NCAA Division I recruiting standards
NCAA Division I Men's 500 Free Recruiting Times
Real SCY time standards for the Men's 500 Free across NCAA Division I swimmers, plus the 80 programs at this level and where your time fits.
500 Free time standards (NCAA Division I).
From 62,704 men's NCAA Division I swimmers' best SCY times. Lower = faster.
Recruitable
4:04.45
Fastest / national level
The top of NCAA Division I in this event — high-major recruiting tier.
Competitive
4:38.65
Top-25% band
A strong, clearly-recruitable time for NCAA Division I programs.
Roster level
4:50.81
Median (typical)
The middle of NCAA Division I rosters; p75 5:09.90, p90 5:40.34.
NCAA Division I programs ranked by 500 Free.
By team median for this event (each swimmer's best, last 4 years). Click a school for full roster, cost and admissions.
| # | School | State | Team fastest | Team median | Swimmers | Last raced |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | CA | 4:06.74 | 4:16.65 | 14 | 2026-03-27 |
| 2 | Stanford University | CA | 4:11.07 | 4:18.09 | 8 | 2026-03-27 |
| 3 | University of Georgia | GA | 4:08.25 | 4:18.09 | 11 | 2026-03-27 |
| 4 | University of Wisconsin | WI | 4:13.37 | 4:19.38 | 9 | 2026-03-27 |
| 5 | North Carolina State University | NC | 4:09.44 | 4:19.52 | 16 | 2026-03-27 |
| 6 | University of Michigan | MI | 4:12.54 | 4:19.75 | 18 | 2026-03-27 |
| 7 | University of Texas | TX | 4:04.45 | 4:19.94 | 18 | 2026-03-27 |
| 8 | Indiana University | IN | 4:07.95 | 4:20.24 | 21 | 2026-03-27 |
| 9 | University of Louisville | KY | 4:14.90 | 4:20.57 | 7 | 2026-03-27 |
| 10 | Southern Methodist University | TX | 4:15.46 | 4:20.59 | 11 | 2026-03-06 |
| 11 | Louisiana State University | LA | 4:08.55 | 4:20.65 | 9 | 2026-02-20 |
| 12 | Ohio State University | OH | 4:11.52 | 4:20.79 | 16 | 2026-03-27 |
| 13 | University of Tennessee | TN | 4:11.86 | 4:20.94 | 6 | 2026-03-27 |
| 14 | University of Alabama | AL | 4:10.45 | 4:21.41 | 6 | 2026-03-27 |
| 15 | University of North Carolina | NC | 4:17.67 | 4:23.14 | 7 | 2026-02-18 |
| 16 | University of Utah | UT | 4:13.48 | 4:23.71 | 16 | 2026-03-27 |
| 17 | Princeton University | NJ | 4:14.17 | 4:23.83 | 17 | 2026-03-27 |
| 18 | University of Wyoming | WY | 4:16.20 | 4:23.94 | 9 | 2026-03-27 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania State University | PA | 4:18.50 | 4:24.08 | 7 | 2026-02-27 |
| 20 | University of Southern California | CA | 4:10.16 | 4:24.19 | 12 | 2026-03-27 |
| 21 | University of Arizona | AZ | 4:17.61 | 4:24.22 | 10 | 2026-02-25 |
| 22 | Duke University | NC | 4:21.29 | 4:24.52 | 5 | 2026-03-12 |
| 23 | Georgia Institute of Technology | GA | 4:19.24 | 4:24.75 | 10 | 2026-02-18 |
| 24 | Auburn University | AL | 4:17.26 | 4:25.01 | 14 | 2026-02-20 |
| 25 | University of Kentucky | KY | 4:10.27 | 4:25.22 | 13 | 2026-03-27 |
| 26 | University of Notre Dame | IN | 4:15.92 | 4:25.53 | 8 | 2026-02-18 |
| 27 | University of Virginia | VA | 4:13.43 | 4:25.88 | 15 | 2026-02-18 |
| 28 | University of South Carolina | SC | 4:11.88 | 4:26.72 | 10 | 2026-03-27 |
| 29 | Texas A & M University | TX | 4:19.06 | 4:27.17 | 11 | 2026-02-20 |
| 30 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas | NV | 4:22.57 | 4:27.25 | 10 | 2026-02-26 |
| 31 | Drexel University | PA | 4:24.19 | 4:27.69 | 10 | 2026-03-12 |
| 32 | West Virginia University | WV | 4:22.95 | 4:27.99 | 11 | 2026-02-25 |
| 33 | Virginia Tech | VA | 4:16.09 | 4:28.09 | 14 | 2026-02-27 |
| 34 | University of Minnesota | MN | 4:14.33 | 4:28.11 | 13 | 2026-03-08 |
| 35 | Texas Christian University | TX | 4:23.08 | 4:28.19 | 12 | 2026-03-07 |
| 36 | University of California-San Diego | CA | 4:20.98 | 4:28.25 | 7 | 2026-02-12 |
| 37 | University of Denver | CO | 4:21.63 | 4:28.51 | 9 | 2026-03-12 |
| 38 | Northwestern University | IL | 4:13.28 | 4:28.71 | 10 | 2026-02-27 |
| 39 | Missouri State University | MO | 4:19.72 | 4:28.71 | 7 | 2026-02-25 |
| 40 | Harvard University | MA | 4:12.03 | 4:28.71 | 13 | 2026-03-27 |
| 41 | Binghamton University | NY | 4:22.74 | 4:29.90 | 7 | 2026-02-19 |
| 42 | University of Delaware | DE | 4:21.69 | 4:29.91 | 12 | 2026-02-18 |
| 43 | Georgetown University | DC | 4:25.93 | 4:30.20 | 8 | 2026-02-20 |
| 44 | Univ of North Carolina Wilmington | NC | 4:19.02 | 4:30.26 | 13 | 2026-02-26 |
| 45 | Florida Atlantic University | FL | 4:20.72 | 4:30.41 | 11 | 2026-03-12 |
| 46 | University of Cincinnati | OH | 4:22.08 | 4:30.51 | 13 | 2026-02-25 |
| 47 | Purdue University | IN | 4:14.85 | 4:30.65 | 13 | 2026-03-27 |
| 48 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | HI | 4:24.76 | 4:30.69 | 9 | 2026-02-12 |
| 49 | Florida State University | FL | 4:20.80 | 4:31.20 | 10 | 2026-02-28 |
| 50 | University of Missouri | MO | 4:23.96 | 4:31.25 | 12 | 2026-02-20 |
| 51 | U.S. Military Academy | NY | 4:20.25 | 4:31.71 | 10 | 2026-02-19 |
| 52 | University of Pennsylvania | PA | 4:18.92 | 4:31.84 | 16 | 2026-02-27 |
| 53 | Davidson College | NC | 4:16.15 | 4:31.95 | 13 | 2026-03-27 |
| 54 | Cornell University | NY | 4:19.57 | 4:32.70 | 15 | 2026-02-26 |
| 55 | St Bonaventure University | NY | 4:26.65 | 4:33.67 | 13 | 2026-02-19 |
| 56 | Seton Hall University | NJ | 4:24.09 | 4:33.81 | 9 | 2026-02-19 |
| 57 | Boston University | MA | 4:22.92 | 4:34.20 | 8 | 2026-02-19 |
| 58 | Southern Illinois University | IL | 4:22.74 | 4:34.22 | 9 | 2026-02-25 |
| 59 | Queens University of Charlotte | NC | 4:24.97 | 4:34.27 | 13 | 2026-03-12 |
| 60 | Bucknell University | PA | 4:27.10 | 4:34.35 | 12 | 2026-02-27 |
| 61 | University of Illinois at Chicago | IL | 4:25.82 | 4:34.40 | 8 | 2026-03-12 |
| 62 | Lehigh University | PA | 4:27.05 | 4:34.48 | 9 | 2026-02-27 |
| 63 | Villanova University | PA | 4:29.79 | 4:34.50 | 12 | 2026-02-19 |
| 64 | College of William & Mary | VA | 4:24.10 | 4:34.54 | 11 | 2026-02-26 |
| 65 | George Washington University | DC | 4:22.30 | 4:34.62 | 10 | 2026-03-12 |
| 66 | Long Island University | NY | 4:24.75 | 4:35.24 | 3 | 2026-02-18 |
| 67 | George Mason University | VA | 4:22.89 | 4:35.85 | 12 | 2026-02-19 |
| 68 | Dartmouth College | NH | 4:28.01 | 4:35.88 | 11 | 2026-02-26 |
| 69 | Xavier University | OH | 4:25.88 | 4:35.95 | 11 | 2026-02-19 |
| 70 | Brigham Young University | UT | 4:17.04 | 4:35.99 | 12 | 2026-03-27 |
| 71 | University of the Pacific | CA | 4:30.44 | 4:36.35 | 11 | 2026-03-12 |
| 72 | Yale University | CT | 4:07.68 | 4:36.67 | 15 | 2026-03-27 |
| 73 | Old Dominion University | VA | 4:25.39 | 4:37.03 | 12 | 2026-03-12 |
| 74 | Northern Kentucky University | KY | 4:31.34 | 4:37.36 | 3 | 2026-02-19 |
| 75 | Cleveland State University | OH | 4:27.96 | 4:37.57 | 17 | 2026-02-19 |
| 76 | Niagara University | NY | 4:29.38 | 4:38.30 | 10 | 2026-03-12 |
| 77 | University of the Incarnate Word | TX | 4:31.32 | 4:38.31 | 4 | 2026-02-26 |
| 78 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | NJ | 4:21.99 | 4:38.49 | 17 | 2026-03-12 |
| 79 | Fairfield University | CT | 4:26.25 | 4:39.21 | 9 | 2026-02-27 |
| 80 | Bellarmine University | KY | 4:29.65 | 4:39.23 | 10 | 2026-02-18 |
Same division, other events
NCAA Division I Men's standards for every event.
Same event, other divisions
Compare the Men's 500 Free bar across NCAA / NAIA / JUCO.
What level is your time?
Enter your own 500 Free time and age to see exactly where you land — and which schools you could compete with.
Check My Time See who a median time reaches