2026 Best Colleges for Women’s Volleyball in Far Western
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 84 colleges for Women’s Volleyball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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 25 Colleges for Women’s Volleyball
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Our analysis found University of Southern California to be the best college for Women's Volleyball in the Far Western Region. Based in Los Angeles, CA, University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 73%. The program generates about $162,638 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $162,638 per participant. Athletic aid averages $40,006 per athlete.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus is one of the top schools for Women's Volleyball, at #2. Located in Seattle, WA, University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. Team revenue averages $78,879 per participant, against $181,108 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,539.
University of California-Los Angeles earned the #3 place for student athletes. Located in Los Angeles, CA, University of California-Los Angeles is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 85% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $138,512, against $138,512 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $24,306 per athlete.
University of California-Berkeley landed the #4 spot for Women's Volleyball. Based in Berkeley, CA, University of California-Berkeley is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $159,644 in revenue per athlete, against $159,644 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,267.
University of San Diego is one of the top schools for Women's Volleyball, at #5. Located in San Diego, CA, University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $113,979 in revenue per athlete, compared with $113,979 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $19,537 per athlete.
Pepperdine University landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Malibu, CA, Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 92%. Team revenue averages $89,991 per participant, compared with $89,991 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $27,861 per athlete.
California Institute of Technology did well this year, earning the #7 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Pasadena, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,429, with expenses of about $15,429 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Point Loma Nazarene University landed the #8 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in San Diego, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $43,004, compared with $42,700 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $14,927 per athlete.
Stanford University placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Stanford, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 977, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. The program generates about $247,102 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $247,102 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $42,012.
Chapman University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Based in Orange, CA, Chapman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,218, against $9,218 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Loyola Marymount University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Loyola Marymount University is a private not-for-profit school based in Los Angeles, CA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 70% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $106,114, with expenses of about $106,114 per participant. Athletic aid averages $40,056 per athlete.
University of California-Santa Cruz landed the #12 spot this year. This public school is set in Santa Cruz, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $16,672, compared with $16,672 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Gonzaga University placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Spokane, WA. Gonzaga University records an NCAA APR of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $98,658, against $103,583 in expenses. The school awards about $14,963 in athletic aid per athlete.
California Baptist University placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Located in Riverside, CA, California Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution. California Baptist University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $79,410, with expenses of about $76,810 per participant. The school awards about $23,790 in athletic aid per athlete.
Whitman College landed the #15 spot this year. Located in Walla Walla, WA, Whitman College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,351, with expenses of about $10,685 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Occidental College landed the #16 spot this year. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Occidental College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $8,835 per participant, against $8,283 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Washington State University placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Washington State University is a public school based in Pullman, WA. Washington State University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $47,095 in revenue per athlete, against $79,287 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $20,338 per athlete.
University of Hawaii at Manoa placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Honolulu, HI. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 78%. The federal graduation rate stands at 56%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $125,573, with expenses of about $112,952 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,398.
California State University-Fresno placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Located in Fresno, CA, California State University-Fresno is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. The program generates about $103,870 in revenue per athlete, against $103,870 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $15,577 per athlete.
California Lutheran University ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. California Lutheran University is a private not-for-profit school based in Thousand Oaks, CA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,106, against $12,106 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Oregon State University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Located in Corvallis, OR, Oregon State University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 986, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. The program generates about $136,384 in revenue per athlete, against $136,384 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,022.
Saint Mary's College of California landed the #22 spot this year. Saint Mary's College of California is a private not-for-profit school based in Moraga, CA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 989, alongside a GSR of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. Team revenue averages $92,597 per participant, against $92,597 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,999.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo placed #23 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Located in San Luis Obispo, CA, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 997, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 92% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $46,147 per participant, against $46,147 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $10,344.
Santa Clara University ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Santa Clara University is a private not-for-profit school based in Santa Clara, CA. The team's NCAA APR score is 984, alongside a GSR of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 77%. The program generates about $83,595 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $83,595 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,355 per athlete.
California State University-Northridge came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Located in Northridge, CA, California State University-Northridge is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. Team revenue averages $57,877 per participant, against $59,209 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,174.
Rest of the Top 50 Colleges for Women’s Volleyball
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
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Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
See our data sources and methodologies.
