For lots of freedom while still participating in athletics, student-athletes should consider a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics or NAIA school. There is less regulation during recruiting, so a coach can contact a swimmer year-round from freshman to senior year in high school.
There are 31 NAIA swimming schools for women. NAIA differs immensely from Division 3 as there are scholarships available for athletics. Women’s swimming programs are given a maximum of 8 scholarships to divvy up among the team. The amount of scholarship received depends on factors like event times, how much the team needs the swimmer’s event strengths and how the coach typically prefers to divide the money.
NAIA swimming institutions are the perfect balance for swimmers that have interests outside of the pool, like studying abroad or having an on-campus job. To. guide student-athletes and their families in evaluating schools, NCSA creates an annual list of best colleges. There are many factors to finding the right college fit, especially for NAIA student-athletes who may be more interested in having a well-rounded college experience than athletes at other divisions.
Best NAIA swimming colleges for women:
Here are the best NAIA women’s swimming colleges in terms of performance, according to a 2018-2019 NAIA post-season poll that includes national championship results.