by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 87 schools for Women’s Volleyball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, College Factual evaluates each program using 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:
Tufts University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Tufts University is a private not-for-profit school based in Medford, MA. The program generates about $13,715 in revenue per athlete, compared with $13,119 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bowdoin College earned the #2 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Brunswick, ME. The program generates about $13,119 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,425 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Amherst College came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. Amherst College is a private not-for-profit school based in Amherst, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,859, compared with $13,859 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Wellesley College is one of the top schools for Women's Volleyball, at #4. This private not-for-profit school is set in Wellesley, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,212, compared with $18,212 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Williams College ranked #5 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Based in Williamstown, MA, Williams College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,957, against $10,957 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Middlebury College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Middlebury, VT. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,898, with expenses of about $12,898 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bentley University did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in Waltham, MA, Bentley University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $35,190 per participant, against $34,597 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,029 per athlete.
Babson College did well this year, earning the #8 position. Babson College is a private not-for-profit school based in Wellesley, MA. Team revenue averages $11,489 per participant, with expenses of about $11,489 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bates College came in at #9 in this year's ranking. Located in Lewiston, ME, Bates College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,155, against $11,440 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Colby College did well this year, earning the #10 position. Located in Waterville, ME, Colby College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $11,473 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,473 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit school based in Cambridge, MA. Team revenue averages $6,111 per participant, compared with $6,111 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Brandeis University landed the #12 spot this year. Brandeis University is a private not-for-profit school based in Waltham, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,423, with expenses of about $14,423 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute landed the #13 spot this year. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit school based in Worcester, MA. The program generates about $9,972 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $9,972 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Connecticut College came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Connecticut College is a private not-for-profit school based in New London, CT. The program generates about $17,422 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $17,422 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Connecticut ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Storrs, CT. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 90%. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $86,289, against $86,289 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $20,776 per athlete.
Saint Anselm College came in at #16 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Manchester, NH. Team revenue averages $15,286 per participant, compared with $14,410 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,219.
Boston College landed the #17 spot this year. Based in Chestnut Hill, MA, Boston College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. The program generates about $102,724 in revenue per athlete, compared with $102,724 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $29,391.
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Based in Durham, NH, University of New Hampshire-Main Campus is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $57,979 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $57,979 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,869.
Emerson College did well this year, earning the #19 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Boston, MA. The program generates about $9,302 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,174 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Fairfield University did well this year, earning the #20 position. Located in Fairfield, CT, Fairfield University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 995, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $60,896, with expenses of about $60,896 per participant. Athletic aid averages $19,587 per athlete.
Saint Michael's College landed the #21 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Colchester, VT. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $17,656, against $17,656 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,634 per athlete.
Providence College came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Located in Providence, RI, Providence College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. Team revenue averages $75,520 per participant, with expenses of about $75,520 per participant. Athletic aid averages $25,955 per athlete.
Quinnipiac University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. Based in Hamden, CT, Quinnipiac University is a private not-for-profit institution. Quinnipiac University records an NCAA APR of 983, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 92%. The program generates about $93,890 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $93,890 per participant. The school awards about $27,084 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bryant University ranked #24 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Bryant University is a private not-for-profit school based in Smithfield, RI. Bryant University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $45,801, with expenses of about $45,801 per participant. The school awards about $14,982 in athletic aid per athlete.
Assumption University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Based in Worcester, MA, Assumption University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,948 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,997 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,778.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.