US College Rowing Programmes: NCAA, IRA and ACRA

This page is for high-school rowers, international students and parents trying to make sense of US college rowing. The structure surprises most newcomers: women’s rowing sits in the NCAA, while the top men’s crews race for a title run by a separate body, which Washington won for the 22nd time in 2026. The programmes below show how much the options differ.

For community clubs, see rowing clubs in the USA.

How US college rowing is organised

• NCAA (women). Women’s rowing is an NCAA sport. The 2026 Division I championship was held at Lake Lanier, Georgia, on 29 to 31 May. Division III crews race their own championship, held at Mercer Lake, New Jersey, in 2025.
• IRA (men, plus women’s lightweights). The Intercollegiate Rowing Association ran its 123rd national championship in 2026 at Lake Natoma, California, with events for men’s heavyweights, men’s lightweights, women’s lightweights and Division 3 crews.
• ACRA (club crews). The American Collegiate Rowing Association was founded in 2008 as a championship for club-level teams. It groups members into six regions, and its 2027 championship is on 21 to 23 May in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
• Other big regattas. The Dad Vail Regatta, which calls itself the largest collegiate regatta in the US, runs on the Cooper River in New Jersey. College crews such as Boston University also race autumn head races like the Head of the Charles.

As a rough calendar, fall is for head races and spring for sprint racing, with winter on the erg and in the weight room.

Programmes

Club	Founded	Location/water	Who it’s for	Website
Adrian College	n/a	Adrian, MI	Varsity men’s and women’s teams at an NCAA Division III college	adrianbulldogs.com
Bates College	n/a	Lewiston, ME	Varsity; NCAA Division III women; IRA Division 3	gobatesbobcats.com
Boston University	n/a	Boston, MA; Charles River	Varsity; IRA heavyweight and women’s lightweight; women race in the Patriot League	bu.edu
Columbia University	n/a	New York, NY	Varsity; NCAA Division I women; IRA heavyweight and men’s lightweight	ivyleague.com
Connecticut College	n/a	New London, CT; Thames River	Varsity women’s and men’s teams at an NCAA Division III college	camelathletics.com
Trinity College	n/a	Hartford, CT	Varsity; IRA Division 3 (2026 champion)	bantamsports.com
University of Washington	1899	Seattle, WA	Varsity; IRA heavyweight (2026 champion); women race in the Big Ten and NCAA	irarowing.com
Stanford University	n/a	Stanford, CA	IRA heavyweight and women’s lightweight	irarowing.com
Sacred Heart University	n/a	Fairfield, CT	IRA women’s lightweight	irarowing.com
UCLA Rowing	n/a	Marina del Rey, CA	Club; ACRA; novices welcome	uclamensrowing.com
USC Men’s Rowing	n/a	Wilmington, CA	ACRA	usrowing.org
Maryland Crew	n/a	College Park, MD	ACRA	usrowing.org

Columbia made its NCAA debut in 2026, finishing 15th. Bates has finished in the top four in 16 of the 17 years it has qualified for the Division III championship. Those two results show how different the same “varsity” label can look.

Recruiting and scholarships

Recruiting usually starts well before senior year. As a rule of thumb, start researching in the year or two before you would enrol, keep a recent 2k score to hand, and email coaches directly. Governing-body rules limit when coaches can contact you, and those limits vary, so ask each programme what applies to you.

Scholarship rules differ by programme, division and gender. Our guide to how rowing scholarships work covers partial awards and what coaches look for. Admission still comes first: a coach’s interest is not an offer of a place.

How to pick a programme

• Match the level to the student. An IRA heavyweight crew and a Division III team can ask for very different weeks, so ask how many hours the team really trains.
• Ask about the water. Some colleges row a drive away from campus, and that shapes your day.
• Take club crews seriously. Programmes such as UCLA’s give novices a route in. Expect members to carry more of the cost and organisation.
• International students. Check eligibility and visa rules with the coach early, and confirm what a funding package covers.

Build fitness before tryouts with the first month on the erg and how to do a 2k erg test, or browse all club guides.

Spotted a mistake, or does your programme belong here? Tell us.