by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 12 programs for Women’s Volleyball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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.
Want to narrow by division or explore related lists? Pick a path below.
Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Our analysis found Harding University to be the best college for Women's Volleyball in Arkansas. This private not-for-profit school is set in Searcy, AR. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,467, against $31,984 in expenses. The school awards about $9,216 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Arkansas ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. University of Arkansas is a public school based in Fayetteville, AR. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 77%. Team revenue averages $8,322 per participant, compared with $122,029 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,062.
Arkansas State University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. Located in Jonesboro, AR, Arkansas State University is a public institution. Arkansas State University records an NCAA APR of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 85%. Team revenue averages $52,998 per participant, compared with $52,998 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $16,588 per athlete.
Ouachita Baptist University landed the #4 spot for Women's Volleyball. Located in Arkadelphia, AR, Ouachita Baptist University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,776, with expenses of about $14,804 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,935.
University of Arkansas at Little Rock landed the #5 spot for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Little Rock, AR. University of Arkansas at Little Rock records an NCAA APR of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $39,441, compared with $39,441 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $8,309 per athlete.
Hendrix College ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Hendrix College is a private not-for-profit school based in Conway, AR. Team revenue averages $6,204 per participant, compared with $6,204 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Central Arkansas landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Conway, AR, University of Central Arkansas is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 984, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 85%. The program generates about $32,852 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $32,852 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,449.
Lyon College landed the #8 spot this year. Based in Batesville, AR, Lyon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,820, with expenses of about $7,820 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Arkansas Tech University did well this year, earning the #9 position. Located in Russellville, AR, Arkansas Tech University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $19,985 per participant, against $19,985 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,208 per athlete.
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith came in at #10 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Fort Smith, AR. The program generates about $25,860 in revenue per athlete, against $25,860 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,102 per athlete.
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff did well this year, earning the #11 position. University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is a public school based in Pine Bluff, AR. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 993, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 38% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $21,806 per participant, against $21,806 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,028 per athlete.
Henderson State University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. Located in Arkadelphia, AR, Henderson State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $10,187 per participant, with expenses of about $10,187 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,143 per athlete.
*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.