by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 15 colleges for Men’s Volleyball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, College Factual scores each program on 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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Our analysis found University of Southern California to be the best college for Men's Volleyball in the Far Western Region. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit school based in Los Angeles, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 996, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $77,690, compared with $77,690 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $40,006.
Stanford University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Volleyball. Located in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $76,378 per participant, compared with $76,378 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $42,012 per athlete.
University of California-Los Angeles ranked #3 among the best colleges for Men's Volleyball. University of California-Los Angeles is a public school based in Los Angeles, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 987, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. Team revenue averages $111,571 per participant, against $111,571 in expenses. The school awards about $24,306 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Santa Cruz ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Volleyball. University of California-Santa Cruz is a public school based in Santa Cruz, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,745, with expenses of about $10,745 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Santa Barbara landed the #5 spot for Men's Volleyball. This public school is set in Santa Barbara, CA. University of California-Santa Barbara records an NCAA APR of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $46,963 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $46,963 per participant. The school awards about $11,355 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-San Diego placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Volleyball. Based in La Jolla, CA, University of California-San Diego is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $34,721 per participant, compared with $34,721 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,847 in athletic aid per athlete.
California Lutheran University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in Thousand Oaks, CA, California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,174, with expenses of about $12,174 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Hawaii at Manoa ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Volleyball. Located in Honolulu, HI, University of Hawaii at Manoa is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 961, alongside a GSR of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 73%. The program generates about $95,751 in revenue per athlete, against $78,276 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $18,398 per athlete.
California State University-Long Beach came in at #9 in this year's ranking. California State University-Long Beach is a public school based in Long Beach, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 985, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $82,026, against $82,026 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,770 per athlete.
Pepperdine University landed the #10 spot this year. Located in Malibu, CA, Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 976, alongside a GSR of 75%. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. The program generates about $58,465 in revenue per athlete, against $58,465 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,861.
University of California-Irvine placed #11 among the best colleges for Men's Volleyball. Located in Irvine, CA, University of California-Irvine is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 971, and a 83% Graduation Success Rate. About 60% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $50,710 in revenue per athlete, against $50,710 in expenses. The school awards about $13,955 in athletic aid per athlete.
California State University-Northridge did well this year, earning the #12 position. California State University-Northridge is a public school based in Northridge, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, alongside a GSR of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Team revenue averages $39,825 per participant, compared with $35,433 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,174 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of California-Merced landed the #13 spot this year. This public school is set in Merced, CA. Team revenue averages $12,229 per participant, with expenses of about $12,124 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $1,179.
Concordia University-Irvine placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Volleyball. Based in Irvine, CA, Concordia University-Irvine is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,553, against $14,553 in expenses. The school awards about $7,027 in athletic aid per athlete.
Menlo College came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Located in Atherton, CA, Menlo College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,382, compared with $23,382 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,086 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology weighs 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.