Division 1 is the highest a women’s swimmer can go in terms of college swimming. Many swimmers dream of going to a school where their favorite Olympian is an alumnus. Before deciding on a D1 school to swim, there are variables that need to be considered:

• Competing and succeeding against the best is in the heart of many high-level swimmers. The competition is extremely high quality in D1 and the workload for a swimmer in the pool is unmatched in other divisions.
• Larger schools mean larger budgets, as well as alumni donations. This often allows for better facilities, training staff, dining halls and dorms for athletes.
• Division 1 schools usually have large campuses with freshman lecture halls holding hundreds of students. The athletic department will likely have academic support staff to help with difficult classes.

How many women’s Division 1 swim teams are there?

There are 200 women’s Division 1 swimming colleges that span from coast to coast. Scholarships are offered at this level, but certain programs might have less than the maximum 14 scholarships that are allowed by the NCAA. The odds of receiving a full scholarship are low, as most swimmers receive partial scholarships.

Women’s Division 1 swimming rankings

The Division 1 level of women’s swimming is the most competitive division out there. NCSA has released power rankings that incorporate other factors beyond just team performance in ranking a school. An overall experience can be impacted by cost, as well as aid offered and other lifestyle variables. 

Best women’s Division 1 swimming colleges: 

1. Stanford University
2. Harvard University
3. University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA)
4. Princeton University
5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
6. Yale University
7. University of California
8. Duke University
9. Columbia University
10. University of Florida

NCAA rankings are also available and are based solely on performance, which counts points scored as well as in-season meet results. During the regular season, rankings can shift due to dual meets won or lost against a ranked school.

Full List of D1 Women’s Swimming Colleges

School

City and State

Type

Conference

Division

Washington, District Of Columbia

Private

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Tempe, Arizona

Public

Pacific-12 Conference

NCAA D1

Auburn, Alabama

Public

Southeastern Conference

NCAA D1

Muncie, Indiana

Public

Mid-American Conference

NCAA D1

Louisville, Kentucky

Private

ASUN Conference

NCAA D1

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Private

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Boston, Massachusetts

Private

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Bowling Green, Ohio

Public

Mid-American Conference

NCAA D1

Provo, Utah

Private

West Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Providence, Rhode Island

Private

Ivy League

NCAA D1

Smithfield, Rhode Island

Private

American East Conference

NCAA D1

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

Private

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Indianapolis, Indiana

Private

Big East Conference

NCAA D1

Riverside, California

Private

Western Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

San Luis Obispo, California

Public

Big Sky Conference

NCAA D1

Bakersfield, California

Public

Big West Conference

NCAA D1

Fresno, California

Public

Mountain West Conference

NCAA D1

Buies Creek, North Carolina

Private

Big South Conference

NCAA D1

Buffalo, New York

Private

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

New Britain, Connecticut

Public

Northeast Conference

NCAA D1

Cleveland, Ohio

Public

Horizon League

NCAA D1

Hamilton, New York

Private

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Worcester, Massachusetts

Private

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Fort Collins, Colorado

Public

Mountain West Conference

NCAA D1

New York, New York

Private

Ivy League

NCAA D1

Ithaca, New York

Private

Ivy League

NCAA D1

Hanover, New Hampshire

Private

Ivy League

NCAA D1

Davidson, North Carolina

Private

Atlantic 10 conference

NCAA D1

Dover, Delaware

Public

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Private

Colonial Athletic Association

NCAA D1

Durham, North Carolina

Private

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Private

Altantic 10 Conference

NCAA D1

Greenville, North Carolina

Public

American Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Johnson City, Tennessee

Public

Southern Conference

NCAA D1

Charleston, Illinois

Public

Ohio Valley Conference

NCAA D1

Ypsilanti, Michigan

Public

Mid-American Conference

NCAA D1

Fairfield, Connecticut

Private

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Boca Raton, Florida

Public

The american athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Fort Myers, Florida

Public

Atlantic Sun Conference

NCAA D1

Miami, Florida

Public

Conference USA

NCAA D1

Tallahassee, Florida

Public

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Bronx, New York

Private

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Boiling Springs, North Carolina

Private

Big South Conference

NCAA D1

Fairfax, Virginia

Public

Atlantic 10 Conference

NCAA D1

Washington, District Of Columbia

Private

Atlantic 10 Conference

NCAA D1

Washington, District Of Columbia

Private

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Statesboro, Georgia

Public

Sun Belt Conference

NCAA D1

Atlanta, Georgia

Public

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Phoenix, Arizona

Private

Western Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Public

Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Private

Ivy League

NCAA D1

Washington, District Of Columbia

Private

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Normal, Illinois

Public

Missouri Valley Conference

NCAA D1

Terre Haute, Indiana

Public

Missouri Valley Conference

NCAA D1

Bloomington, Indiana

Public

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Indianapolis, Indiana

Public

Horizon League

NCAA D1

New Rochelle, New York

Private

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Ames, Iowa

Public

Big 12 Conference

NCAA D1

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Public

Colonial Athletic Association

NCAA D1

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Private

Atlantic 10 Conference

NCAA D1

Easton, Pennsylvania

Private

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Private

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Lynchburg, Virginia

Private

Conference USA

NCAA D1

Saint Charles, Missouri

Private

Ohio Valley Conference

NCAA D1

Long Island, New York

Private

Northeast Conference

NCAA D1

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Public

Southeastern Conference

NCAA D1

Los Angeles, California

Private

West Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Baltimore, Maryland

Private

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Riverdale, New York

Private

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Poughkeepsie, New York

Private

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Huntington, West Virginia

Public

Conference USA

NCAA D1

North Andover, Massachusetts

Private

Northeast Conference

NCAA D1

Oxford, Ohio

Public

Mid-American Conference

NCAA D1

Springfield, Missouri

Public

Missouri Valley Conference

NCAA D1

West Long Branch, New Jersey

Private

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Emmitsburg, Maryland

Private

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Las Cruces, New Mexico

Public

Sun Belt Conference

NCAA D1

Niagara University, New York

Private

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Raleigh, North Carolina

Public

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Boston, Massachusetts

Private

Colonial Athletic Association

NCAA D1

Flagstaff, Arizona

Public

Big Sky Conference

NCAA D1

Evanston, Illinois

Private

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Rochester, Michigan

Public

Horizon League

NCAA D1

Columbus, Ohio

Public

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Athens, Ohio

Public

Mid-American Conference

NCAA D1

Norfolk, Virginia

Public

Sunbelt Conference

NCAA D1

University Park, Pennsylvania

Public

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Malibu, California

Private

West Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Princeton, New Jersey

Private

Ivy League

NCAA D1

Providence, Rhode Island

Private

Big East Conference

NCAA D1

West Lafayette, Indiana

Public

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Charlotte, North Carolina

Private

Atlantic Sun Conference

NCAA D1

Houston, Texas

Private

Conference USA

NCAA D1

Lawrenceville, New Jersey

Private

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Piscataway, New Jersey

Public

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Fairfield, Connecticut

Private

Northeast Conference

NCAA D1

Loretto, Pennsylvania

Private

Northeast Conference

NCAA D1

St. Louis, Missouri

Private

Atlantic 10 Conference

NCAA D1

Jersey City, New Jersey

Private

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

San Diego, California

Public

Mountain West Conference

NCAA D1

San Jose, California

Public

Mountain West Conference

NCAA D1

Seattle, Washington

Private

Western Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

South Orange, New Jersey

Private

Big East Conference

NCAA D1

Loudonville, New York

Private

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Brookings, South Dakota

Public

Summit League Conference

NCAA D1

Carbondale, Illinois

Public

Missouri Valley Conference

NCAA D1

Dallas, Texas

Private

American Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Saint Bonaventure, New York

Private

Atlantic 10 Conference

NCAA D1

Brooklyn Heights, New York

Private

Northeast Conference

NCAA D1

Stanford, California

Private

Pacific-12 Conference

NCAA D1

Easton, Massachusetts

Private

Northeast Conference

NCAA D1

Vestal, New York

Public

America East Conference

NCAA D1

Stony Brook, New York

Public

Colonial Athletic Association

NCAA D1

Buffalo, New York

Public

Mid-American Conference

NCAA D1

College Station, Texas

Public

Southeastern Conference

NCAA D1

Fort Worth, Texas

Private

Big 12 Conference

NCAA D1

Towson, Maryland

Public

Colonial Athletic Association

NCAA D1

New Orleans, Louisiana

Private

American Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Usafa, Colorado

Public

Mountain West Conference

NCAA D1

West Point, New York

Public

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Annapolis, Maryland

Public

Patriot League

NCAA D1

Akron, Ohio

Public

Mid-American Conference

NCAA D1

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Public

Southeastern Conference

NCAA D1

Tucson, Arizona

Public

Pacific-12 Conference

NCAA D1

Fayetteville, Arkansas

Public

Southeastern Conference

NCAA D1

Little Rock, Arkansas

Public

Sun Belt Conference

NCAA D1

Berkeley, California

Public

Pacific-12 Conference

NCAA D1

Davis, California

Public

Big Sky Conference

NCAA D1

Los Angeles, California

Public

Pacific-12 Conference

NCAA D1

La Jolla, California

Public

Big West Conference

NCAA D1

Santa Barbara, California

Public

Big West Conference

NCAA D1

Cincinnati, Ohio

Public

American Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Storrs, Connecticut

Public

Big East Conference

NCAA D1

Newark, Delaware

Public

Colonial Athletic Association

NCAA D1

Denver, Colorado

Private

The Summit League

NCAA D1

Evansville, Indiana

Private

Missouri Valley Conference

NCAA D1

Gainesville, Florida

Public

Southeastern Conference

NCAA D1

Athens, Georgia

Public

Southeastern Conference

NCAA D1

Honolulu, Hawaii

Public

Mountain West Conference

NCAA D1

Houston, Texas

Public

American Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Moscow, Idaho

Public

Big Sky Conference

NCAA D1

Champaign, Illinois

Public

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Chicago, Illinois

Public

Missouri Valley Conference

NCAA D1

Iowa City, Iowa

Public

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Lawrence, Kansas

Public

Big 12 Conference

NCAA D1

Lexington, Kentucky

Public

Southeastern Conference

NCAA D1

Louisville, Kentucky

Public

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Orono, Maine

Public

America East Conference

NCAA D1

Baltimore, Maryland

Public

America East Conference

NCAA D1

Amherst, Massachusetts

Public

Atlantic 10 Conference

NCAA D1

Coral Gables, Florida

Private

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Public

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Public

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Columbia, Missouri

Public

Southeastern Conference

NCAA D1

Lincoln, Nebraska

Public

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Omaha, Nebraska

Public

The Summit League

NCAA D1

Las Vegas, Nevada

Public

Mountain West Conference

NCAA D1

Reno, Nevada

Public

Mountain West Conference

NCAA D1

Durham, New Hampshire

Public

American East Conference

NCAA D1

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Public

Mountain West Conference

NCAA D1

Wilmington, North Carolina

Public

Colonial Athletic Association

NCAA D1

Asheville, North Carolina

Public

Big South Conference

NCAA D1

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Public

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Jacksonville, Florida

Public

Atlantic Sun Conference

NCAA D1

Denton, Texas

Public

Conference USA

NCAA D1

Greeley, Colorado

Public

Big Sky Conference

NCAA D1

Cedar Falls, Iowa

Public

Missouri Valley Conference

NCAA D1

Notre Dame, Indiana

Private

Division I-A Independents

NCAA D1

Norman, Oklahoma

Public

Big 12 Conference

NCAA D1

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Private

Ivy League

NCAA D1

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Public

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Kingston, Rhode Island

Public

Atlantic Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Virginia

Private

Atlantic 10 Conference

NCAA D1

San Diego, California

Private

West Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Columbia, South Carolina

Public

Southeastern Conference

NCAA D1

Vermillion, South Dakota

Public

The Summit League

NCAA D1

Los Angeles, California

Private

Pacific-12 Conference

NCAA D1

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Private

The Summit League

NCAA D1

Knoxville, Tennessee

Public

Southeastern Conference

NCAA D1

Austin, Texas

Public

Big 12 Conference

NCAA D1

San Antonio, Texas

Private

Southland Conference

NCAA D1

Stockton, California

Private

West Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Toledo, Ohio

Public

Mid-American Conference

NCAA D1

Salt Lake City, Utah

Public

Pacific-12 Conference

NCAA D1

Burlington, Vermont

Public

America East Conference

NCAA D1

Charlottesville, Virginia

Public

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Madison, Wisconsin

Public

Big Ten Conference

NCAA D1

Green Bay, Wisconsin

Public

Horizon League

NCAA D1

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Public

Horizon League

NCAA D1

Laramie, Wyoming

Public

Mountain West Conference

NCAA D1

Saint George, Utah

Public

Western Athletic Conference

NCAA D1

Valparaiso, Indiana

Private

Missouri Valley Conference

NCAA D1

Nashville, Tennessee

Private

Southeastern Conference

NCAA D1

Villanova, Pennsylvania

Private

Big East Conference

NCAA D1

Lexington, Virginia

Public

Big South Conference

NCAA D1

Blacksburg, Virginia

Public

Atlantic Coast Conference

NCAA D1

Staten Island, New York

Private

Northeast Conference

NCAA D1

Pullman, Washington

Public

Pacific-12 Conference

NCAA D1

Morgantown, West Virginia

Public

Big 12 Conference

NCAA D1

Williamsburg, Virginia

Public

Colonial Athletic Association

NCAA D1

Cincinnati, Ohio

Private

Big East Conference

NCAA D1

New Haven, Connecticut

Private

Ivy League

NCAA D1

Youngstown, Ohio

Public

Horizon League

NCAA D1