College Swimming & Diving Scholarships and Requirements
How swimming & diving scholarships work for men's and women's teams, which college programs can offer aid, and what coaches look for before you reach out.
Which Colleges Offer Swimming & Diving Scholarships?
Explore swimming & diving programs across NCAA Division I, Division II, NAIA and junior colleges that can offer athletic scholarships. Division III schools don't award them but may offer academic and need-based aid.
NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Scholarships
NCAA Division I swimming & diving can offer scholarships. Opted-in schools use a roster limit of 30 instead of a scholarship cap.
NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Scholarships
NCAA Division II swimming & diving teams share 8.1 scholarship equivalencies, so awards are often partial.
NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Scholarships
NCAA Division III schools can't award athletic scholarships, but coaches still recruit. Many offer academic and need-based aid through the financial aid office.
NAIA Swimming & Diving Scholarships
NAIA colleges can offer athletic scholarships, but each school decides how much within NAIA rules. Total aid can't exceed the cost of attending.
NJCAA Swimming & Diving Scholarships
NJCAA aid depends on the division: Division I can offer full scholarships, Division II covers tuition, fees and books, and Division III offers none.
How Do College Swimming & Diving Scholarships Work?
College swimming & diving scholarships help student-athletes pay for college based on their athletic ability. Learn how full and partial scholarships work, which NCAA and NAIA schools offer swimming & diving aid, and what you need to qualify for a swimming & diving scholarship.
What Is a Swimming & Diving Athletic Scholarship?
An athletic scholarship is financial aid a college gives an athlete to compete for its swimming & diving team. The college decides who receives one and how much, usually through the coaching staff. NCAA Division I and II schools, NAIA schools and some junior colleges can offer them. NCAA Division III schools cannot.
Full vs. Partial Swimming & Diving Scholarships
A full scholarship covers the main costs of attending, and a partial scholarship covers part of them. The NCAA says most athletics scholarships are partial, and athletes often combine them with academic awards and need-based aid. Division II swimming & diving teams share 8.1 scholarship equivalencies. Ask each swimming & diving coach how the program splits its aid across the roster.
NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Scholarship Rules
In June 2025 the NCAA Division I Board adopted roster limits to replace sport-specific scholarship limits. They apply to schools in the defendant conferences and to schools that opt in to the settlement rules, and they took effect July 1, 2025. Those schools can offer partial or full scholarships to any athlete on their roster, within the roster limit. Schools that have not opted in follow different rules, so you cannot assume one limit applies everywhere. Ask each program what it can offer. For swimming & diving, the limit is 30.
NAIA and Junior College Swimming & Diving Scholarships
NAIA first-time athletes need an eligibility determination from the NAIA Eligibility Center, and each NAIA college decides what athletic aid to offer within the NAIA limits for its sports. NJCAA colleges follow their division: Division I may offer full scholarships, Division II covers tuition, fees and books, and Division III offers none. Always confirm a college's level before you plan around aid.
Athletic vs. Academic Swimming & Diving Scholarships
Students in every division can receive academic scholarships, grants and need-based aid. Division III schools do not give athletic scholarships, so their athletes rely on these other types of aid. Many athletes at other levels combine athletic aid with them.
How to Qualify for Swimming & Diving Scholarships
Colleges offer swimming & diving scholarships to athletes they recruit, so the conversation usually starts with a coach who knows who you are. When you write, lead with your best times in your events, or your dive list and scores and include links to your verified times on SwimCloud. A coach decides based on their roster needs, their budget and what they see in you, and no one can promise an offer.
What Swimming and Diving Coaches Evaluate
What coaches check for each event group, and what to send when you ask about aid.
Sprint freestyle
- Times in the 50 and 100 free
- Start and turn quality
- Relay splits
- Official meet results
- Best times in yards
- Your improvement over recent seasons
Distance freestyle
- Times in the 200, 500 and 1000 or 1650 free
- Pacing and consistency
- Improvement from season to season
- Official meet results
- Best times in yards
- Your improvement over recent seasons
Backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly
- Times in your best stroke events
- Technique and underwater work
- Range across 100 and 200 events
- Official meet results
- Best times in yards
- Video of your stroke and turns
Individual medley
- Times in the 200 and 400 IM
- Strength across all four strokes
- Event versatility
- Official meet results
- Best times in yards
- Your improvement over recent seasons
Diving
- Degree of difficulty and consistency
- Dive list and scores
- Form on both boards
- Competition dive sheets and scores
- Video of your full list
- Your experience on one and three meter boards
College Swimming & Diving Programs by Level and Team
Division III has the most college swimming & diving programs we list (253 of 633). The most are in New York, Pennsylvania and California. We list 1,000+ swimming & diving coaches you can contact.
How Do You Get a Swimming & Diving Scholarship?
Get answers about swimming & diving scholarship requirements, NCAA divisions, scholarship amounts, and how to get recruited by college swimming & diving coaches.
Do swimming coaches look at yards or meters times?
College swimming in the United States is raced in short course yards, so coaches compare recruits using yards times. If you only have meters times, send them and label them clearly. Find swimming and diving coaches.
How fast do I need to be for a swimming scholarship?
There is no single time. Coaches compare you with their current swimmers and look at the times that score at their conference meet. Check each team's results, then ask the coach where you would fit.
How much can a Division II swimming and diving team give?
Division II teams share 8.1 scholarship equivalencies, and a coach divides them among the roster. That means partial awards are common, so ask each coach what the program offers.
How are divers recruited?
Coaches look at your dive list, degree of difficulty and scores, then watch video of the full list. Send competition results and the boards you compete on.
How many scholarships can a swimming & diving team give?
At Division I schools that opted into the House settlement, swimming & diving uses a roster limit of 30 in place of a scholarship cap. Division II swimming & diving teams share 8.1 scholarship equivalencies. NAIA and NJCAA set their own limits, so confirm the current figures with each college.
Are men's and women's swimming & diving scholarships different?
The NCAA's Division I roster limit is 30 for both teams. Division II swimming & diving teams share 8.1 scholarship equivalencies. AthleticScholar lists more than 600 men's and 600 women's college swimming & diving programs, and each college decides what aid each team offers. Browse swimming & diving colleges.
What are the requirements for a swimming & diving scholarship?
There are two parts. To compete in NCAA Division I or II you register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, complete 16 core courses and reach a minimum core GPA, currently 2.3 for Division I and 2.2 for Division II, and standardized test scores are no longer required for initial eligibility. Then a coach decides on an offer from roster needs, budget and what they see in you, starting with your best times in your events, or your dive list and scores. NAIA and NJCAA have their own rules. NCAA Eligibility Center.
Do Division III swimming & diving programs offer scholarships?
No. Division III schools cannot award athletic scholarships, and AthleticScholar lists 253 Division III swimming & diving programs. Many offer academic merit and need-based aid, and their coaches still recruit swimming & diving athletes. Ask each program about aid and talk to the college's financial aid office. Find swimming & diving coaches.
Does AthleticScholar give out scholarships?
No. AthleticScholar does not award scholarships or verify which colleges currently have scholarships available. It helps you find college programs and email their coaches so you can ask directly.
Athletic Scholarships in Other Sports
See how scholarships work and which colleges offer them in another sport.
- All college athletic scholarships
- Swimming & Diving recruiting guide
- Swimming & Diving coach email finder
- College program directory
- Men's swimming & diving colleges
- Women's swimming & diving colleges
- Acrobatics & Tumbling scholarships
- Archery scholarships
- Baseball scholarships
- Basketball scholarships
- Beach Volleyball scholarships
- Bowling scholarships
- Cheerleading scholarships
- Cross Country scholarships
- Dance scholarships
- Equestrian scholarships
- eSports scholarships
- Fencing scholarships
- Field Hockey scholarships
- Football scholarships
- Golf scholarships
- Gymnastics scholarships
- Ice Hockey scholarships
- Lacrosse scholarships
- Rifle scholarships
- Rowing scholarships
- Rugby scholarships
- Soccer scholarships
- Softball scholarships
- Tennis scholarships
- Track & Field scholarships
- Triathlon scholarships
- Volleyball scholarships
- Water Polo scholarships
- Wrestling scholarships
Getting sent isn't enough
Getting seen is what matters
Built on cutting-edge delivery technology, giving your swimming & diving recruiting emails the highest chance of being seen
Your follow-ups, done for you
While others stop at one message, we send swimming & diving follow-ups automatically so coaches don't forget you
