by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 19 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Duke University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Durham, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 82% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $125,958 per participant, compared with $124,341 spent per athlete. The school awards about $34,321 in athletic aid per athlete.
Elon University landed the #2 spot for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Located in Elon, NC, Elon University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $77,952, compared with $77,952 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,795.
Wake Forest University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Based in Winston-Salem, NC, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution. Wake Forest University records an NCAA APR of 980, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $128,671, with expenses of about $128,671 per participant. Athletic aid averages $38,933 per athlete.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh earned the #4 place for student athletes. Located in Raleigh, NC, North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. The program generates about $51,647 in revenue per athlete, compared with $97,954 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,384.
Campbell University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Campbell University is a private not-for-profit school based in Buies Creek, NC. Campbell University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 82% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $45,477 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $45,477 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,433 per athlete.
High Point University landed the #6 spot this year. Based in High Point, NC, High Point University is a private not-for-profit institution. High Point University records an NCAA APR of 981, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 91% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $70,980 per participant, with expenses of about $66,647 per participant. The school awards about $18,469 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I). This public school is set in Chapel Hill, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 44%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $46,401, against $89,591 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $17,771 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte came in at #8 in this year's ranking. University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a public school based in Charlotte, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. The program generates about $68,518 in revenue per athlete, compared with $66,779 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,522.
Appalachian State University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in Boone, NC, Appalachian State University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Team revenue averages $59,840 per participant, against $59,840 in expenses. The school awards about $14,299 in athletic aid per athlete.
Davidson College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Davidson College is a private not-for-profit school based in Davidson, NC. Davidson College records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. The program generates about $30,814 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $42,701 per participant. The school awards about $9,830 in athletic aid per athlete.
Queens University of Charlotte did well this year, earning the #11 position. Located in Charlotte, NC, Queens University of Charlotte is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,355, with expenses of about $39,355 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,282.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I). University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a public school based in Greensboro, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $38,300 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $38,300 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,162 per athlete.
University of North Carolina Wilmington came in at #13 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Wilmington, NC. University of North Carolina Wilmington records an NCAA APR of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 91% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $37,524 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $37,524 per participant. The school awards about $7,667 in athletic aid per athlete.
East Carolina University did well this year, earning the #14 position. This public school is set in Greenville, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 972, with a Graduation Success Rate of 78%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. The program generates about $53,421 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $52,806 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,584.
Western Carolina University placed #15 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Located in Cullowhee, NC, Western Carolina University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. The program generates about $33,440 in revenue per athlete, against $33,440 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,960 per athlete.
North Carolina Central University came in at #16 in this year's ranking. North Carolina Central University is a public school based in Durham, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 988, alongside a GSR of 94%. The federal graduation rate stands at 63%. Team revenue averages $27,226 per participant, with expenses of about $27,226 per participant. The school awards about $14,804 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina Asheville ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I). Based in Asheville, NC, University of North Carolina Asheville is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 983, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 85% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $15,407 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $15,407 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,593 per athlete.
Gardner-Webb University ranked #18 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I). This private not-for-profit school is set in Boiling Springs, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 963, with a Graduation Success Rate of 80%. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. The program generates about $33,199 in revenue per athlete, compared with $33,199 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $14,936 per athlete.
North Carolina A & T State University placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division I). North Carolina A & T State University is a public school based in Greensboro, NC. North Carolina A & T State University records an NCAA APR of 982, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 62%. The program generates about $34,199 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $34,200 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,465 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.