by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 337 colleges for Women’s Volleyball (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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: Leading the list is Northwestern University, our #1 college for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Based in Evanston, IL, Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $102,824 per participant, compared with $208,102 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $53,919 per athlete. University of Notre Dame earned the #2 place for student athletes. University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit school based in Notre Dame, IN. University of Notre Dame records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 90%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $167,786, compared with $167,786 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,391. University of Southern California earned the #3 place for student athletes. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit school based in Los Angeles, CA. University of Southern California records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $162,638, against $162,638 in expenses. The school awards about $40,006 in athletic aid per athlete. Duke University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. Duke University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $125,958, against $124,341 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,321.1
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University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus landed the #5 spot for Women's Volleyball (Division I). University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus is a public school based in Pittsburgh, PA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. The program generates about $210,206 in revenue per athlete, compared with $210,206 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $30,613 per athlete.5
Rice University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Based in Houston, TX, Rice University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 82% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $131,225, compared with $131,225 spent per athlete. The school awards about $41,166 in athletic aid per athlete. Ohio State University-Main Campus placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public school based in Columbus, OH. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $158,051, with expenses of about $158,051 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,151. University of Wisconsin-Madison did well this year, earning the #8 position. Based in Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public institution. University of Wisconsin-Madison records an NCAA APR of 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 91% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $213,444, against $273,138 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $21,586 per athlete. University of California-Los Angeles landed the #9 spot this year. This public school is set in Los Angeles, CA. University of California-Los Angeles records an NCAA APR of 997, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 85%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $138,512, against $138,512 in expenses. The school awards about $24,306 in athletic aid per athlete.6
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University of Virginia-Main Campus ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I). University of Virginia-Main Campus is a public school based in Charlottesville, VA. University of Virginia-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 91%. Team revenue averages $121,549 per participant, against $121,549 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $26,976 per athlete.10
University of Washington-Seattle Campus landed the #11 spot this year. This public school is set in Seattle, WA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $78,879 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $181,108 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,539. University of California-Berkeley ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Based in Berkeley, CA, University of California-Berkeley is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $159,644 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $159,644 per participant. Athletic aid averages $21,267 per athlete. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $84,612, against $207,738 in expenses. The school awards about $27,174 in athletic aid per athlete. Southern Methodist University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in Dallas, TX, Southern Methodist University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 64%. The program generates about $256,120 in revenue per athlete, compared with $256,120 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $56,388 per athlete.11
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The University of Texas at Austin came in at #15 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Austin, TX. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. About 86% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $86,927 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $204,671 per participant. The school awards about $22,650 in athletic aid per athlete.15
Michigan State University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I). This public school is set in East Lansing, MI. Michigan State University records an NCAA APR of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $197,734 per participant, with expenses of about $197,734 per participant. Athletic aid averages $22,500 per athlete. University of Kentucky did well this year, earning the #17 position. Located in Lexington, KY, University of Kentucky is a public institution. University of Kentucky records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $214,353, compared with $214,353 spent per athlete. The school awards about $23,921 in athletic aid per athlete. University of Mississippi came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Located in University, MS, University of Mississippi is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $161,713, against $161,713 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $22,457 per athlete. Clemson University placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division I). This public school is set in Clemson, SC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 81% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $135,467 per participant, with expenses of about $135,467 per participant. Athletic aid averages $21,730 per athlete.16
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University of Miami came in at #20 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Coral Gables, FL. University of Miami records an NCAA APR of 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $160,081 per participant, compared with $160,081 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $38,474 per athlete.20
Purdue University-Main Campus did well this year, earning the #21 position. Located in West Lafayette, IN, Purdue University-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $359,215 per participant, compared with $134,881 spent per athlete. The school awards about $19,382 in athletic aid per athlete. Indiana University-Bloomington ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Indiana University-Bloomington is a public school based in Bloomington, IN. Indiana University-Bloomington records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $98,733, against $98,733 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $23,161. Stanford University did well this year, earning the #23 position. Based in Stanford, CA, Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 977, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $247,102 per participant, with expenses of about $247,102 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $42,012. Pepperdine University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in Malibu, CA, Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit institution. Pepperdine University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. About 92% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $89,991, compared with $89,991 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,861. University of San Diego ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in San Diego, CA. University of San Diego records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $113,979, against $113,979 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,537 per athlete.21
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These programs also stood out among the best this year:26
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Click any college name below to learn more:Rank College Location 51 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
These schools also stood out this year:Rank College Location 52 Elon University Elon, NC 53 Boise State University Boise, ID 54 Lipscomb University Nashville, TN 55 Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ 56 Belmont University Nashville, TN 57 University of Florida Gainesville, FL 58 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX 59 Samford University Birmingham, AL 60 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS 61 Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT 62 Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX 63 Hofstra University Hempstead, NY 64 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI 65 University of Delaware Newark, DE 66 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 67 | Xavier University | Cincinnati, OH |
| 68 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL |
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.