by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 9 schools for Men’s Volleyball (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Leading the list is University of Southern California, our #1 college for Men's Volleyball (Division I). 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 996, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 92% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $77,690, against $77,690 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $40,006.
Stanford University earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $76,378 per participant, compared with $76,378 spent per athlete. The school awards about $42,012 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Los Angeles earned the #3 place for student athletes. University of California-Los Angeles is a public school based in Los Angeles, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 987, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. The program generates about $111,571 in revenue per athlete, against $111,571 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $24,306 per athlete.
University of California-Santa Barbara is one of the top schools for Men's Volleyball (Division I), at #4. This public school is set in Santa Barbara, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 90%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $46,963, with expenses of about $46,963 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,355.
California State University-Long Beach ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Volleyball (Division I). This public school is set in Long Beach, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. The program generates about $82,026 in revenue per athlete, against $82,026 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,770 per athlete.
Pepperdine University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit school based in Malibu, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 976, alongside a GSR of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Team revenue averages $58,465 per participant, with expenses of about $58,465 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,861.
University of California-San Diego landed the #7 spot this year. Based in La Jolla, CA, University of California-San Diego is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $34,721, compared with $34,721 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,847.
University of California-Irvine did well this year, earning the #8 position. Located in Irvine, CA, University of California-Irvine is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 971, with a Graduation Success Rate of 83%. The federal graduation rate stands at 60%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $50,710, against $50,710 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,955 per athlete.
California State University-Northridge landed the #9 spot this year. California State University-Northridge is a public school based in Northridge, CA. California State University-Northridge records an NCAA APR of 983, alongside a GSR of 88%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Team revenue averages $39,825 per participant, against $35,433 in expenses. The school awards about $11,174 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.