by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 19 schools for Women’s Beach Volleyball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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.
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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
University of Southern California earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Beach Volleyball. Based in Los Angeles, CA, University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. Team revenue averages $93,227 per participant, compared with $93,227 spent per athlete. The school awards about $40,006 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stanford University is one of the top schools for Women's Beach Volleyball, 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. Located in Los Angeles, CA, University of California-Los Angeles is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000. The program generates about $70,960 in revenue per athlete, against $70,960 in expenses. The school awards about $24,306 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola Marymount University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Beach Volleyball. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Loyola Marymount University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 994. Team revenue averages $77,393 per participant, compared with $77,393 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $40,056.
University of California-Berkeley came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Beach Volleyball. This public school is set in Berkeley, CA. University of California-Berkeley records an NCAA APR of 995. The program generates about $46,898 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $46,898 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,267.
Pepperdine University landed the #6 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Malibu, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 992. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $74,969, compared with $74,969 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,861.
Santa Clara University did well this year, earning the #7 position. 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. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,523, with expenses of about $19,523 per participant. The school awards about $19,355 in athletic aid per athlete.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Beach Volleyball. Based in San Luis Obispo, CA, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $32,967, with expenses of about $32,967 per participant. The school awards about $10,344 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of San Francisco did well this year, earning the #9 position. University of San Francisco is a private not-for-profit school based in San Francisco, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 985. Team revenue averages $54,477 per participant, compared with $54,477 spent per athlete. The school awards about $31,788 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Mary's College of California ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Beach Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Moraga, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,728, compared with $22,728 spent per athlete. The school awards about $18,999 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Long Beach ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Beach Volleyball. Located in Long Beach, CA, California State University-Long Beach is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 991. The program generates about $25,117 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $25,117 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,770.
University of California-Davis placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Beach Volleyball. Based in Davis, CA, University of California-Davis is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985. The program generates about $13,490 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $13,490 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,267 per athlete.
San Jose State University landed the #13 spot this year. Based in San Jose, CA, San Jose State University is a public institution. San Jose State University records an NCAA APR of 969. Team revenue averages $17,562 per participant, against $17,562 in expenses. The school awards about $16,034 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of the Pacific landed the #14 spot this year. Located in Stockton, CA, University of the Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 960. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,164, with expenses of about $13,164 per participant. The school awards about $21,596 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Bakersfield ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Beach Volleyball. Based in Bakersfield, CA, California State University-Bakersfield is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000. Team revenue averages $15,721 per participant, with expenses of about $15,721 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,121.
Concordia University-Irvine came in at #16 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Irvine, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,671, with expenses of about $15,671 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,027.
California State University-Sacramento ranked #17 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, with expenses of about $11,949 per participant. The school awards about $11,560 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Northridge did well this year, earning the #18 position. California State University-Northridge is a public school based in Northridge, CA. Team revenue averages $9,491 per participant, compared with $10,489 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,174 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Los Angeles landed the #19 spot this year. Located in Los Angeles, CA, California State University-Los Angeles is a public institution. The program generates about $1,454 in revenue per athlete, against $1,454 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,687.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
See our data sources and methodologies.