by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. Our ranking highlights 41 schools for Women’s Volleyball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Explore the leading programs below:
Williams College earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Williamstown, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,957, against $10,957 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Tufts University ranked #2 among 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. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Amherst College earned the #3 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set 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 landed the #4 spot for Women's Volleyball. Wellesley College is a private not-for-profit school based in Wellesley, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,212, compared with $18,212 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Bentley University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. 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. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,029.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked #6 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, against $6,111 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Babson College ranked #7 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Babson College is a private not-for-profit school based in Wellesley, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,489, compared with $11,489 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Brandeis University landed the #8 spot this year. Located in Waltham, MA, Brandeis University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $14,423 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $14,423 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in Worcester, MA, Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,972 per participant, with expenses of about $9,972 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Merrimack College came in at #10 in this year's ranking. Located in North Andover, MA, Merrimack College is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 93%. Team revenue averages $27,521 per participant, with expenses of about $27,521 per participant. The school awards about $20,394 in athletic aid per athlete.
Boston College did well this year, earning the #11 position. Boston College is a private not-for-profit school based in Chestnut Hill, MA. The team's NCAA APR score is 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Team revenue averages $102,724 per participant, compared with $102,724 spent per athlete. The school awards about $29,391 in athletic aid per athlete.
Emerson College placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Emerson College is a private not-for-profit school based in Boston, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,302, with expenses of about $8,174 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Stonehill College placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Based in Easton, MA, Stonehill College is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 93%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $20,441, with expenses of about $20,441 per participant. Athletic aid averages $14,278 per athlete.
Assumption University landed the #14 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,948, compared with $10,997 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $4,778 per athlete.
Harvard University landed the #15 spot this year. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cambridge, MA. Harvard University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The program generates about $29,764 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $29,764 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northeastern University placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Located in Boston, MA, Northeastern University is a private not-for-profit institution. Northeastern University records an NCAA APR of 984, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 69%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $79,896, with expenses of about $79,896 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $24,558.
Wheaton College (Massachusetts) came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Located in Norton, MA, Wheaton College (Massachusetts) is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,631, compared with $10,631 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Endicott College did well this year, earning the #18 position. Endicott College is a private not-for-profit school based in Beverly, MA. The program generates about $6,591 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,591 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Wentworth Institute of Technology placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Based in Boston, MA, Wentworth Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,145 per participant, with expenses of about $7,001 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Springfield College placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Based in Springfield, MA, Springfield College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $10,773, compared with $10,773 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Western New England University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Western New England University is a private not-for-profit school based in Springfield, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,959, with expenses of about $6,959 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Gordon College placed #22 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Gordon College is a private not-for-profit school based in Wenham, MA. The program generates about $8,545 in revenue per athlete, against $7,901 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy did well this year, earning the #23 position. Massachusetts Maritime Academy is a public school based in Buzzards Bay, MA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $2,861, against $2,849 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
College of the Holy Cross landed the #24 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Worcester, MA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 980, with a Graduation Success Rate of 91%. About 77% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $56,241, with expenses of about $56,241 per participant. Athletic aid averages $17,801 per athlete.
Suffolk University ranked #25 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Based in Boston, MA, Suffolk University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,531 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,531 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid 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. 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.