I’m really interested in learning a new sport in college and kind of trying different things outside of my comfort zone while I’m there. For example, sports that I’ve always wanted to try have been fencing, figure skating, surfing, archery, etc (the kind of sports that aren’t the generic: basketball, soccer, volleyball, you get the gist). However, I’ve noticed that a lot of colleges don’t offer club sports or intramural sports in the areas that I’m interested in and only offer varsity teams. In that case, are there still ways to kind of expand and learn these new sports in college, especially since I’ve had no prior experience?
You could try these types of sports by taking private lessons in them, outside of school.
At some schools, you might find a class in the PE department. Club or Intramural sports is generally not the best way to learn, if that’s your goal. They are more about participation (although they may provide some instruction.).
I was thinking this would be almost impossible, but @gardenstatelegal is absolutely right, many schools offer sports within the regular academic PE department. You’d have to search for a school that offers what you want - just as a test case, I looked at Denison, where my son is, but they don’t have any of the sports you mention, and I also looked at Eckerd, which is on the beach, but they don’t have surfing, only windsurfing, sailing and kayaking. It’s an interesting search parameter!
Rowing is worth looking into. It’s not unheard of for a good athlete to make the change in college. Good luck!
Many schools have outdoor clubs where you may be able to learn some of these sports.
Most unis have some sort of ‘recwell’ (recreation and well-being), but it’s hugely variable what is offered. One of my collegekids has a really amazing list of class options (including ice skating this year; last year she took a skiing class, which had an extra fee of ~$150 to cover ski rental, classes & lift passes for the semester).
Location is a big variable (obvs, you are more likely to find surfing in CA than in WI, but areas where outside sports are a big part of the community are more likely to have a range of options than more suburban/urban areas) and some of it is size / age / wealth related (older, bigger, richer colleges are more likely to have more esoteric options for novices, eg Princeton for rowing, Columbia for archery).
Rather than making this your first metric, I suggest identifying colleges that are interesting to you overall, and then checking out what they offer.
OP: I think that you are smart to be eager & willing to try new activities while in college. Although I can imagine potential mishaps if trying archery for the first time, college should not be limited to learning & experiencing new things only in the academic arena.
@Publisher, what kind of mishaps? kids as young as 8 learn archery at summer camp, and I’m guessing their self-control isn’t any worse than an 18 year olds!
My comment was meant as an attempt at humor.
But, in order to address your question, an 18 year old sends an arrow through the air at a much higher velocity than does the typical 8 year old.
probably! I was thinking along the lines of mischievous intent: both the 8 & 18 year old could have it, but the 18 year old might be better at execution 
My son is a sophomore at a DIII college. He joined the rowing team last year as a first year without ever having rowed before. Never even had sat in a rowing boat. This year he’s rowing in the second varsity boat. He’s really taken to the sport. I guess it helps that he’s 6’5" and 180 lbs.
Another place to look is at the student activities and clubs. For instance, figure skating might not be an official club sport but there might be a figure skating club you can join. Usually something like this would involve a variety of kids with different skills levels and would be a great way to learn. I know this because my D is a figure skater and we looked a lot at skating options at various schools. Ironically she chose a school with pretty much no access to skating.
My daughter’s school has a equestrian club and kids join who have never ridden horses before and a running club that has runners with various running experience.
Official club sports COULD work out for you though it depends on the size of the school and the sport. I would imagine a large school would only have so many spots on some club sports teams and then might require a tryout. Some of those that are less “popular” might be more willing to teach inexperienced students. I would recommend once you are getting to the point of making a decision about colleges you contact some of the clubs that interest you and see what they say.
I also suggest looking at the PE department offerings. Students can take all kinds of sports for one credit or a partial credit at many schools. But I did have a friend who thought that a one credit course in running would be an easy A but ended up with a B.
Intramural sports are often a good way to try something new. Different departments will often field teams and participation is more important than skill.
Ultimate frisbee is often inviting for inexperienced players depending on the school.