Swimming at College
Dive straight in and learn more about becoming a College Swimmer in the USA!
COLLEGE SWIMMING
The US College sports system really is a remarkable opportunity for competitive swimmers to combine a first class university education, while training and competing in some of the world’s best sports facilities. In addition, student-athletes that perform at an elite level and maintain strong academic grades can receive substantial or even full scholarship funding during their time in the States.
That being said, you do not have to be a national champion or qualifying for Olympic trials in order to be considered for an American College swim team. While there is undoubtedly a strong interest from US coaches in top international athletes, there’s also hundreds of Colleges that will look for strong, regional/national level swimmers, too.
There are almost 600 colleges which you could swim for in the US! Again, if you are a competitive swimmer, there is a level for you; you do not need to be the next Katie Ledecky or Michael Phelps to become a college swimmer!
If you are curious to see how scholarship funding differs between sports, or how a scholarship package is actually put together, you can read more on our page about scholarships at college.
SWIMMING AT COLLEGE – COMPETITIONS
In season, swimmers compete in a number of dual meets (1 v 1 against another college). Colleges may also choose to compete in invitational meets, racing multiple schools from around the state or region.
For almost all college swim programs, the most important meet of the year is the Conference Championships usually held at some point February. During all competitions, points ranging from 20 points (1st place) to 1 point (16th place) are awarded to teams based on the finishing position of their swimmers. In relay events, points are doubled and only awarded to the top 8 teams. The points are tallied for each school on a collective basis, so it is crucial that athletes adopt a “team-first” mentality when competing as every point counts!
Every March, the top swimmers in the the nation compete at the National Championships. There are both “A cut” and “B cut” time standards for each event with an “A cut” granting automatic qualification to the competition and a “B cut” potentially giving you an invite to the meet once all the “A cut” swimmers have been given places. The ultimate goal for the top swim teams in the nation is to be crowned National Champions as a team. Individual National Champions are also crowned in each event in addition to the National Championship winning team.
You can take a look at highlights from the national championship here.
WHAT LEVEL SHOULD I BE COMPETING AT IN ORDER TO GET A HIGHER SCHOLARSHIP OFFER?
It differs from program to program and how each respective coach prefers to recruit his/her athletes. Some coaches will see value in an athlete that excels in one specific swimming event, e.g. 100m Freestyle. However, most coaches will prioritise an athlete’s three strongest events when determining their value and potential scholarship. This is because swimmers are typically allowed to compete in a maximum of three individual events at a conference meet. Therefore, placing highly in these three events can have a significant impact on a team’s success. Additionally, contributing to one or more relay team can further enhance your scholarship prospects. By demonstrating your ability to excel in multiple events and disciplines as well as contribute to team victories, you can increase your chances of securing a substantial swimming scholarship.
WHEN DOES THE COLLEGE SWIMMING SEASON TAKE PLACE?
The season for College swimmers begins in September and ends in March.
To find out more regarding how student-athletes balance their athletic and academic responsibilities, read our page on the academic system.
COLLEGE SWIMMING ON THE WORLD STAGE
Many world-class sportsmen and sportswomen have developed and honed their skills as a college athlete in various sports, and swimming is no different. Take the Paris 2024 Olympics for example; over 1200 current, former and incoming student-athletes from across all three NCAA divisions competed for 125 teams and countries. This included 65% of the entire USA Olympic roster and more than 800 athletes from outside the US. In total, 251 NCAA schools from nearly 60 conferences were represented at the games. In swimming alone, there were 223 athletes from 66 schools, 27 conferences and 84 countries competing. Of the 37 gold medals available in swimming, 31 were won by NCAA athletes as well as 33 silver medals and 15 bronze medals!
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