What has long been considered a California sport, water polo is rising in popularity across the country in states, such as Connecticut, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, Washington, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee, Utah, Illinois, Texas, Michigan and Oregon. In 2017, USA Water Polo reported non-California membership has by more than 4,000 members over a decade. The National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) also reported nationwide growth in women’s high school water polo, with a 7.9 percent increase in women’s water polo participation between 2011 and 2016. This was during a time when historically popular sports, such as football, volleyball and basketball, saw a decrease in varsity participation.
Despite positive growth, water polo is still fighting for sponsorship and funding at the collegiate level at NCAA and NAIA institutions. Women’s water polo has a scholarship limit per team of 8 for both NCAA Division 1 and 2. Water polo is an equivalency sport, which means college coaches have the freedom to award their scholarship budget however they see fit. This means student-athletes are far more likely to receive partial funding, as opposed to full-ride scholarships.
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How many colleges have women’s water polo?
- Division 1: 34
- Division 2: 12
- Division 3: 19
- NAIA: 1
- CCCAA: 41
There are 107 women’s water polo colleges. California is home to nearly 76 percent of high school water polo players. While these athletes have the option of 29 collegiate women’s water polo programs outside of California, it’s likely that many of the 1,900 women who play college water polo after high school will be recruited by a local institution. While there are more women’s college water polo programs than men’s, women’s water polo remains one of the smallest women’s NCAA sports with a highly competitive recruiting process. Student-athletes will have to measure up to both local and international athletes, as college coaches spend just as much time recruiting talent from overseas as they do in the United States.
Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA)
As a member conference of the NCAA, the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) sponsors 17 women’s water polo programs that compete within the NCAA and against CWPA member teams. These programs are situated in the Eastern region of the United States and divided into two divisions; Division 1 and Division 3. These programs benefit from the same perks of active NCAA members, including the opportunity to compete at the NCAA men’s water polo championship for the title of national champion.
Western Water Polo Association (WWPA)
Another member conference of the NCAA, the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) oversees 9 women’s water polo programs. These women’s programs include California State East Bay, California State Monterey Bay, Fresno Pacific, Mercyhurst and UC San Diego in the Western region and Gannon, McKendree and Salem in the Eastern region. All nine WWPA women’s water polo teams compete in matches against other WWPA teams and within the NCAA. At the end of the season, each team competes for the WWPA’s automatic bid to the NCAA men’s water polo championship at a WWPA-sponsored postseason championship tournament.
Division 1 water polo colleges
Division 1 water polo offers 34 women’s water polo colleges across both the East and West Coast, as well as Michigan, Indiana, Arizona and Hawaii. On the East Coast, student-athletes have the option of 14 programs located in Virginia, DC, New Jersey, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. On the West Coast, all 15 women’s water polo programs are in the state of California.
While all Division 1 women’s water polo colleges compete at the same level, what differentiates the campuses where these teams are situated is the size of the student body. The colleges and universities located on the East Coast offer a smaller student body ranging from 2,000 and 8,000 students. On the West Coast, student-athletes will find much larger student bodies between 18,000 to over 30,000 students.
The NCAA has sponsored a women’s water polo championship to cap off the season since 2001. With so few women’s water polo teams, teams from all seven women’s water polo conferences, regardless of division, are eligible to qualify for and compete in the postseason champions. Starting with the 2019-20 season, Division 3 institutions no longer participate in the NCAA women’s water polo championship. Instead, Division 3 institutions now compete in the USA Water Polo Division 3 National Championship.
Division 2 water polo colleges
Women’s water polo is offered at 12 Division 2 colleges and universities. While many of these programs are in California, student-athletes also have a few East Coast options in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Ranging in size from 650 students at Salem International University to over 27,000 students at The University of California – San Diego, student-athletes looking for a small, medium or large campus have all three options at the Division 2 level.
All three NCAA divisions are eligible to compete in the NCAA women’s water polo championship at the end of each season. Division 3 water polo programs competed in their last NCAA postseason tournament in 2019. Moving forward, Division 1 and 2 women’s water polo teams will continue to go head-to-head at the NCAA championship tournament, while Division 3 programs will end their season with the USA Water Polo Division 3 National Championship.
Division 3 water polo colleges
There are 19 Division 3 women’s water polo programs spread across California, and in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Minnesota, Wisconsin and New York. Known for their small student bodies and core focus on academic over athletics, Division 3 water polo is demanding attention with the help of USA Water Polo.
Division 3 men’s volleyball earned an official NCAA sponsored Division 3 men’s volleyball championship in 2012, after hosting its own Molten Championship for 15 years. Following their lead, USA Water Polo teamed up with Division 3 water polo institutions to establish a Division 3 national water polo championship tournament May 2020. Developing this tournament not only allows USA Water Polo to recognize growth and encourage the future growth of varsity women’s water polo at other Division institutions, but the organization hopes to reach the same level of success as Division 3 men’s volleyball with their own NCAA sponsored championship.
NAIA water polo programs
In recent years, institutions like Azusa Pacific, Concordia University and Fresno Pacific have transitioned from NAIA to NCAA programs. As a result, the NAIA sponsors just 1 women’s water polo program at California State University Maritime Academy. A benefit of being the only NAIA program with no conference is that there are no limits on the number of games the team can compete in. Unfortunately, this also means that the NAIA does not sponsor a postseason championship. While Cal Maritime cannot compete for the NCAA women’s water polo champion title, the program can schedule games against NCAA programs.
Junior colleges with water polo
The California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) governs 41 junior college water polo programs. Each CCCAA women’s water polo teams belongs to one of seven conferences across California. At the end of each season, the CCCAA hosts a women’s water polo state championship. CCCAA institutions range in student-body size from as small as 1,500 students to as large as 86,000, with an average of 12,300 students.
Student-athletes typically transfer out of CCCAA institutions to attend a four-year NCAA or NAIA institution where they can continue to compete in water polo and focus on academics.
Women’s College Water Polo Rankings – Best water polo colleges
Student-athletes prioritize several factors when looking for the right college fit. Is the school in their desired location? Does the institution offer a major in their area of academic interest? How large or small is the student body? Taking into consideration these factors, NCSA’s Power Rankings analyze data from IPEDS graduation rates and average cost after aid, and the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges. NCSA also includes data collected from student-athletes in the NCSA network. Using this data, we’ve ranked the best water polo colleges. The top 10 water polo colleges are below:
- University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA)
- Stanford University
- University of California
- Princeton University
- Harvard University
- Brown University
- University of California – San Diego
- University of Southern California
- University of Michigan
- University of California – Irvine
The NCAA releases its own women’s water polo ranks that can be found on the NCAA website.
Full List of Colleges with Women's Water Polo
School
City and State
Type
Conference
Division
Sacramento, California
Public
Big 8 Conference (NCFC Football)
JC
Tempe, Arizona
Public
Pacific-12 Conference
NCAA D1
Rock Island, Illinois
Private
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
NCAA D3
Sherman, Texas
Private
Southern Athletic Association
NCAA D3
Azusa, California
Private
Golden Coast Conference
NCAA D2
La Mirada, California
Private
Western Water Polo Association Women
NCAA D2
Providence, Rhode Island
Private
Ivy League
NCAA D1
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
Private
Patriot League
NCAA D1
Riverside, California
Private
Western Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
Pasadena, California
Private
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
NCAA D3
Thousand Oaks, California
Private
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
NCAA D3
Hayward, California
Public
Western Water Polo Association Women
NCAA D2
Fresno, California
Public
Mountain West Conference
NCAA D1
Fullerton, California
Public
Big West Conference
NCAA D1
Long Beach, California
Public
Big West Conference
NCAA D1
Seaside, California
Public
Western Water Polo Association Women
NCAA D2
Northridge, California
Public
Big West Conference
NCAA D1
Vallejo, California
Public
California Pacific Conference
NAIA
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Public
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
NCAA D3
Rancho Cucamonga, California
Public
California Collegiate Athletic Association
JC
Orange, California
Private
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
NCAA D3
Glendora, California
Public
Western States Conference
JC
Claremont, California
Private
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Division III), Western Water Polo Association (Division III)
NCAA D3
Kentfield, California
Public
California Community College Athletic Association
JC
Irvine, California
Private
Golden Coast Conference
NCAA D2
New London, Connecticut
Private
New England Small College Athletic Conference
NCAA D3
Yucaipa, California
Public
IEAC
JC
Cypress, California
Public
Orange Empire Conference
JC
Monterey Park, California
Public
South Coast Conference
JC
Torrance, California
Public
CCCAA (SCFA Football)
JC
Fresno, California
Public
Central Valley Conference
JC
Fresno, California
Private
Western Water Polo Association Women
NCAA D2
Erie, Pennsylvania
Private
Western Water Polo Association Women
NCAA D2
Grove City, Pennsylvania
Private
Presidents' Athletic Conference
NCAA D3
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Private
Ivy League
NCAA D1
Bloomington, Indiana
Public
Big Ten Conference
NCAA D1
New Rochelle, New York
Private
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Private
Atlantic 10 Conference
NCAA D1
Long Island, New York
Private
Northeast Conference
NCAA D1
Valley Glen, California
Public
CCCAA, SCFA WSC
JC
Los Angeles, California
Private
West Coast Conference
NCAA D1
St. Paul, Minnesota
Private
Midwest Conference
NCAA D3
Poughkeepsie, New York
Private
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
Lebanon, Illinois
Private
Western Water Polo Association Women
NCAA D2
Merced, California
Public
Central Valley Conference
JC
Erie, Pennsylvania
Private
Western Water Polo Association Women
NCAA D2
Modesto, California
Public
CCCAA, Big 8
JC
Emmitsburg, Maryland
Private
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
Walnut, California
Public
CCCAA
JC
Los Angeles, California
Private
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
NCAA D3
Costa Mesa, California
Public
Orange Empire Conference (SCFA Football)
JC
Phoenix, Arizona
Private
Golden State Athletic Conference
NAIA
San Marcos, California
Public
PCAC (SCFA Football)
JC
Pasadena, California
Public
South Coast Conference (SCFA Football)
JC
Erie, Pennsylvania
Public
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference
NCAA D3
Claremont, California
Private
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
NCAA D3
Princeton, New Jersey
Private
Ivy League
NCAA D1
Sacramento, California
Public
CCCAA
JC
Mission Viejo, California
Public
Orange Empire Conference (SCFA Football)
JC
Loretto, Pennsylvania
Private
Northeast Conference
NCAA D1
Salem, West Virginia
Private
Western Water Polo Association Women
NCAA D2
San Diego, California
Public
PCAC
JC
San Diego, California
Public
Mountain West Conference
NCAA D1
San Jose, California
Public
Mountain West Conference
NCAA D1
Santa Barbara, California
Public
Western State Conference
JC
Santa Clara, California
Private
West Coast Conference
NCAA D1
Santa Monica, California
Public
CCCAA
JC
Loudonville, New York
Private
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
NCAA D1
Brooklyn Heights, New York
Private
Northeast Conference
NCAA D1
Stanford, California
Private
Pacific-12 Conference
NCAA D1
Berkeley, California
Public
Pacific-12 Conference
NCAA D1
Davis, California
Public
Big Sky Conference
NCAA D1
Irvine, California
Public
Big West Conference
NCAA D1
Los Angeles, California
Public
Pacific-12 Conference
NCAA D1
Merced, California
Public
California Pacific Conference
NAIA
La Jolla, California
Public
Big West Conference
NCAA D1
Santa Barbara, California
Public
Big West Conference
NCAA D1
Honolulu, Hawaii
Public
Mountain West Conference
NCAA D1
La Verne, California
Private
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
NCAA D3
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Public
Big Ten Conference
NCAA D1
Redlands, California
Private
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
NCAA D3
Los Angeles, California
Private
Pacific-12 Conference
NCAA D1
Stockton, California
Private
West Coast Conference
NCAA D1
Utica, New York
Private
Empire 8 Athletic Conference
NCAA D3
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Private
Big East Conference
NCAA D1
Lexington, Virginia
Public
Big South Conference
NCAA D1
Staten Island, New York
Private
Northeast Conference
NCAA D1
Washington, Pennsylvania
Private
Presidents' Athletic Conference
NCAA D3
Irvine, California
Private
California Pacific Conference
NAIA
Norton, Massachusetts
Private
New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference
NCAA D3
Whittier, California
Private
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
NCAA D3
Springfield, Ohio
Private
North Coast Athletic Conference
NCAA D3
