by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 13 colleges for Women’s Volleyball (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Explore the leading programs below:
No school ranked higher than Northwestern University this year for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Evanston, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $102,824, compared with $208,102 spent per athlete. The school awards about $53,919 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loyola University Chicago is one of the top schools for Women's Volleyball (Division I), at #2. This private not-for-profit school is set in Chicago, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 88%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $81,338, with expenses of about $81,338 per participant. Athletic aid averages $23,325 per athlete.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Located in Champaign, IL, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Team revenue averages $34,334 per participant, compared with $145,720 spent per athlete. The school awards about $25,398 in athletic aid per athlete.
DePaul University earned the #4 place for student athletes. Based in Chicago, IL, DePaul University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 986, with a Graduation Success Rate of 86%. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. Team revenue averages $89,018 per participant, with expenses of about $89,018 per participant. The school awards about $23,928 in athletic aid per athlete.
Illinois State University is one of the top schools for Women's Volleyball (Division I), at #5. Based in Normal, IL, Illinois State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $61,402, with expenses of about $61,402 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,477.
Bradley University placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Located in Peoria, IL, Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $59,224 per participant, compared with $59,224 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,583.
Northern Illinois University ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Northern Illinois University is a public school based in Dekalb, IL. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. Team revenue averages $68,973 per participant, with expenses of about $68,973 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,138.
University of Illinois Chicago came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Based in Chicago, IL, University of Illinois Chicago is a public institution. University of Illinois Chicago records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 47%. Team revenue averages $59,141 per participant, against $59,141 in expenses. The school awards about $15,167 in athletic aid per athlete.
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is a public school based in Carbondale, IL. Southern Illinois University-Carbondale records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 45%. The program generates about $49,243 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $49,243 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,525.
Eastern Illinois University did well this year, earning the #10 position. This public school is set in Charleston, IL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $30,348, with expenses of about $30,348 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,653 per athlete.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did well this year, earning the #11 position. Located in Edwardsville, IL, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 90%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $34,228, with expenses of about $34,228 per participant. Athletic aid averages $8,334 per athlete.
Western Illinois University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Macomb, IL. Western Illinois University records an NCAA APR of 978, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $38,396, against $38,396 in expenses. The school awards about $10,303 in athletic aid per athlete.
Chicago State University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Located in Chicago, IL, Chicago State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 965, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Team revenue averages $50,156 per participant, compared with $50,156 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,877 per athlete.
*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.