by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 11 programs for Women’s Volleyball (Division I) 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:
Leading the list is University of Notre Dame, our #1 college for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Located in Notre Dame, IN, University of Notre Dame 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. The federal graduation rate stands at 90%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $167,786, against $167,786 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $34,391.
Purdue University-Main Campus came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Located in West Lafayette, IN, Purdue University-Main Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. The program generates about $359,215 in revenue per athlete, against $134,881 in expenses. The school awards about $19,382 in athletic aid per athlete.
Indiana University-Bloomington is one of the top schools for Women's Volleyball (Division I), at #3. Based in Bloomington, IN, Indiana University-Bloomington is a public institution. Indiana University-Bloomington records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 89%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $98,733, with expenses of about $98,733 per participant. Athletic aid averages $23,161 per athlete.
University of Evansville earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Evansville, IN, University of Evansville is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. The program generates about $63,836 in revenue per athlete, compared with $63,836 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,525 in athletic aid per athlete.
Ball State University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Based in Muncie, IN, Ball State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 86%. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. Team revenue averages $54,798 per participant, against $54,798 in expenses. The school awards about $16,206 in athletic aid per athlete.
Valparaiso University landed the #6 spot this year. Valparaiso University is a private not-for-profit school based in Valparaiso, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $49,116, with expenses of about $50,048 per participant. The school awards about $8,540 in athletic aid per athlete.
Butler University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Butler University is a private not-for-profit school based in Indianapolis, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 977, and a 79% Graduation Success Rate. About 58% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $54,780 per participant, compared with $55,254 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $12,113 per athlete.
Indiana University-Indianapolis landed the #8 spot this year. Indiana University-Indianapolis is a public school based in Indianapolis, IN. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 64% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $40,376 per participant, against $40,376 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,962 per athlete.
Indiana State University placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Based in Terre Haute, IN, Indiana State University is a public institution. Indiana State University records an NCAA APR of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 70%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $30,706, compared with $30,706 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,961 per athlete.
Purdue University Fort Wayne placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division I). This public school is set in Fort Wayne, IN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $35,430 in revenue per athlete, against $33,631 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,345 per athlete.
University of Southern Indiana ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Located in Evansville, IN, University of Southern Indiana is a public institution. University of Southern Indiana records an NCAA APR of 985, with a Graduation Success Rate of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,717, with expenses of about $27,717 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,037.
*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.