by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 16 colleges for Women’s Volleyball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Centre College earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. Centre College is a private not-for-profit school based in Danville, KY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,161, with expenses of about $9,161 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Kentucky earned the #2 place for student athletes. Based in Lexington, KY, University of Kentucky is a public institution. University of Kentucky records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. The program generates about $214,353 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $214,353 per participant. The school awards about $23,921 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Louisville landed the #3 spot for Women's Volleyball. University of Louisville is a public school based in Louisville, KY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 75%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $637,975, with expenses of about $179,948 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,083.
Transylvania University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Located in Lexington, KY, Transylvania University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $7,066 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,066 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Western Kentucky University is one of the top schools for Women's Volleyball, at #5. This public school is set in Bowling Green, KY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. The program generates about $90,090 in revenue per athlete, compared with $90,090 spent per athlete. The school awards about $14,243 in athletic aid per athlete.
Asbury University landed the #6 spot this year. Based in Wilmore, KY, Asbury University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,327 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $4,327 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Berea College came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Berea, KY, Berea College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,341, compared with $9,862 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Eastern Kentucky University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Richmond, KY. Eastern Kentucky University records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. The program generates about $51,464 in revenue per athlete, against $51,464 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $12,644 per athlete.
Bellarmine University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Bellarmine University is a private not-for-profit school based in Louisville, KY. Bellarmine University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. The program generates about $48,266 in revenue per athlete, against $48,266 in expenses. The school awards about $10,105 in athletic aid per athlete.
Northern Kentucky University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Highland Heights, KY. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, alongside a GSR of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 86%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $45,438, with expenses of about $45,438 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,809.
Murray State University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Murray, KY. Murray State University records an NCAA APR of 989, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 70% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $51,397 per participant, compared with $43,530 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,774.
Spalding University did well this year, earning the #12 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Louisville, KY. The program generates about $7,930 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,930 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Morehead State University placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Morehead State University is a public school based in Morehead, KY. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 85% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $46,509 in revenue per athlete, compared with $46,548 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $4,170 per athlete.
Kentucky Wesleyan College ranked #14 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Owensboro, KY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $13,491, compared with $12,544 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,522 in athletic aid per athlete.
Thomas More University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Crestview Hills, KY. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,000, with expenses of about $7,660 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,453.
Kentucky State University did well this year, earning the #16 position. Located in Frankfort, KY, Kentucky State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $3,012 per participant, against $3,012 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $1,939.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. Rankings consider 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.