fees

University of Florida ranked #16 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming list. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10,063 bachelor’s degrees in . With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. UF also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category. Read full sports report on University of Florida

17
UK crest
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Top 25% in Quality in the United States
$32,276 Avg Tuition & Fees

University of Kentucky landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. Lexington, Kentucky is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 5,449 students in . With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Read full sports report on University of Kentucky

18
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$43,473 Avg Tuition & Fees

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,851 bachelor’s degrees in . With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, UCLA also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis. Read full sports report on University of California - Los Angeles

18
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Top 25% in Quality in the United States
$37,355 Avg Tuition & Fees

University of Arizona came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 8,003 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. Full University of Arizona Sports Report

20
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana
#14 in Quality in the United States
$60,301 Avg Tuition & Fees

University of Notre Dame ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming list. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2,829 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Notre Dame excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 1% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read full sports report on University of Notre Dame

21
Top 10% in Quality in the United States
$35,099 Avg Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #21, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. UMN Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8,508 bachelor’s degrees in . With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UMN Twin Cities also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking. Read full sports report on University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

22
Top 5% in Quality in the United States
$37,550 Avg Tuition & Fees

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In , this school awarded 6,451 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, UNC Chapel Hill is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list. Read More…

23
Top 20% in Quality in the United States
$28,631 Avg Tuition & Fees

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. Located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the large public school handed out 4,990 bachelor’s degrees in . Louisiana State University excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list. Full Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Sports Report

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 23 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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