2026 Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball (Division I) in Plains States
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 21 colleges for Women’s Volleyball (Division I) in Plains States by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Top 21 Colleges for Women’s Volleyball (Division I) in Plains States
Explore the leading programs below:
Our analysis found University of Minnesota-Twin Cities to be the best college for Women's Volleyball (Division I) in Plains States in the The Plains States Region. Based in Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public institution. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $84,612, with expenses of about $207,738 per participant. Athletic aid averages $27,174 per athlete.
University of Kansas earned the #2 place for student athletes. University of Kansas is a public school based in Lawrence, KS. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $135,842, with expenses of about $135,842 per participant. The school awards about $21,506 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Missouri-Columbia landed the #3 spot for Women's Volleyball (Division I) in Plains States. Based in Columbia, MO, University of Missouri-Columbia is a public institution. University of Missouri-Columbia records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $138,591, compared with $138,591 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,637 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln is one of the top schools for Women's Volleyball (Division I) in Plains States, at #4. Located in Lincoln, NE, University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 55% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $320,801, against $400,828 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $16,793 per athlete.
Creighton University is one of the top schools for Women's Volleyball (Division I) in Plains States, at #5. This private not-for-profit school is set in Omaha, NE. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. The program generates about $118,396 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $122,550 per participant. The school awards about $17,224 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kansas State University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Kansas State University is a public school based in Manhattan, KS. Kansas State University records an NCAA APR of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. The program generates about $96,370 in revenue per athlete, compared with $96,370 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $17,682 per athlete.
University of Iowa came in at #7 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Iowa City, IA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 86%. The federal graduation rate stands at 57%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,339, against $111,654 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $21,176 per athlete.
University of North Dakota ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I) in Plains States. Based in Grand Forks, ND, University of North Dakota is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 53%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $84,938, compared with $84,938 spent per athlete. The school awards about $11,250 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of South Dakota came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Based in Vermillion, SD, University of South Dakota is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 80%. The program generates about $80,066 in revenue per athlete, compared with $80,066 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,323 per athlete.
Iowa State University landed the #10 spot this year. This public school is set in Ames, IA. Iowa State University records an NCAA APR of 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 60%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,582, compared with $112,550 spent per athlete. The school awards about $16,185 in athletic aid per athlete.
Saint Louis University did well this year, earning the #11 position. Based in Saint Louis, MO, Saint Louis University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. Team revenue averages $51,006 per participant, compared with $51,006 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,446 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wichita State University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I) in Plains States. This public school is set in Wichita, KS. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $63,695 per participant, with expenses of about $63,695 per participant. Athletic aid averages $11,114 per athlete.
Lindenwood University did well this year, earning the #13 position. Located in Saint Charles, MO, Lindenwood University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 95%. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,350, with expenses of about $27,350 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,722 per athlete.
University of Missouri-Kansas City came in at #14 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Kansas City, MO. University of Missouri-Kansas City records an NCAA APR of 995, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 57%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $58,785, with expenses of about $58,053 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,225.
North Dakota State University-Main Campus came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Based in Fargo, ND, North Dakota State University-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 67%. Team revenue averages $60,381 per participant, against $60,381 in expenses. The school awards about $8,886 in athletic aid per athlete.
Missouri State University-Springfield landed the #16 spot this year. Based in Springfield, MO, Missouri State University-Springfield is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $56,073 per participant, with expenses of about $56,073 per participant. Athletic aid averages $12,364 per athlete.
University of Nebraska at Omaha placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division I) in Plains States. University of Nebraska at Omaha is a public school based in Omaha, NE. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, alongside a GSR of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 56%. Team revenue averages $110,833 per participant, compared with $64,228 spent per athlete. The school awards about $10,713 in athletic aid per athlete.
Drake University landed the #18 spot this year. Drake University is a private not-for-profit school based in Des Moines, IA. Drake University records an NCAA APR of 989, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. Team revenue averages $41,063 per participant, with expenses of about $41,063 per participant. Athletic aid averages $10,413 per athlete.
University of Northern Iowa placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division I) in Plains States. University of Northern Iowa is a public school based in Cedar Falls, IA. University of Northern Iowa records an NCAA APR of 995, and a 88% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 58%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $75,691, compared with $75,691 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,720 in athletic aid per athlete.
Southeast Missouri State University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I) in Plains States. Located in Cape Girardeau, MO, Southeast Missouri State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 80%. The program generates about $27,715 in revenue per athlete, against $27,715 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,582.
South Dakota State University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division I) in Plains States. Located in Brookings, SD, South Dakota State University is a public institution. South Dakota State University records an NCAA APR of 983, alongside a GSR of 85%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. The program generates about $49,446 in revenue per athlete, compared with $49,446 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,424.
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Notes and References
*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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
