by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. We have ranked 25 colleges for Women’s Volleyball (Division III) in Plains States by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual weighs 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:
Washington University in St Louis tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division III) in Plains States. Based in St. Louis, MO, Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $19,058 per participant, against $18,364 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Macalester College earned the #2 place for student athletes. Located in Saint Paul, MN, Macalester College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $12,012 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $11,556 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Grinnell College is one of the top schools for Women's Volleyball (Division III) in Plains States, at #3. Based in Grinnell, IA, Grinnell College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,985, against $9,985 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Carleton College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball (Division III) in Plains States. Located in Northfield, MN, Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,657 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $7,175 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Gustavus Adolphus College ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division III) in Plains States. Located in Saint Peter, MN, Gustavus Adolphus College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,513, against $10,513 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Olaf College placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division III) in Plains States. Based in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,572 per participant, with expenses of about $8,572 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Cornell College landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Mount Vernon, IA, Cornell College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $15,056 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,996 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota did well this year, earning the #8 position. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is a private not-for-profit school based in Winona, MN. Team revenue averages $9,504 per participant, with expenses of about $9,504 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Luther College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball (Division III) in Plains States. Luther College is a private not-for-profit school based in Decorah, IA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,581, against $6,281 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Nebraska Wesleyan University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Lincoln, NE. The program generates about $7,711 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,022 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Martin Luther College landed the #11 spot this year. Based in New Ulm, MN, Martin Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $4,165 per participant, against $4,165 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Wartburg College placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Waverly, IA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,220, with expenses of about $7,220 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Loras College came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Dubuque, IA, Loras College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,697, with expenses of about $5,697 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
St Catherine University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in Saint Paul, MN, St Catherine University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,081 in revenue per athlete, against $8,081 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Northwestern-St Paul landed the #15 spot this year. Located in Saint Paul, MN, University of Northwestern-St Paul is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,640, compared with $5,640 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Coe College placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division III) in Plains States. Based in Cedar Rapids, IA, Coe College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,515 in revenue per athlete, compared with $10,515 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Webster University placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division III) in Plains States. Webster University is a private not-for-profit school based in Saint Louis, MO. The program generates about $7,394 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,490 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Simpson College placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division III) in Plains States. This private not-for-profit school is set in Indianola, IA. Team revenue averages $3,838 per participant, with expenses of about $3,489 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Buena Vista University did well this year, earning the #19 position. Based in Storm Lake, IA, Buena Vista University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,968 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $8,650 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Minnesota-Morris came in at #20 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Morris, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,232, with expenses of about $6,151 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Augsburg University placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball (Division III) in Plains States. Located in Minneapolis, MN, Augsburg University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,639, against $7,639 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Hamline University landed the #22 spot this year. Based in Saint Paul, MN, Hamline University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,658 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,658 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
North Central University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. North Central University is a private not-for-profit school based in Minneapolis, MN. The program generates about $4,091 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,091 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $49 per athlete.
University of Dubuque came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Based in Dubuque, IA, University of Dubuque is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,213 per participant, against $6,626 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bethany Lutheran College did well this year, earning the #25 position. Located in Mankato, MN, Bethany Lutheran College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,196 per participant, with expenses of about $5,121 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.