by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 18 schools for Women’s Volleyball (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual evaluates each program using 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Explore the leading programs below:
Leading the list is Boston College, our #1 college for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Boston College is a private not-for-profit school based in Chestnut Hill, MA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. Team revenue averages $102,724 per participant, with expenses of about $102,724 per participant. Athletic aid averages $29,391 per athlete.
University of Connecticut landed the #2 spot for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Located in Storrs, CT, University of Connecticut is a public institution. University of Connecticut records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. About 82% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $86,289 per participant, with expenses of about $86,289 per participant. Athletic aid averages $20,776 per athlete.
Quinnipiac University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Hamden, CT, Quinnipiac University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 983, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. The program generates about $93,890 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $93,890 per participant. Athletic aid averages $27,084 per athlete.
Providence College landed the #4 spot for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Located in Providence, RI, Providence College is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 75% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $75,520 in revenue per athlete, against $75,520 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $25,955 per athlete.
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Based in Durham, NH, University of New Hampshire-Main Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $57,979, with expenses of about $57,979 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,869 per athlete.
Northeastern University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Based in Boston, MA, Northeastern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Northeastern University records an NCAA APR of 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Team revenue averages $79,896 per participant, compared with $79,896 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $24,558 per athlete.
Fairfield University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in Fairfield, CT, Fairfield University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $60,896, with expenses of about $60,896 per participant. The school awards about $19,587 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Rhode Island landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Kingston, RI, University of Rhode Island is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 77%. The program generates about $61,233 in revenue per athlete, against $61,233 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $19,857 per athlete.
Merrimack College did well this year, earning the #9 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in North Andover, MA. The team's NCAA APR score is 993, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 93%. The program generates about $27,521 in revenue per athlete, against $27,521 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $20,394 per athlete.
Bryant University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Smithfield, RI. Bryant University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. Team revenue averages $45,801 per participant, against $45,801 in expenses. The school awards about $14,982 in athletic aid per athlete.
Yale University landed the #11 spot this year. Yale University is a private not-for-profit school based in New Haven, CT. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Team revenue averages $43,299 per participant, with expenses of about $43,299 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Sacred Heart University landed the #12 spot this year. Sacred Heart University is a private not-for-profit school based in Fairfield, CT. Sacred Heart University records an NCAA APR of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. Team revenue averages $56,410 per participant, against $56,410 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,128 per athlete.
Harvard University placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Harvard University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cambridge, MA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $29,764, against $29,764 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Dartmouth College ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Located in Hanover, NH, Dartmouth College is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Team revenue averages $28,680 per participant, compared with $28,680 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Brown University landed the #15 spot this year. Located in Providence, RI, Brown 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%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $25,451, against $25,451 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
College of the Holy Cross did well this year, earning the #16 position. Based in Worcester, MA, College of the Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 980, alongside a GSR of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 77%. The program generates about $56,241 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $56,241 per participant. Athletic aid averages $17,801 per athlete.
Stonehill College ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Located in Easton, MA, Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit institution. Stonehill College records an NCAA APR of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 93%. The program generates about $20,441 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $20,441 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,278 per athlete.
Central Connecticut State University placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Based in New Britain, CT, Central Connecticut State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 971, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $36,785 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $36,785 per participant. The school awards about $7,791 in athletic aid per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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.