by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 28 schools for Men’s Volleyball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Our analysis found George Mason University to be the best college for Men's Volleyball in the Southeast Region. George Mason University is a public school based in Fairfax, VA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 987, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 64%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,483, compared with $22,483 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,956 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Greenville University came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Men's Volleyball. North Greenville University is a private not-for-profit school based in Tigerville, SC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,346, against $27,891 in expenses. The school awards about $15,158 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lincoln Memorial University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Men's Volleyball. Lincoln Memorial University is a private not-for-profit school based in Harrogate, TN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,411, with expenses of about $21,731 per participant. The school awards about $8,449 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Lynchburg ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Volleyball. University of Lynchburg is a private not-for-profit school based in Lynchburg, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,981, against $7,981 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Randolph-Macon College is one of the top schools for Men's Volleyball, at #5. Based in Ashland, VA, Randolph-Macon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,299 per participant, compared with $4,296 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Roanoke College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Salem, VA, Roanoke College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,272, against $6,272 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Catawba College placed #7 among the best colleges for Men's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Salisbury, NC. Team revenue averages $12,148 per participant, compared with $11,234 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,164 per athlete.
Barton College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wilson, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,738, with expenses of about $13,738 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,654 per athlete.
Regent University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Virginia Beach, VA, Regent University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,442 per participant, compared with $6,442 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
King University landed the #10 spot this year. Based in Bristol, TN, King University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $19,450, with expenses of about $17,366 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,932 per athlete.
University of Mount Olive did well this year, earning the #11 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Mount Olive, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,644, compared with $15,611 spent per athlete. The school awards about $7,775 in athletic aid per athlete.
Eastern Mennonite University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Based in Harrisonburg, VA, Eastern Mennonite University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,107, with expenses of about $10,107 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Randolph College came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Randolph College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lynchburg, VA. The program generates about $7,509 in revenue per athlete, against $7,509 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Virginia Wesleyan University placed #14 among the best colleges for Men's Volleyball. Located in Virginia Beach, VA, Virginia Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,282 per participant, compared with $7,282 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Queens University of Charlotte came in at #15 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Charlotte, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 969, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. The program generates about $22,214 in revenue per athlete, against $22,214 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,282 per athlete.
Lees-McRae College came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Based in Banner Elk, NC, Lees-McRae College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,379, with expenses of about $10,379 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,547 per athlete.
Erskine College placed #17 among the best colleges for Men's Volleyball. Based in Due West, SC, Erskine College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,819 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,819 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,924 per athlete.
Barry University landed the #18 spot this year. Barry University is a private not-for-profit school based in Miami, FL. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,355, with expenses of about $10,355 per participant. The school awards about $10,733 in athletic aid per athlete.
Fort Valley State University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Men's Volleyball. This public school is set in Fort Valley, GA. Team revenue averages $16,976 per participant, with expenses of about $16,976 per participant. Athletic aid averages $2,378 per athlete.
Belmont Abbey College ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Men's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Belmont, NC. The program generates about $9,574 in revenue per athlete, against $9,574 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,908.
Tusculum University placed #21 among the best colleges for Men's Volleyball. Tusculum University is a private not-for-profit school based in Greeneville, TN. Team revenue averages $11,842 per participant, against $11,469 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,457 per athlete.
Thomas More University landed the #22 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Crestview Hills, KY. Team revenue averages $4,912 per participant, compared with $4,603 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,453.
Averett University landed the #23 spot this year. Located in Danville, VA, Averett University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $3,633 in revenue per athlete, against $3,633 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Southern Virginia University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Buena Vista, VA. Team revenue averages $9,568 per participant, against $9,568 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $90 per athlete.
Benedict College landed the #25 spot this year. Based in Columbia, SC, Benedict College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $22,855 in revenue per athlete, compared with $10,205 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,098.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.