by our College Data Analytics Team
When 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.
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to online students or returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our 2021 rankings named Stanford University the best school for D1 Women’s Swimming athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,511 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Read More…
A rank of #2 on our list means The University of Texas at Austin is a great place for D1 Women’s Swimming athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. This large public school is located in Austin, Texas, and it awarded 10,592 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Read More…
Out of the 23 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #3 spot on the list. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5,745 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Read More…
Out of the 23 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Georgia landed the #4 spot on the list. This large public school is located in Athens, Georgia, and it awarded 8,870 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Full University of Georgia Sports Report
A rank of #5 on our list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for D1 Women’s Swimming athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10,523 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Read full sports report on University of California - Berkeley
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the large public school awarded 9,144 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Read full sports report on University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5,493 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Read More…
With a ranking of #8, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. This large public school is located in College Station, Texas, and it awarded 13,409 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Read More…
Duke University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming list. Located in Durham, North Carolina, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,319 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Read full sports report on Duke University
Auburn University landed the #10 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. Auburn is a public institution located in Auburn, Alabama. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5,840 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Read More…
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking, coming in at #11. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,926 students in 2020-2021. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. Read full sports report on University of Wisconsin - Madison
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking, coming in at #12. UT Knoxville is a public institution located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5,356 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Read More…
University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #13 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. Mizzou is located in Columbia, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5,114 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Read More…
With a ranking of #14, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7,959 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. Read More…
With a ranking of #15, University of Louisville did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. University of Louisville is a large public school located in Louisville, Kentucky that handed out 3,083 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021. Read full sports report on University of Louisville
University of Florida came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,775 students in 2020-2021. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Read full sports report on University of Florida
University of Kentucky landed the #17 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. UK is a public institution located in Lexington, Kentucky. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5,377 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Read full sports report on University of Kentucky
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. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large public school handed out 10,102 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. Read full sports report on University of California - Los Angeles
University of Arizona landed the #18 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. This large public school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 8,117 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021. Read More…
University of Notre Dame landed the #20 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming ranking. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Notre Dame, Indiana. It awarded 2,848 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021. 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. Read full sports report on University of Notre Dame
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #21 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming list. UMN Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,414 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Sports Report
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #22 spot on the 2021 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 2020-2021, this school awarded 6,496 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Full University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Sports Report
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division I Women’s Swimming list. Louisiana State University is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4,721 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Full Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Sports Report
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.
