by our College Data Analytics Team
For student athletes, the right college balances academics with athletics. This list ranks 44 programs 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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Learn more about these schools below:
Duke University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. Located in Durham, NC, Duke University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. The program generates about $125,958 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $124,341 per participant. The school awards about $34,321 in athletic aid per athlete.
Elon University ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Elon University is a private not-for-profit school based in Elon, NC. Elon University records an NCAA APR of 994, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 83%. The program generates about $77,952 in revenue per athlete, against $77,952 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $25,795 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #3 spot for Women's Volleyball. Based in Charlotte, NC, University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $68,518, against $66,779 in expenses. The school awards about $11,522 in athletic aid per athlete.
Catawba College came in at #4 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Salisbury, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,883, compared with $15,858 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $9,164 per athlete.
North Carolina State University at Raleigh earned the #5 place for student athletes. Based in Raleigh, NC, North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 984, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 80%. Team revenue averages $51,647 per participant, with expenses of about $97,954 per participant. Athletic aid averages $18,384 per athlete.
Wake Forest University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Located in Winston-Salem, NC, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution. Wake Forest University records an NCAA APR of 980, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 69%. Team revenue averages $128,671 per participant, against $128,671 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $38,933.
Campbell University placed #7 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Based in Buies Creek, NC, Campbell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 82%. The program generates about $45,477 in revenue per athlete, compared with $45,477 spent per athlete. The school awards about $19,433 in athletic aid per athlete.
Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Located in Charlotte, NC, Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,032 per participant, compared with $9,032 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lenoir-Rhyne University landed the #9 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Hickory, NC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $18,987, against $18,987 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,094 per athlete.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #10 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Chapel Hill, NC. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill records an NCAA APR of 989, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 44% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $46,401, with expenses of about $89,591 per participant. The school awards about $17,771 in athletic aid per athlete.
Davidson College did well this year, earning the #11 position. Located in Davidson, NC, Davidson College is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 82%. The program generates about $30,814 in revenue per athlete, compared with $42,701 spent per athlete. The school awards about $9,830 in athletic aid per athlete.
High Point University landed the #12 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in High Point, NC. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 981, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. The program generates about $70,980 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $66,647 per participant. The school awards about $18,469 in athletic aid per athlete.
Appalachian State University ranked #13 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Located in Boone, NC, Appalachian State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $59,840 in revenue per athlete, against $59,840 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,299.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro landed the #14 spot this year. Located in Greensboro, NC, University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a public institution. University of North Carolina at Greensboro records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $38,300 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $38,300 per participant. The school awards about $9,162 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Carolina Wilmington ranked #15 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Wilmington, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 994, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $37,524, against $37,524 in expenses. The school awards about $7,667 in athletic aid per athlete.
Wingate University landed the #16 spot this year. Based in Wingate, NC, Wingate University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $32,381 in revenue per athlete, compared with $28,676 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,748 per athlete.
Queens University of Charlotte placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Queens University of Charlotte is a private not-for-profit school based in Charlotte, NC. Queens University of Charlotte records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 92%. About 73% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $39,355 per participant, compared with $39,355 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,282.
Winston-Salem State University landed the #18 spot this year. This public school is set in Winston-Salem, NC. Team revenue averages $18,316 per participant, compared with $18,316 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,441.
Barton College landed the #19 spot this year. Located in Wilson, NC, Barton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,207, against $11,207 in expenses. The school awards about $6,654 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Mount Olive did well this year, earning the #20 position. Located in Mount Olive, NC, University of Mount Olive is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $14,802, with expenses of about $14,332 per participant. The school awards about $7,775 in athletic aid per athlete.
Western Carolina University landed the #21 spot this year. Western Carolina University is a public school based in Cullowhee, NC. Western Carolina University records an NCAA APR of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Team revenue averages $33,440 per participant, compared with $33,440 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,960 per athlete.
Guilford College did well this year, earning the #22 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Greensboro, NC. Team revenue averages $6,317 per participant, compared with $5,799 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
East Carolina University ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Greenville, NC. The team's NCAA APR score is 972, alongside a GSR of 78%. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $53,421 in revenue per athlete, against $52,806 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $12,584.
North Carolina Central University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in Durham, NC, North Carolina Central University is a public institution. North Carolina Central University records an NCAA APR of 988, alongside a GSR of 94%. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $27,226, against $27,226 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,804.
Elizabeth City State University came in at #25 in this year's ranking. This public school is set in Elizabeth City, NC. The program generates about $11,278 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $11,278 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,147.
These programs also stood out among the best this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.