by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 16 schools for Women’s Volleyball (Division II) 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Catawba College earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball (Division II). This private not-for-profit school is set in Salisbury, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,883, compared with $15,858 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $9,164.
Lenoir-Rhyne University landed the #2 spot for Women's Volleyball (Division II). Located in Hickory, NC, Lenoir-Rhyne University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $18,987 per participant, with expenses of about $18,987 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,094.
Wingate University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball (Division II). Located in Wingate, NC, Wingate University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $32,381 per participant, against $28,676 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,748 per athlete.
Winston-Salem State University landed the #4 spot for Women's Volleyball (Division II). Located in Winston-Salem, NC, Winston-Salem State University is a public institution. The program generates about $18,316 in revenue per athlete, against $18,316 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,441 per athlete.
University of Mount Olive ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division II). This private not-for-profit school is set in Mount Olive, NC. Team revenue averages $14,802 per participant, against $14,332 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $7,775.
Barton College landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Wilson, NC, Barton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $11,207 per participant, against $11,207 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,654.
Lees-McRae College came in at #7 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Banner Elk, NC. The program generates about $16,686 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $16,686 per participant. The school awards about $6,547 in athletic aid per athlete.
Mars Hill University did well this year, earning the #8 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Mars Hill, NC. The program generates about $17,054 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $17,054 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,311.
Elizabeth City State University did well this year, earning the #9 position. This public school is set in Elizabeth City, NC. The program generates about $11,278 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $11,278 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,147.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke did well this year, earning the #10 position. Based in Pembroke, NC, University of North Carolina at Pembroke is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,744, with expenses of about $11,505 per participant. The school awards about $3,165 in athletic aid per athlete.
Shaw University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division II). This private not-for-profit school is set in Raleigh, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $22,041, with expenses of about $22,041 per participant. Athletic aid averages $7,825 per athlete.
Fayetteville State University placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division II). This public school is set in Fayetteville, NC. The program generates about $13,215 in revenue per athlete, against $13,215 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $5,674 per athlete.
Belmont Abbey College did well this year, earning the #13 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Belmont, NC. Team revenue averages $11,410 per participant, with expenses of about $11,410 per participant. Athletic aid averages $2,908 per athlete.
Johnson C Smith University landed the #14 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Charlotte, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,732, against $7,732 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,550 per athlete.
Chowan University landed the #15 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Murfreesboro, NC. The program generates about $9,781 in revenue per athlete, against $9,781 in expenses. The school awards about $5,571 in athletic aid per athlete.
Livingstone College landed the #16 spot this year. Based in Salisbury, NC, Livingstone College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $10,007 per participant, compared with $10,280 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,211.
*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
More about our data sources and methodologies.