Women’s College Rowing Scholarships

Rowing in college can be an incredible experience, and earning a scholarship can make it even more rewarding. Women’s rowing scholarships are out there, but they’re competitive, and understanding how they work is key to securing one. From knowing which schools offer scholarships to understanding how coaches divide them, getting the facts early can set you up for success.

Whether you’re targeting the best colleges for rowing scholarships or simply want to know how to get started, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about women’s college rowing scholarships.

New NCAA D1 Women’s Rowing Scholarship Limits

Starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, the NCAA will eliminate D1 scholarship limits if a proposed settlement is approved, enabling all sports to distribute scholarships more flexibly among athletes. This change is expected to have a significant impact on college rowing recruiting. More details and the latest updates here.

These changes would impact women’s rowing recruits in the following ways:

• D1 women’s rowing programs will be allowed to offer 68 scholarships, up from the current limit of 20.
• D1 women’s rowing will have a maximum roster limit of 68.
• D1 rowing is already an equivalency sport and will continue to offer both partial and full scholarships to recruits. 

Note: These are the maximum scholarship and roster limits set by the NCAA, but schools aren’t required to meet these maximums.

Are there women’s rowing scholarships?

Yes! Women’s college rowing scholarships are available, but they’re highly competitive. Rowing is an equivalency sport, which means scholarships can be divided among multiple athletes within the team’s scholarship limit. Starting in the 2025-26 school year if the proposed NCAA settlement is approved, D1 teams can offer up to 68 scholarships—a significant increase from the current limit of 20. This change provides more flexibility for college coaches and could create additional scholarship opportunities for rowing recruits. However, it’s important to remember that not all programs may have the funding to fully support the new scholarship limit.

Ivy League schools like Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Brown, Penn, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Columbia, along with Division 3 schools, don’t offer athletic scholarships. Instead, they provide academic scholarships and need-based aid. NAIA and junior colleges may offer athletic scholarships, but women’s rowing programs are less common at these levels.

Even without athletic scholarships, many schools offer substantial financial aid through academic and need-based packages, which can sometimes be just as valuable.

How many women’s rowing scholarships are there?

Athletic scholarships for women’s rowing are found at the NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 levels and break down like this:

Division 1

• 91 women’s rowing teams
• Up to 68 full scholarships per team starting in the 2025-26 academic year (if proposed NCAA settlement is approved)
• An average of 59.5 athletes per team

Division 2

• 16 women’s rowing teams
• Up to 20 full scholarships per team
• An average of 26.5 athletes per team

The numbers show that not everyone rowing at the college level will have a majority of their college tuition covered by an athletic scholarship. Some athletes may earn a roster spot without any athletic scholarship money included, while top recruits may earn a full scholarship. At the end of the day, the coach has final say over how they break up the scholarship money that is budgeted for their team, and they may choose to spread it around more evenly or focus on securing full-ride scholarships for a handful of top recruits.

However, it is important to note that coaches at some colleges can help rowers secure academic scholarships and need-based aid, as well as bump up their application at the admissions office. For most athletes, rowing is not a path to big athletic scholarship dollars as much as it is a way to get the attention of top academic institutions.

The NCAA D1 Council adopted legislation that loosened regulation regarding need-based aid and academic scholarships that are not tied to athletic ability. Teams in equivalency sports like rowing will no longer have to count these types of aid against their athletic scholarship limits. Previously, athletes had to meet specific criteria for this aid not to count.  

Now, student-athletes can add as much need-based aid and academic scholarships as they qualify for. This change helps programs offer more financial support, especially at private schools with higher costs.

Rowing scholarship erg times for women’s rowing

As far as women’s college rowing times go, there is no magical erg time that will score you an athletic scholarship because the school and athletic program that recruits are trying to join have varied standards. The bottom end for earning an athletic scholarship at the college level is likely under 8:00, but even this depends on a variety of factors and takes into account academics, prior experience, physical attributes and how much athletic scholarship money is currently tied up in a team’s roster.

With that said, there are certain milestones rowers can achieve on their club or high school team to get priority consideration for an athletic scholarship. A 2k erg time of 7:20 and under will immediately receive interest from college coaches. Rowing in a first varsity eight at the USRowing Youth National Championships will also garner attention. Being the stroke seat or top erg for your crew can also stand out, especially if it’s for a well-known club.

As mentioned before, there are no athletic scholarships awarded by Division 3 or Ivy league (part of D1) colleges—though these colleges do help athletes secure other types of funds. So, a recruit with a 7:22 2k time rowing for Dartmouth would technically receive $0 in athletic scholarship money. That’s why it’s important to focus on researching your target list of colleges and keeping an open mind about which college can offer the best athletic, academic and financial fit.

colleges With Women’s rowing scholarships

Rowing is an expensive sport with pricey equipment and significant travel expenses that include hauling shells to regattas on a trailer. Athletic budgets for teams can change, and coaches can also choose how much money to allocate for scholarships and how to disperse it. That’s why the best way to find colleges that offer rowing scholarships is to target D1 and D2 colleges, stay proactive in the college recruiting process and reach out directly to coaches.

To specifically find an athletic scholarship for women’s collegiate rowing; you’ll want to look at this list of women’s rowing colleges and look outside of Ivy League and D3 colleges because they don’t offer athletic scholarships. Instead, these colleges focus on helping secure need-based aid and academic scholarships. Top rowing programs like the University of Texas, University of California-Berkeley, University of Washington, Stanford University and Ohio State University recruit elite athletes aggressively, so these athletic scholarships are not easily earned. Here’s where recruits will find rowing scholarships:

• Division 1: There are 93 women’s rowing teams at this level and you’ll find the majority of athletic scholarships here, though this excludes Ivy League schools (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Yale). Need-based aid and academic scholarships are also available.
• Division 2: There are 14 women’s rowing teams at this level. Athletic scholarships, academic scholarships and need-based aid are available.
• Division 3: There are 40 teams at this level. Academic scholarships and need-based aid are available, but athletic scholarships are not available.
• NAIA and junior college: Athletic scholarships, academic scholarships and need-based aid may potentially be available, but this depends on team budgets. There are only 4 teams at this level.
• Club: There are more than 40 teams at this level. However, there are no athletic scholarships and rowers pay out-of-pocket for club fees.

For recruits looking to find athletic scholarship money, a great resource to use is NCSA’s Power Rankings of the Best.

How to get a women’s rowing scholarship

Athletic ability, good grades and test scores and diligence in the recruiting process are all integral to earning a rowing scholarship. Recruits will have to stand out both athletically and academically and will also need to research colleges that offer rowing scholarships and have an available budget. Top rowing programs like Brown, Yale and Harvard attract the top high school rowers in the country (and the world) even though they do not offer athletic scholarships as Ivy League colleges. Recruits looking for an athletic scholarship will have to target the right schools while maintaining standout grades and test scores, meeting the 2k standards for top tier colleges and reaching out to college coaches who are able to offer scholarship money.

Women’s coxswain scholarships

Simply put, coxswain scholarships are not common. There are fewer boat seats and roster spots available for coxswains than there are for rowers, and coaches will have to decide whether to offer athletic scholarship money to a rower or coxswain. Receiving a coxswain scholarship is not impossible, but coxswains should go into the college recruiting process with realistic expectations. 

How to get recruited for college rowing

Student-athletes looking at crew scholarships, who want to get strong recruiting attention, need to make sure that they will be a fit for colleges both by athletic and academic standards. This is especially important in rowing because a large portion of women’s rowing teams are located at colleges that have high academic standards. As a starting point, you’ll want to develop athletically by working hard on your team, whether that’s at the local rowing club or at your high school. Focus on improving your technique, putting in the extra hours to lower your 2k erg time and hopefully get a recommendation from your coach that you can pass along to college coaches. But in addition to your athletic focus, you’ll have to devote time to the recruiting process by targeting the right colleges, reaching out to college coaches and staying on top of the recruiting timeline.

When does the rowing recruiting process start?

Officially, D1 coaches are able to start communicating with recruits starting on June 15 after sophomore year. But if you want to get recruiting attention, you’ll need to start your recruiting process before then. The rowing recruiting process should begin freshman year when you start attending high school, so that you’re ready to communicate with college coaches by the time the June 15 date rolls around. In your first two years of high school, you should research schools, build a target list of colleges, train, maintain good grades, attend rowing camps if you can and potentially create a highlight video if your technique looks good.

Looking for expert guidance?

Your NCSA Recruiting Coach is here to guide you through the rowing scholarship process. Log in now to schedule a conversation with your coach.

Not a member yet? Start with a free recruiting profile to connect with an NCSA Recruiting Specialist. We’ll help you and your family plan the next steps in your recruiting journey and achieve your scholarship goals.