by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 24 programs for Women’s Beach Volleyball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual evaluates each program using 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.
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University of Southern California tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Beach Volleyball. Located in Los Angeles, CA, University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $93,227, compared with $93,227 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $40,006.
Stanford University landed the #2 spot for Women's Beach Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Stanford, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $66,638, against $66,638 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $42,012 per athlete.
University of California-Los Angeles came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Beach Volleyball. Located in Los Angeles, CA, University of California-Los Angeles is a public institution. University of California-Los Angeles records an NCAA APR of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $70,960, with expenses of about $70,960 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,306.
Loyola Marymount University landed the #4 spot for Women's Beach Volleyball. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Loyola Marymount University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994. Team revenue averages $77,393 per participant, compared with $77,393 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $40,056 per athlete.
University of California-Berkeley ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Beach Volleyball. University of California-Berkeley is a public school based in Berkeley, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 995. The program generates about $46,898 in revenue per athlete, against $46,898 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,267.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Beach Volleyball. Based in Seattle, WA, University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $30,050, compared with $97,080 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,539.
Pepperdine University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Located in Malibu, CA, Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $74,969, against $74,969 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $27,861 per athlete.
Santa Clara University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Santa Clara, CA, Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit institution. Santa Clara University records an NCAA APR of 1000. Team revenue averages $19,523 per participant, against $19,523 in expenses. The school awards about $19,355 in athletic aid per athlete.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo came in at #9 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in San Luis Obispo, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,967, against $32,967 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $10,344 per athlete.
University of San Francisco landed the #10 spot this year. Located in San Francisco, CA, University of San Francisco is a private not-for-profit institution. University of San Francisco records an NCAA APR of 985. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $54,477, against $54,477 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $31,788 per athlete.
University of Oregon ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Beach Volleyball. Based in Eugene, OR, University of Oregon is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,981, with expenses of about $36,605 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,739.
Saint Mary's College of California ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Beach Volleyball. Saint Mary's College of California is a private not-for-profit school based in Moraga, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. The program generates about $22,728 in revenue per athlete, compared with $22,728 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $18,999 per athlete.
University of California-Davis ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Beach Volleyball. Located in Davis, CA, University of California-Davis is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 985. The program generates about $13,490 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,490 per participant. The school awards about $14,267 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Long Beach ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Beach Volleyball. Based in Long Beach, CA, California State University-Long Beach is a public institution. California State University-Long Beach records an NCAA APR of 991. The program generates about $25,117 in revenue per athlete, against $25,117 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,770.
University of Portland landed the #15 spot this year. Based in Portland, OR, University of Portland is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,012, with expenses of about $10,012 per participant. The school awards about $17,618 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Hawaii at Manoa placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Beach Volleyball. University of Hawaii at Manoa is a public school based in Honolulu, HI. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 982. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,398, with expenses of about $42,502 per participant. Athletic aid averages $18,398 per athlete.
San Jose State University ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Beach Volleyball. 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. Athletic aid averages $16,034 per athlete.
University of the Pacific did well this year, earning the #18 position. Based in Stockton, CA, University of the Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 960. The program generates about $13,164 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,164 spent per athlete. The school awards about $21,596 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Bakersfield did well this year, earning the #19 position. Located in Bakersfield, CA, California State University-Bakersfield is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Team revenue averages $15,721 per participant, against $15,721 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $10,121 per athlete.
Concordia University-Irvine placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Beach Volleyball. Based in Irvine, CA, Concordia University-Irvine is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $15,671 per participant, against $15,671 in expenses. The school awards about $7,027 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Sacramento ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Beach Volleyball. California State University-Sacramento is a public school based in Sacramento, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,949, compared with $11,949 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,560 per athlete.
California State University-Northridge landed the #22 spot this year. Based in Northridge, CA, California State University-Northridge is a public institution. Team revenue averages $9,491 per participant, compared with $10,489 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,174 per athlete.
California State University-Los Angeles ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Beach Volleyball. Located in Los Angeles, CA, California State University-Los Angeles is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $1,454, against $1,454 in expenses. The school awards about $3,687 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hawaii Pacific University placed #24 among the best colleges for Women's Beach Volleyball. Based in Honolulu, HI, Hawaii Pacific University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,367 in revenue per athlete, compared with $3,367 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,034 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on 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
See our data sources and methodologies.