by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 43 colleges for Women’s Volleyball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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:
No school ranked higher than Case Western Reserve University this year for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Cleveland, OH. Team revenue averages $9,573 per participant, against $9,573 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Ohio State University-Main Campus came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Columbus, OH. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $158,051, against $158,051 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $27,151 per athlete.
Denison University landed the #3 spot for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Granville, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,386, against $14,386 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Oberlin College landed the #4 spot for Women's Volleyball. Oberlin College is a private not-for-profit school based in Oberlin, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,037, compared with $15,037 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Xavier University is one of the top schools for Women's Volleyball, at #5. Located in Cincinnati, OH, Xavier University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 70%. The program generates about $75,244 in revenue per athlete, against $75,245 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,280.
Cedarville University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Cedarville, OH, Cedarville University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $30,607, with expenses of about $30,607 per participant. The school awards about $5,791 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bowling Green State University-Main Campus placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Bowling Green, OH. Bowling Green State University-Main Campus records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $61,903, with expenses of about $61,051 per participant. The school awards about $16,840 in athletic aid per athlete.
Kenyon College did well this year, earning the #8 position. Based in Gambier, OH, Kenyon College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,921 in revenue per athlete, compared with $6,921 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
John Carroll University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. John Carroll University is a private not-for-profit school based in University Heights, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,594, with expenses of about $9,594 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
The College of Wooster ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Located in Wooster, OH, The College of Wooster is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $15,032 per participant, compared with $14,524 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Toledo landed the #11 spot this year. Located in Toledo, OH, University of Toledo is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $57,720, compared with $57,720 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,660.
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Located in Cincinnati, OH, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 88%. Its federal graduation rate is 55%. The program generates about $97,323 in revenue per athlete, against $97,323 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $20,882 per athlete.
Ohio University-Main Campus landed the #13 spot this year. Located in Athens, OH, Ohio University-Main Campus is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $71,942 per participant, against $71,942 in expenses. The school awards about $17,284 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Dayton ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Dayton, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 80%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $43,724, with expenses of about $82,160 per participant. Athletic aid averages $13,913 per athlete.
Miami University-Oxford landed the #15 spot this year. Miami University-Oxford is a public school based in Oxford, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 78%. The program generates about $63,053 in revenue per athlete, against $63,053 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,790.
Ohio Northern University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Ohio Northern University is a private not-for-profit school based in Ada, OH. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,122, with expenses of about $9,122 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Wright State University-Main Campus placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Dayton, OH. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $46,738, against $46,738 in expenses. The school awards about $6,387 in athletic aid per athlete.
Franciscan University of Steubenville did well this year, earning the #18 position. Based in Steubenville, OH, Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $3,044 per participant, against $2,971 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Kent State University at Kent placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Based in Kent, OH, Kent State University at Kent is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 981, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. The program generates about $47,099 in revenue per athlete, compared with $47,099 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,976.
Ashland University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Based in Ashland, OH, Ashland University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $26,992 per participant, with expenses of about $26,992 per participant. The school awards about $5,808 in athletic aid per athlete.
Walsh University landed the #21 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in North Canton, OH. The program generates about $20,724 in revenue per athlete, compared with $18,616 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,087 per athlete.
Baldwin Wallace University placed #22 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Berea, OH. Team revenue averages $6,943 per participant, compared with $6,943 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Akron Main Campus placed #23 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Akron, OH. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. The federal graduation rate stands at 71%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $40,928, with expenses of about $40,928 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,189.
Cleveland State University ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Cleveland, OH. Cleveland State University records an NCAA APR of 995, and a 89% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 70%. Team revenue averages $42,760 per participant, against $37,210 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,645 per athlete.
Otterbein University did well this year, earning the #25 position. Otterbein University is a private not-for-profit school based in Westerville, OH. The program generates about $6,122 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,832 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology weighs 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.