Division III Swimming Programs (NCAA)
Complete list of 157 NCAA Division III swim programs with recruiting time standards, costs, and academic data.
What is NCAA Division 3 swimming?
NCAA Division III swimming is the largest division by program count and is built around a philosophy of athletics as part of the broader college experience — not the centerpiece of it. D3 programs cannot offer athletic scholarships under NCAA rules, but they compete at high levels, send swimmers to the NCAA D3 Championships, and many have storied traditions in the sport.
Without athletic scholarships, D3 schools compete on academic merit and need-based aid. Many families are surprised to find that the real after-aid net cost at a selective D3 institution is comparable to or lower than out-of-state D1 public university pricing. D3 coaches can advocate strongly for their recruits in the admissions process, and some D3 programs offer some of the best academic environments in the country.
What times are needed for D3 swimming?
D3 recruiting times vary widely by program, from highly competitive nationally-ranked programs with times approaching D1 standards, to smaller programs focused on participation. Without athletic scholarships, coaches have less financial leverage to attract recruits, so academic fit and personal connection to the program often matter as much as raw time. Check individual D3 school profiles for program-specific benchmarks.
How many Division III swim programs exist?
There are 157 NCAA Division III swim programs in the University Swim Fit database, the largest division by program count, including programs in the UAA, NESCAC, MIAA, CCIW, and many more. Programs are spread across all regions of the country, with strong concentrations in the Northeast, Midwest, and South.
The average estimated net price across these 157 programs is $31,486 per year, and 8 of them commit to meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need. Net price varies dramatically by program type, location, and the financial aid philosophy of each institution — which is why comparing program-by-program is essential before targeting a recruiting list.
Most Affordable Division III Swim Programs
- Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College — $15,400 est net
- Eastern Connecticut State University — $20,100 est net
- Montclair State University — $20,100 est net
- Emory University — $21,100 est net
- Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona — $21,400 est net
All Division III Programs
All 157 programs listed alphabetically — click any school for recruiting times, costs, and full profile.
| School | Location | Type | Est Net/yr | Niche |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albertus Magnus College | New Haven, CT | private | $32,700 | C+ |
| Albion College | Albion, MI | private | $25,500 | C+ |
| Albright College | Reading, PA | private | $27,000 | C+ |
| Alfred University | Alfred, NY | private | $27,200 | C+ |
| Allegheny College | Meadville, PA | private | $36,500 | C+ |
| Alma College | Alma, MI | private | $30,300 | C+ |
| Amherst College | Amherst, MA | private | $36,100 | A+ |
| Anderson University | Anderson, IN | private | $31,700 | C+ |
| Arcadia University | Glenside, PA | private | $33,600 | C+ |
| Asbury University | Wilmore, KY | private | $26,400 | C+ |
| Augustana College | Rock Island, IL | private | $29,300 | C+ |
| Austin College | Sherman, TX | private | $28,800 | C+ |
| Babson College | Wellesley, MA | private | $38,400 | C+ |
| Baldwin Wallace University | Berea, OH | private | $34,200 | C+ |
| Bard College | Annandale-On-Hudson, NY | private | $27,500 | C+ |
| Bates College | Lewiston, ME | private | $39,800 | A+ |
| Beloit College | Beloit, WI | private | $39,700 | C+ |
| Berry College | Mount Berry, GA | private | $25,300 | C+ |
| Bethany College | Bethany, WV | private | $36,400 | C+ |
| Bluffton University | Bluffton, OH | private | $33,000 | C+ |
| Bowdoin College | Brunswick, ME | private | $38,100 | A+ |
| Brandeis University | Waltham, MA | private | $29,000 | A |
| Bridgewater College | Bridgewater, VA | private | $30,500 | C+ |
| Bridgewater State University | Bridgewater, MA | public | $24,200 | C+ |
| California Institute of Technology | Pasadena, CA | private | $27,400 | A+ |
| California Lutheran University | Thousand Oaks, CA | private | $31,800 | C+ |
| Calvin University | Grand Rapids, MI | private | $34,200 | C+ |
| Carleton College | Northfield, MN | private | $31,100 | A+ |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | private | $22,500 | A+ |
| Carroll University | Waukesha, WI | private | $28,200 | C+ |
| Carthage College | Kenosha, WI | private | $34,500 | C+ |
| Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH | private | $33,900 | A |
| Centenary College of Louisiana | Shreveport, LA | private | $32,000 | C+ |
| Centre College | Danville, KY | private | $39,400 | C+ |
| Chapman University | Orange, CA | private | $29,400 | C+ |
| Chatham University | Pittsburgh, PA | private | $35,500 | C+ |
| Claremont McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps | Claremont, CA | private | $32,900 | A |
| Clark University | Worcester, MA | private | $30,000 | C+ |
| Clarkson University | Potsdam, NY | private | $35,800 | C+ |
| Coe College | Cedar Rapids, IA | private | $27,200 | C+ |
| Colby College | Waterville, ME | private | $32,500 | A+ |
| Colby-Sawyer College | New London, NH | private | $35,100 | A |
| College of Our Lady of the Elms | Chicopee, MA | private | $27,300 | C+ |
| College of Saint Benedict | Saint Joseph, MN | private | $26,900 | C+ |
| Colorado College | Colorado Springs, CO | private | $31,600 | A+ |
| Connecticut College | New London, CT | private | $30,300 | A |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | New York, NY | private | $30,300 | C+ |
| CUNY Brooklyn College | Brooklyn, NY | private | $31,700 | C+ |
| CUNY Lehman College | Bronx, NY | private | $26,700 | C+ |
| CUNY York College | Jamaica, NY | private | $38,700 | C+ |
| Denison University | Granville, OH | private | $37,600 | A+ |
| DePauw University | Greencastle, IN | private | $37,800 | C+ |
| Dickinson College | Carlisle, PA | private | $33,500 | C+ |
| Drew University | Madison, NJ | private | $36,400 | C+ |
| Eastern Connecticut State University | Willimantic, CT | public | $20,100 | C+ |
| Elizabethtown College | Elizabethtown, PA | private | $28,400 | C+ |
| Emory University | Atlanta, GA | private | $21,100 | A+ |
| Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus | Madison, NJ | private | $34,900 | C+ |
| Franklin and Marshall College | Lancaster, PA | private | $25,500 | C+ |
| Franklin College | Franklin, IN | private | $26,400 | C+ |
| Gallaudet University | Washington, DC | private | $31,100 | C+ |
| George Fox University | Newberg, OR | private | $27,600 | C+ |
| Gettysburg College | Gettysburg, PA | private | $34,800 | C+ |
| Gordon College | Wenham, MA | private | $30,600 | C+ |
| Goucher College | Baltimore, MD | private | $33,000 | C+ |
| Greensboro College | Greensboro, NC | private | $25,600 | C+ |
| Grinnell College | Grinnell, IA | private | $39,200 | A |
| Grove City College | Grove City, PA | private | $35,300 | C+ |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | Saint Peter, MN | private | $31,300 | C+ |
| Hamilton College | Clinton, NY | private | $31,400 | A+ |
| Hamline University | Saint Paul, MN | private | $37,300 | C+ |
| Hampden-Sydney College | Hampden-Sydney, VA | private | $34,500 | C+ |
| Hanover College | Hanover, IN | private | $36,800 | C+ |
| Hartwick College | Oneonta, NY | private | $33,000 | C+ |
| Heidelberg University | Tiffin, OH | private | $35,100 | C+ |
| Hendrix College | Conway, AR | private | $30,400 | C+ |
| Hiram College | Hiram, OH | private | $30,300 | C+ |
| Hobart William Smith Colleges | Geneva, NY | private | $31,100 | C+ |
| Hood College | Frederick, MD | private | $32,000 | C+ |
| Hope College | Holland, MI | private | $36,900 | C+ |
| Husson University | Bangor, ME | private | $26,600 | C+ |
| Illinois College | Jacksonville, IL | private | $32,300 | C+ |
| Illinois Institute of Technology | Chicago, IL | private | $29,800 | C+ |
| Illinois Wesleyan University | Bloomington, IL | private | $28,600 | A |
| Immaculata University | Immaculata, PA | private | $39,600 | C+ |
| Ithaca College | Ithaca, NY | private | $37,100 | C+ |
| John Carroll University | University Heights, OH | private | $26,900 | C+ |
| Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | private | $30,400 | A+ |
| Juniata College | Huntingdon, PA | private | $38,900 | C+ |
| Kalamazoo College | Kalamazoo, MI | private | $34,100 | C+ |
| Keene State College | Keene, NH | public | $24,300 | C+ |
| Kenyon College | Gambier, OH | private | $26,600 | A+ |
| King's College | Wilkes-Barre, PA | private | $27,500 | C+ |
| Knox College | Galesburg, IL | private | $25,300 | C+ |
| LaGrange College | Lagrange, GA | private | $33,600 | C+ |
| Lake Forest College | Lake Forest, IL | private | $29,300 | C+ |
| Lawrence University | Appleton, WI | private | $31,800 | C+ |
| Lebanon Valley College | Annville, PA | private | $35,500 | C+ |
| Lewis & Clark College | Portland, OR | private | $28,500 | C+ |
| Linfield University | McMinnville, OR | private | $27,600 | C+ |
| Loras College | Dubuque, IA | private | $33,400 | C+ |
| Luther College | Decorah, IA | private | $27,400 | C+ |
| Lycoming College | Williamsport, PA | private | $28,100 | C+ |
| Macalester College | Saint Paul, MN | private | $34,100 | C+ |
| Maine Maritime Academy | Castine, ME | private | $27,900 | C+ |
| Manchester University | North Manchester, IN | private | $30,900 | C+ |
| Marymount University | Arlington, VA | private | $26,000 | C+ |
| Marywood University | Scranton, PA | private | $26,100 | C+ |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | private | $33,000 | A+ |
| McDaniel College | Westminster, MD | private | $30,200 | C+ |
| McMurry University | Abilene, TX | private | $29,500 | C+ |
| Medaille University | Buffalo, NY | private | $33,400 | C+ |
| Messiah University | Mechanicsburg, PA | private | $32,900 | C+ |
| Middlebury College | Middlebury, VT | private | $26,500 | A+ |
| Millikin University | Decatur, IL | private | $31,500 | C+ |
| Millsaps College | Jackson, MS | private | $39,600 | C+ |
| Milwaukee School of Engineering | Milwaukee, WI | private | $36,500 | C+ |
| Misericordia University | Dallas, PA | private | $35,000 | C+ |
| Monmouth College | Monmouth, IL | private | $34,700 | C+ |
| Montclair State University | Montclair, NJ | public | $20,100 | C+ |
| Moravian University | Bethlehem, PA | private | $28,500 | C+ |
| Mount Saint Mary College | Newburgh, NY | private | $36,100 | C+ |
| Mount St. Mary's University | Emmitsburg, MD | private | $29,700 | C+ |
| Nazareth University | Rochester, NY | private | $39,400 | C+ |
| Nebraska Wesleyan University | Lincoln, NE | private | $30,200 | A |
| New York University | New York, NY | private | $36,000 | C+ |
| North Central College | Naperville, IL | private | $34,000 | C+ |
| Norwich University | Northfield, VT | private | $36,200 | C+ |
| Oberlin College | Oberlin, OH | private | $28,600 | A |
| Occidental College | Los Angeles, CA | private | $29,700 | C+ |
| Ohio Northern University | Ada, OH | private | $39,000 | C+ |
| Ohio Wesleyan University | Delaware, OH | private | $32,800 | A |
| Pacific Lutheran University | Tacoma, WA | private | $38,200 | C+ |
| Pacific University | Forest Grove, OR | private | $32,500 | C+ |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Altoona | Altoona, PA | public | $21,400 | A |
| Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College | Erie, PA | public | $15,400 | A |
| Piedmont University | Demorest, GA | private | $38,500 | C+ |
| Plymouth State University | Plymouth, NH | public | $22,100 | C+ |
| Pomona College | Claremont, CA | private | $29,400 | A+ |
| Ramapo College of New Jersey | Mahwah, NJ | private | $34,400 | C+ |
| Randolph College | Lynchburg, VA | private | $34,900 | C+ |
| Randolph-Macon College | Ashland, VA | private | $37,300 | C+ |
| Regis College | Weston, MA | private | $28,200 | C+ |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, NY | private | $28,700 | C+ |
| Rhodes College | Memphis, TN | private | $25,900 | A+ |
| Ripon College | Ripon, WI | private | $34,300 | C+ |
| Roanoke College | Salem, VA | private | $27,500 | C+ |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Rochester, NY | private | $32,300 | C+ |
| Rochester University | Rochester Hills, MI | private | $29,500 | C+ |
| Roger Williams University | Bristol, RI | private | $27,600 | A |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Terre Haute, IN | private | $39,700 | C+ |
| Rowan University | Glassboro, NJ | private | $33,300 | C+ |
| SUNY Brockport | Brockport, NY | private | $36,100 | C+ |
| SUNY College at Geneseo | Geneseo, NY | private | $31,000 | C+ |
| SUNY College at Potsdam | Potsdam, NY | private | $31,700 | C+ |
| SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill | Cobleskill, NY | private | $29,500 | C+ |
| SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | Alfred, NY | private | $35,500 | C+ |
Browse Division III Programs by State
Find Division III swim programs near you or in your target state
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Do D3 swim programs offer scholarships?
- No — NCAA Division III prohibits athletic scholarships. No aid can be tied to athletic performance. However, D3 schools offer academic merit grants and need-based financial aid. Many families find the real net cost at selective D3 institutions competitive with out-of-state D1 public university pricing.
- Is D3 swimming competitive?
- Yes. Division III swimming is deeply competitive, especially at top programs. The NCAA D3 Championships attracts some of the fastest non-scholarship swimmers in the country. D3 coaches recruit swimmers with strong times and emphasize the full student-athlete experience.
Which Division III programs match your times?
Enter your event times, GPA, and budget. We rank all 157 Division III programs by your personalized Swim Fit, Academic Fit, Cost Fit, and Location Fit scores — so you know exactly where to focus your recruiting energy.
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