by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 24 programs for Women’s Volleyball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, 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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Explore the leading programs below:
Clemson University earned the #1 spot in this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. Based in Clemson, SC, Clemson University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 81%. Team revenue averages $135,467 per participant, with expenses of about $135,467 per participant. The school awards about $21,730 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of South Carolina-Columbia is one of the top schools for Women's Volleyball, at #2. This public school is set in Columbia, SC. University of South Carolina-Columbia records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 100%. The program generates about $136,255 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $136,255 per participant. Athletic aid averages $18,645 per athlete.
Wofford College ranked #3 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Wofford College is a private not-for-profit school based in Spartanburg, SC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. Team revenue averages $70,555 per participant, compared with $70,555 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,368.
North Greenville University earned the #4 place for student athletes. This private not-for-profit school is set in Tigerville, SC. The program generates about $28,319 in revenue per athlete, against $31,168 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $15,158 per athlete.
Furman University earned the #5 place for student athletes. Located in Greenville, SC, Furman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Furman University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 88%. About 71% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $54,299 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $54,299 per participant. Athletic aid averages $28,699 per athlete.
Citadel Military College of South Carolina ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Located in Charleston, SC, Citadel Military College of South Carolina is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 982, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $66,803 in revenue per athlete, compared with $47,282 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,439.
College of Charleston did well this year, earning the #7 position. Based in Charleston, SC, College of Charleston is a public institution. College of Charleston records an NCAA APR of 994, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 79%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $58,119, compared with $58,119 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $11,551 per athlete.
Coastal Carolina University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Coastal Carolina University is a public school based in Conway, SC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 981, alongside a GSR of 92%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Team revenue averages $72,594 per participant, compared with $72,594 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,875.
Lander University landed the #9 spot this year. Located in Greenwood, SC, Lander University is a public institution. The program generates about $34,578 in revenue per athlete, compared with $26,876 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,383.
University of South Carolina-Upstate ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Spartanburg, SC. The team's NCAA APR score is 988, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 56%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $36,031, with expenses of about $36,031 per participant. Athletic aid averages $9,411 per athlete.
Southern Wesleyan University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Central, SC. The program generates about $11,508 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $11,508 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,609.
Presbyterian College placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Clinton, SC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 984, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 82% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $27,347 per participant, against $27,347 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $11,454 per athlete.
Winthrop University placed #13 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Rock Hill, SC. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 82%. About 63% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $34,298, compared with $34,298 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,244.
Converse University placed #14 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Spartanburg, SC. Team revenue averages $19,112 per participant, compared with $18,856 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,241 per athlete.
Charleston Southern University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Based in Charleston, SC, Charleston Southern University is a private not-for-profit institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 966, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 67% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $27,425 per participant, compared with $27,425 spent per athlete. The school awards about $15,092 in athletic aid per athlete.
Claflin University ranked #16 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Based in Orangeburg, SC, Claflin University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $10,248 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $10,248 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $4,337.
University of South Carolina Aiken ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Based in Aiken, SC, University of South Carolina Aiken is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,262, against $28,262 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,318.
Erskine College did well this year, earning the #18 position. Erskine College is a private not-for-profit school based in Due West, SC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,712, compared with $11,712 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $3,924 per athlete.
Newberry College did well this year, earning the #19 position. Located in Newberry, SC, Newberry College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $16,009 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $16,598 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,596 per athlete.
Francis Marion University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Florence, SC. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,289, against $15,289 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $5,654 per athlete.
Coker University did well this year, earning the #21 position. Based in Hartsville, SC, Coker University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,451, compared with $15,233 spent per athlete. The school awards about $6,938 in athletic aid per athlete.
South Carolina State University did well this year, earning the #22 position. This public school is set in Orangeburg, SC. The team's NCAA APR score is 956, and a 63% Graduation Success Rate. About 30% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $21,957 per participant, with expenses of about $21,957 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,529 per athlete.
Benedict College ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Benedict College is a private not-for-profit school based in Columbia, SC. Team revenue averages $18,217 per participant, compared with $14,490 spent per athlete. The school awards about $5,098 in athletic aid per athlete.
Allen University landed the #24 spot this year. Allen University is a private not-for-profit school based in Columbia, SC. Team revenue averages $5,472 per participant, against $5,472 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $3,826 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published 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.