2021 Top Women's Volleyball Schools
When pursuing a degree in today's world, student athletes have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Best Colleges for Women's Volleyball ranking - to help you make that decision.
Our analysis looked at 945 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for Women's Volleyball athletes. Our ranking methodology focuses a number of different objective factors - such as the overall quality of the school, the school's athletic competitiveness, and the amount of athletic aid per student - to make this determination. Having a great sports team is not enough - the school must also focus on academic excellence.
Find out more about our ranking methodology.
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Top Colleges in the U.S. for Women's Volleyball athletes
See which schools came out on top of our ranking:
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for Women’s Volleyball athletes in this year’s ranking. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,892 students in 2018-2019.
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Volleyball team at Stanford made $607,937 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 995.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Stanford also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 1% of all schools in this category.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #2 on our 2021 Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball athletes list. Located in Austin, Texas, the large public school handed out 10,098 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Volleyball team at UT Austin made $2,063,829 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 984, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UT Austin also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking.
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Out of the 945 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 2,303 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Volleyball team at Duke made $1,562,909 in revenue. The team had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Duke not only placed well in this ranking, but it is also #2 on our overall quality list.
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A rank of #4 on our list means University of Nebraska - Lincoln is a great place for Women’s Volleyball athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, the large public school handed out 4,859 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The Women’s Volleyball team at UNL made $4,106,677 in revenue, while incurring $3,932,573 in expenses. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $174,104. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 989.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UNL also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Methodist University. It ranked #5 on our 2021 Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball athletes list. Located in Dallas, Texas, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,942 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the Women’s Volleyball team at SMU took home $1,857,361 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 983.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, SMU also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking.
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University of Denver ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball list. DU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Denver, Colorado. It awarded 1,626 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the Women’s Volleyball team at DU took home $1,600,078 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 981, signifying that team members care about their grades.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, DU also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
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University of Florida ranked #7 on this year’s Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball list. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,663 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The Women’s Volleyball team at UF brought home $570,752 in revenue in a single year. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 995.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UF also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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University of Missouri - Columbia came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking. Located in Columbia, Missouri, the large public school awarded 6,314 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the Women’s Volleyball team at Mizzou took home $2,149,806 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 990, signifying that team members care about their grades.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Mizzou excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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With a ranking of #9, University of San Diego did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 1,501 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The Women’s Volleyball team at USD brought home $1,406,853 in revenue in a single year. The team had a perfect academic progress rate of 1000.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. USD excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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With a ranking of #10, Rice University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking. Rice is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,228 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The Women’s Volleyball team at Rice brought home $1,369,996 in revenue in a single year. With a perfect academic progress rate of 1000, the team is showing that they know how to hit the books, too.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Rice also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 1% of all schools in this category.
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Marquette University landed the #11 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking. Marquette is a private not-for-profit institution located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,204 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Marquette brought in $1,949,057 while tallying up $1,934,467 in expenses for its Women’s Volleyball team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $14,590 for the sports team. The academic progress rate of the team is 975.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, Marquette also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the large public school handed out 5,451 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
The Women’s Volleyball team at Pitt brought home $1,989,521 in revenue in a single year.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. In addition to its great ranking here, Pitt is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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University of Dayton did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Dayton, Ohio, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2,167 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the Women’s Volleyball team at UDayton took home $794,462 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 995 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. UDayton also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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University of California - Los Angeles landed the #14 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 9,069 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the Women’s Volleyball team at UCLA took home $438,830 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 987 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCLA also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #15 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6,076 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the Women’s Volleyball team at UNC Chapel Hill took home $677,059 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 995, signifying that team members care about their grades.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. UNC Chapel Hill also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the large public school handed out 8,915 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the Women’s Volleyball team at UW - Madison took home $2,144,715 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 995.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. UW - Madison excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 9,269 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the Women’s Volleyball team at UW Seattle took home $932,195 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 990.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW Seattle also is in the top 10% of our overall quality ranking.
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Florida State University landed the #18 spot on the 2021 Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking. Florida State is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9,688 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the Women’s Volleyball team at Florida State took home $1,983,171 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 995.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, Florida State is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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With a ranking of #19, Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the large public school handed out 3,717 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the Women’s Volleyball team at Georgia Tech took home $238,951 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 995, signifying that team members care about their grades.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Georgia Tech also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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Creighton University did quite well in the 2021 Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking, coming in at #20. Creighton is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2018-2019, this school awarded 1,243 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The Women’s Volleyball team at Creighton brought home $1,626,531 in revenue in a single year. With a perfect academic progress rate of 1000, the team is showing that they know how to hit the books, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Creighton excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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Pennsylvania State University - University Park came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking. Penn State University Park is a public institution located in University Park, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10,893 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Volleyball team at Penn State University Park made $1,212,691 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 984 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Penn State University Park excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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With a ranking of #22, Fairfield University did quite well on the 2021 Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking. Located in Fairfield, Connecticut, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1,069 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Volleyball team at Fairfield U made $858,403 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 974.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, Fairfield U also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of Southern California ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball list. Located in Los Angeles, California, the large private not-for-profit school awarded 5,337 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the Women’s Volleyball team at USC took home $2,045,122 in revenue. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 965.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, USC also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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University of Notre Dame ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball list. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Notre Dame, Indiana. It awarded 2,642 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-2019.
On the financial side of things, the Women’s Volleyball team at Notre Dame made $48,156 in revenue. With a perfect academic progress rate of 1000, the team is showing that they know how to hit the books, too.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. Notre Dame also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 1% of all schools in this category.
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Loyola Marymount University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,674 students in 2018-2019.
Speaking financially, the Women’s Volleyball team at Loyola Marymount took home $1,415,495 in revenue. The team members aren’t slouches in the classroom either, since the team academic progress rate is an excellent 994.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. On top of its placing in this ranking, Loyola Marymount also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Request InformationRest of the Top 15% Best Colleges for Women's Volleyball athletes
Not only did these schools make the top 49 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Narrow Colleges by Region
Rest of the Top 15% Best Colleges in the United States for International Students
To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
51 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, NC |
52 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA |
53 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | Honolulu, HI |
54 | Samford University | Birmingham, AL |
55 | Northwestern University | Evanston, IL |
56 | Howard University | Washington, DC |
57 | Colorado State University - Fort Collins | Fort Collins, CO |
58 | University of Cincinnati - Main Campus | Cincinnati, OH |
59 | University of Oregon | Eugene, OR |
59 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
59 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
62 | Saint Louis University | Saint Louis, MO |
63 | Yale University | New Haven, CT |
64 | Gonzaga University | Spokane, WA |
65 | Seton Hall University | South Orange, NJ |
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
141 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA |
142 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball ranking:
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
143 | University of South Dakota | Vermillion, SD |
144 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
145 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
146 | Florida Gulf Coast University | Fort Myers, FL |
147 | Georgetown University | Washington, DC |
148 | Gannon University | Erie, PA |
149 | New York Institute of Technology | Old Westbury, NY |
150 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA |
151 | Southwestern University | Georgetown, TX |
152 | Stevens Institute of Technology | Hoboken, NJ |
153 | University of Nebraska at Kearney | Kearney, NE |
154 | College of Charleston | Charleston, SC |
155 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
155 | Oregon State University | Corvallis, OR |
157 | Wichita State University | Wichita, KS |
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
158 | Providence College | Providence, RI |
159 | The University of Texas at Dallas | Richardson, TX |
160 | Ithaca College | Ithaca, NY |
161 | Ohio Northern University | Ada, OH |
162 | College of the Holy Cross | Worcester, MA |
163 | Radford University | Radford, VA |
164 | New Mexico State University - Main Campus | Las Cruces, NM |
165 | Binghamton University | Vestal, NY |
166 | Trinity University | San Antonio, TX |
167 | Davidson College | Davidson, NC |
167 | University at Albany | Albany, NY |
169 | University of South Florida - Main Campus | Tampa, FL |
170 | Washington University in St Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
170 | Clemson University | Clemson, SC |
172 | Missouri State University - Springfield | Springfield, MO |
173 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD |
174 | Lewis University | Romeoville, IL |
175 | Coastal Carolina University | Conway, SC |
176 | Cornell University | Ithaca, NY |
177 | Washington and Lee University | Lexington, VA |
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
178 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, AL |
179 | Hope College | Holland, MI |
180 | Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, MI |
181 | Saint Anselm College | Manchester, NH |
182 | Western Washington University | Bellingham, WA |
183 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
184 | Bradley University | Peoria, IL |
185 | Le Moyne College | Syracuse, NY |
186 | Murray State University | Murray, KY |
187 | Texas State University | San Marcos, TX |
188 | University of Memphis | Memphis, TN |
189 | Gustavus Adolphus College | Saint Peter, MN |
More Nationwide Rankings
Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Revenue and expense information comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s Equity in Athletics Data Analysis (EADA) website.
- The academic progress rate (APR) of each team was made available by the NCAA.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.