by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 173 programs 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Johns Hopkins University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit school based in Baltimore, MD. The program generates about $14,298 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $12,951 per participant. The school awards about $2,612 in athletic aid per athlete.
New York University landed the #2 spot for Women's Volleyball. Located in New York, NY, New York University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $18,726 in revenue per athlete, compared with $18,352 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Carnegie Mellon University landed the #3 spot for Women's Volleyball. Carnegie Mellon University is a private not-for-profit school based in Pittsburgh, PA. Team revenue averages $13,439 per participant, against $13,597 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Hamilton College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. Located in Clinton, NY, Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $14,636 in revenue per athlete, against $14,636 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Swarthmore College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. Swarthmore College is a private not-for-profit school based in Swarthmore, PA. Team revenue averages $13,844 per participant, compared with $12,850 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Stevens Institute of Technology did well this year, earning the #6 position. Stevens Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Hoboken, NJ. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,166, compared with $11,166 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Franklin and Marshall College ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Located in Lancaster, PA, Franklin and Marshall College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,420, with expenses of about $13,405 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $53.
University of Rochester placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,383, with expenses of about $13,017 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus did well this year, earning the #9 position. This public school is set in Pittsburgh, PA. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. Team revenue averages $210,206 per participant, compared with $210,206 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $30,613.
Haverford College did well this year, earning the #10 position. Haverford College is a private not-for-profit school based in Haverford, PA. Team revenue averages $10,990 per participant, with expenses of about $10,659 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Georgetown University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Located in Washington, DC, Georgetown University 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%. Team revenue averages $95,342 per participant, with expenses of about $95,342 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,232 per athlete.
Vassar College ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Based in Poughkeepsie, NY, Vassar College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,347 in revenue per athlete, against $9,588 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Colgate University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hamilton, NY. Colgate University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $74,526 per participant, with expenses of about $74,526 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $22,658.
Syracuse University placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Syracuse, NY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $54,340, compared with $103,635 spent per athlete. The school awards about $33,068 in athletic aid per athlete.
Union College came in at #15 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Schenectady, NY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,836, against $10,434 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $2,499.
Temple University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Temple University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $79,939 per participant, against $79,939 in expenses. The school awards about $28,567 in athletic aid per athlete.
Gettysburg College landed the #17 spot this year. Gettysburg College is a private not-for-profit school based in Gettysburg, PA. Team revenue averages $9,623 per participant, against $9,623 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Villanova University landed the #18 spot this year. Based in Villanova, PA, Villanova University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 100% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $98,128 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $98,128 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $25,480.
Rochester Institute of Technology came in at #19 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Rochester, NY. Team revenue averages $22,814 per participant, compared with $21,310 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,070 per athlete.
Skidmore College ranked #20 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saratoga Springs, NY. Team revenue averages $8,325 per participant, against $8,325 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Lehigh University landed the #21 spot this year. Based in Bethlehem, PA, Lehigh University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $71,604 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $71,604 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,391.
New Jersey Institute of Technology ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Located in Newark, NJ, New Jersey Institute of Technology is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 89%. Team revenue averages $58,316 per participant, with expenses of about $57,497 per participant. The school awards about $15,477 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bucknell University placed #23 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Located in Lewisburg, PA, Bucknell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Bucknell University records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. About 83% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $97,355 in revenue per athlete, compared with $97,355 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $19,655 per athlete.
Lafayette College ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Based in Easton, PA, Lafayette College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 72% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $59,303, compared with $59,303 spent per athlete. The school awards about $18,987 in athletic aid per athlete.
Yeshiva University ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Based in New York, NY, Yeshiva University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,619 in revenue per athlete, against $6,619 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
These schools rounded out the top of the list:
*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
See our data sources and methodologies.