Top Colleges for Water Polo Scholarships
The 50 U.S. colleges with the largest water polo programs by athlete participation — each shown with its school-level athletic-aid context.
Among schools that sponsor water polo, Stanford University in California tops our list — a NCAA Division I-FBS program with one of the largest athletic-aid budgets and 49 water polo athletes. We rank scholarship-awarding schools (NCAA Division I/II & NAIA — Division III awards no athletic aid) by division tier, then by the school’s overall athletic-aid scale, then by water polo roster size — because EADA reports athletic aid only school-wide (men’s/women’s totals), never per sport.
⚠️ About these aid figures
The athletic-aid columns below are school-level totals (all sports combined, split men’s/women’s) straight from EADA. They are not the amount awarded to water polo athletes specifically — EADA does not publish per-sport aid. Use them only as a signal of how much a school invests in athletics overall.
| # | School | Division | Water Polo athletes | Men’s aid school-wide, all sports | Women’s aid school-wide, all sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford, CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 49 | $19,645,560 | $20,055,491 |
| 2 | Ann Arbor, MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 24 | $17,359,163 | $13,811,731 |
| 3 | Los Angeles, CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 51 | $15,118,920 | $13,525,051 |
| 4 | Berkeley, CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 58 | $12,306,273 | $10,832,606 |
| 5 | Tempe, AZ | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18 | $10,976,181 | $8,596,399 |
| 6 | Bloomington, IN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 24 | $10,607,303 | $8,778,138 |
| 7 | Los Angeles, CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 65 | $9,893,320 | $9,235,885 |
| 8 | San Diego, CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 23 | $5,724,054 | $5,387,074 |
| 9 | Honolulu, HI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 21 | $5,453,377 | $4,941,234 |
| 10 | San Jose, CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 47 | $5,204,902 | $4,014,662 |
| 11 | Fresno, CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 27 | $3,593,014 | $4,460,456 |
| 12 | Bronx, NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 25 | $10,856,856 | $8,738,644 |
| 13 | Lewisburg, PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 36 | $9,667,603 | $9,358,235 |
| 14 | Villanova, PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 21 | $9,400,582 | $9,556,877 |
| 15 | Brookville, NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 30 | $10,169,698 | $8,044,977 |
| 16 | Staten Island, NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 47 | $7,042,166 | $5,251,886 |
| 17 | Davis, CA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 56 | $4,818,992 | $6,180,518 |
| 18 | Erie, PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 38 | $6,299,277 | $4,573,510 |
| 19 | Loretto, PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 20 | $3,861,974 | $4,553,912 |
| 20 | Poughkeepsie, NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 22 | $3,556,244 | $4,356,498 |
| 21 | Lexington, VA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 14 | $5,795,798 | $993,776 |
| 22 | New Rochelle, NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 43 | $2,902,962 | $3,369,265 |
| 23 | Providence, RI | NCAA Division I-FCS | 45 | $0 | $0 |
| 24 | Princeton, NJ | NCAA Division I-FCS | 43 | $0 | $0 |
| 25 | Cambridge, MA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 36 | $0 | $0 |
| 26 | Washington, DC | NCAA Division I without football | 16 | $5,259,279 | $8,903,963 |
| 27 | Los Angeles, CA | NCAA Division I without football | 50 | $4,661,563 | $7,194,879 |
| 28 | Emmitsburg, MD | NCAA Division I without football | 50 | $4,864,808 | $6,647,103 |
| 29 | Malibu, CA | NCAA Division I without football | 29 | $4,830,068 | $6,035,743 |
| 30 | Riverside, CA | NCAA Division I without football | 54 | $4,738,309 | $5,919,754 |
| 31 | Santa Clara, CA | NCAA Division I without football | 49 | $4,868,082 | $4,422,109 |
| 32 | Philadelphia, PA | NCAA Division I without football | 18 | $2,917,320 | $4,846,080 |
| 33 | Loudonville, NY | NCAA Division I without football | 18 | $3,354,565 | $4,209,146 |
| 34 | Stockton, CA | NCAA Division I without football | 61 | $3,360,342 | $4,198,266 |
| 35 | Santa Barbara, CA | NCAA Division I without football | 52 | $3,214,113 | $3,360,459 |
| 36 | La Jolla, CA | NCAA Division I without football | 53 | $2,879,428 | $3,511,419 |
| 37 | Irvine, CA | NCAA Division I without football | 50 | $3,064,898 | $2,963,571 |
| 38 | Fullerton, CA | NCAA Division I without football | 50 | $2,004,390 | $2,573,207 |
| 39 | Northridge, CA | NCAA Division I without football | 20 | $2,146,105 | $2,401,739 |
| 40 | Long Beach, CA | NCAA Division I without football | 53 | $1,487,174 | $2,467,934 |
| 41 | Lebanon, IL | NCAA Division II with football | 50 | $4,271,183 | $3,281,590 |
| 42 | Erie, PA | NCAA Division II with football | 34 | $3,349,100 | $2,567,382 |
| 43 | La Mirada, CA | NCAA Division II without football | 50 | $2,123,387 | $2,762,565 |
| 44 | Irvine, CA | NCAA Division II without football | 44 | $2,233,210 | $2,404,836 |
| 45 | Azusa, CA | NCAA Division II without football | 16 | $1,912,115 | $2,714,777 |
| 46 | Fresno, CA | NCAA Division II without football | 41 | $1,905,940 | $1,643,779 |
| 47 | Salem, WV | NCAA Division II without football | 35 | $1,175,378 | $1,018,346 |
| 48 | Seaside, CA | NCAA Division II without football | 25 | $412,514 | $520,156 |
| 49 | Merced, CA | NAIA Division II | 39 | $138,000 | $138,000 |
| 50 | Surprise, AZ | NAIA Division I | 29 | $6,189,289 | $2,972,299 |
How we ranked this
Schools are ranked by NCAA/NAIA division tier (Division I-FBS and I-FCS first), then by the school’s overall athletic-aid scale, then by water polo roster size (men + women), all reported to the U.S. Department of Education under the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA). Division III schools are excluded because they do not award athletic scholarships. The athletic-aid columns are the school’s men’s and women’s aid totals across all sports, shown for context; they are not allocated to water polo — EADA reports aid only school-wide, never per sport. Only schools that can be matched to a named institution and report at least one water polo participant are listed (minimum 5schools to publish a page). Empty cells (“—”) mean the school reported no value; we never estimate.
Frequently asked questions
Does EADA data show water polo scholarship amounts per sport?+
No. The federal Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) reports athletic student aid only as a school-level total, split into men’s and women’s totals — it does not break aid down by individual sport. This page therefore ranks schools by their participation in water polo and shows the school’s overall athletic-aid totals as context only. We never present a per-sport aid figure.
Which colleges rank highest for water polo scholarships?+
Stanford University (California), a NCAA Division I-FBS program, leads our ranking of scholarship-awarding water polo schools. We rank by division tier and the school's overall athletic-aid scale (athletic aid is reported school-wide, not per sport), then by water polo roster size.
Do all water polo programs offer athletic scholarships?+
No. NCAA Division III and some other associations do not award athletic scholarships at all, while Division I, Division II and NAIA schools may. A school showing $0 in athletic aid in our table typically does not offer athletic scholarships. Always confirm with the program directly.
How are these water polo colleges ranked?+
By the number of student-athletes participating in the sport (men plus women) as reported to EADA — the only per-sport signal the dataset provides. A larger program generally means more roster spots and recruiting activity, but it does not guarantee a larger scholarship.
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education EADA (Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act) · IPEDS · College Scorecard. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.