by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. We have ranked 17 programs for Women’s Beach Volleyball (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual weighs a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and aid per athlete from the EADA survey), and overall school quality, drawing on NCAA, U.S. Department of Education EADA, and IPEDS data. Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Pick a path below.
Explore the leading programs below:
University of Southern California tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Beach Volleyball (Division I). Located in Los Angeles, CA, University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution. University of Southern California records an NCAA APR of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $93,227, against $93,227 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $40,006.
Stanford University is one of the top schools for Women's Beach Volleyball (Division I), at #2. Located in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $66,638, against $66,638 in expenses. The school awards about $42,012 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Los Angeles earned the #3 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Los Angeles, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. The program generates about $70,960 in revenue per athlete, compared with $70,960 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $24,306 per athlete.
Loyola Marymount University is one of the top schools for Women's Beach Volleyball (Division I), at #4. This private not-for-profit school is set in Los Angeles, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $77,393, compared with $77,393 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $40,056.
University of California-Berkeley is one of the top schools for Women's Beach Volleyball (Division I), at #5. Located in Berkeley, CA, University of California-Berkeley is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995. Team revenue averages $46,898 per participant, against $46,898 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $21,267 per athlete.
Pepperdine University did well this year, earning the #6 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Malibu, CA. Pepperdine University records an NCAA APR of 992. The program generates about $74,969 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $74,969 per participant. Athletic aid averages $27,861 per athlete.
Santa Clara University placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Beach Volleyball (Division I). Located in Santa Clara, CA, Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. Team revenue averages $19,523 per participant, against $19,523 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,355.
University of San Francisco came in at #8 in this year's ranking. University of San Francisco is a private not-for-profit school based in San Francisco, CA. University of San Francisco records an NCAA APR of 985. The program generates about $54,477 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $54,477 per participant. The school awards about $31,788 in athletic aid per athlete.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in San Luis Obispo, CA, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,967, compared with $32,967 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,344.
Saint Mary's College of California came in at #10 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Moraga, CA. Saint Mary's College of California records an NCAA APR of 1000. The program generates about $22,728 in revenue per athlete, against $22,728 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,999.
University of California-Davis landed the #11 spot this year. Based in Davis, CA, University of California-Davis is a public institution. University of California-Davis records an NCAA APR of 985. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,490, with expenses of about $13,490 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,267.
California State University-Long Beach ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Beach Volleyball (Division I). Located in Long Beach, CA, California State University-Long Beach is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 991. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,117, compared with $25,117 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,770.
San Jose State University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. San Jose State University is a public school based in San Jose, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 969. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,562, against $17,562 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,034.
University of the Pacific ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Beach Volleyball (Division I). Located in Stockton, CA, University of the Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 960. The program generates about $13,164 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,164 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,596.
California State University-Bakersfield landed the #15 spot this year. Based in Bakersfield, CA, California State University-Bakersfield is a public institution. California State University-Bakersfield records an NCAA APR of 1000. Team revenue averages $15,721 per participant, compared with $15,721 spent per athlete. The school awards about $10,121 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Sacramento did well this year, earning the #16 position. Based in Sacramento, CA, California State University-Sacramento is a public institution. Team revenue averages $11,949 per participant, with expenses of about $11,949 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,560.
California State University-Northridge ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Beach Volleyball (Division I). Located in Northridge, CA, California State University-Northridge is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,491, against $10,489 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,174 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and athletic aid from the federal EADA survey), and overall school quality. The current methodology measures academic-athletic quality and does not include team win/loss performance.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.