NCAA · Women's Water Polo
Women's Water Polo programs
63 programs across 3 divisions, each with its coaching staff, roster, budget and the school behind it.
63
Programs
36 D1 · 8 D2 · 19 D3
1,312
Roster spots
last season
18,023
High-school players
2024-25
1 in 14
Odds of any NCAA spot · 7.3%
1 in 22 (4.5%) for Division I
24
D-I roster cap
12 of 36 programs over it last season
$635k
Median D-I budget
$30,406 per player
1 in Alaska, Hawaii or abroad not shown
Division IDivision IIDivision III
When coaches may contact you
The first date a coach in each division may email or call a recruit, by high-school graduation year — the general NCAA rule for women's water polo. You may write to any coach at any time.
| Grad year | Division I | Division II | Division III |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | June 15, 2025 | June 15, 2025 | Any time |
| 2028 | June 15, 2026 | June 15, 2026 | Any time |
| 2029 | June 15, 2027 | June 15, 2027 | Any time |
| 2030 | June 15, 2028 | June 15, 2028 | Any time |
The full guide: eligibility, what to send, and how the roster cap changes the math.
Division by division
| Division | Programs | Spots | Median budget | Per player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division I | 36 | 810 | $635k | $30k |
| Division II | 8 | 163 | $321k | $14k |
| Division III | 19 | 339 | $131k | $7k |
Division I roster cap 24 from 2025-26: last season 12 programs carried more, 4 were exactly at it and 20 had room. Players already on a roster may stay, so the squeeze lands on the next classes. How the caps work.
Odds: 7.3% of high-school players hold an NCAA roster spot (1 in 14); 1 in 22 (4.5%) in Division I. Transfers and international players hold some of those spots. The honest version · every sport.
Biggest team budgets · Division I
| # | School | Team budget | Roster | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Michigan Collegiate Water Polo Association (Women's) | $1.8M | 24 | 973 | |
| 2 | Arizona State University Mountain Pacific Sports Federation - Women's Water Polo | $1.7M | 18 | 1000 | |
| 3 | Stanford University Mountain Pacific Sports Federation - Women's Water Polo | $1.7M | 23 | 1000 | |
| 4 | University of California, Los Angeles Mountain Pacific Sports Federation - Women's Water Polo | $1.6M | 37 | 997 | |
| 5 | University of California, Berkeley Mountain Pacific Sports Federation - Women's Water Polo | $1.6M | 26 | 994 | |
| 6 | University of Southern California Mountain Pacific Sports Federation - Women's Water Polo | $1.4M | 25 | 981 | |
| 7 | Indiana University, Bloomington Mountain Pacific Sports Federation - Women's Water Polo | $1.3M | 24 | 983 | |
| 8 | University of Hawaii, Manoa Big West Conference | $1.3M | 21 | 984 | |
| 9 | Loyola Marymount University Golden Coast Conference | $1.3M | 25 | 986 | |
| 10 | California State University, Fresno Golden Coast Conference | $1.1M | 27 | 986 |
Best Academic Progress Rates · Division I
| # | School | APR | Roster | Budget | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State University Mountain Pacific Sports Federation - Women's Water Polo | 1000 | 18 | $1.7M | |
| 2 | Brown University Collegiate Water Polo Association (Women's) | 1000 | 26 | $608k | |
| 3 | California Baptist University Big West Conference | 1000 | 30 | $947k | |
| 4 | Santa Clara University Golden Coast Conference | 1000 | 22 | $409k | |
| 5 | Stanford University Mountain Pacific Sports Federation - Women's Water Polo | 1000 | 23 | $1.7M | |
| 6 | Villanova University Metro Conference | 1000 | 21 | $420k | |
| 7 | University of California, Los Angeles Mountain Pacific Sports Federation - Women's Water Polo | 997 | 37 | $1.6M | |
| 8 | University of California, Davis Golden Coast Conference | 995 | 27 | $738k | |
| 9 | University of the Pacific Golden Coast Conference | 995 | 25 | $803k | |
| 10 | Harvard University Collegiate Water Polo Association (Women's) | 995 | 18 | $354k |
Most room on the roster · Division I
| # | School | Room under the cap | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long Island University Metro Conference | 10 | — | |
| 2 | Virginia Military Institute Metro Conference | 10 | 991 | |
| 3 | Princeton University Collegiate Water Polo Association (Women's) | 8 | 992 | |
| 4 | Mercyhurst University Collegiate Water Polo Association (Women's) | 7 | — | |
| 5 | Arizona State University Mountain Pacific Sports Federation - Women's Water Polo | 6 | 1000 | |
| 6 | Harvard University Collegiate Water Polo Association (Women's) | 6 | 995 | |
| 7 | La Salle University Metro Conference | 6 | 975 | |
| 8 | Siena University Metro Conference | 6 | 994 | |
| 9 | Bucknell University Collegiate Water Polo Association (Women's) | 5 | 987 | |
| 10 | Iona University Metro Conference | 5 | 994 |
Lowest net price · Division I
| # | School | Net price | Roster | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California State University, Fullerton Big West Conference | $6,283 | 28 | — | |
| 2 | California State University, Fresno Golden Coast Conference | $7,303 | 27 | 986 | |
| 3 | California State University, Northridge Big West Conference | $8,222 | 20 | 983 | |
| 4 | Long Beach State University Big West Conference | $9,731 | 25 | 985 | |
| 5 | University of California, San Diego Big West Conference | $13,293 | 24 | — | |
| 6 | San Jose State University Golden Coast Conference | $13,833 | 21 | 981 | |
| 7 | University of Hawaii, Manoa Big West Conference | $14,557 | 21 | 984 | |
| 8 | University of California, Irvine Big West Conference | $14,647 | 23 | 983 | |
| 9 | University of California, Los Angeles Mountain Pacific Sports Federation - Women's Water Polo | $15,166 | 37 | 997 | |
| 10 | University of California, Santa Barbara Big West Conference | $15,283 | 24 | 980 |
Every women's water polo coach's email, filters for roster room, budget, admission rate, majors and cost — and one reviewed email per school from your own Gmail.Start your board