by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 21 colleges 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.
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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Our analysis found Union University to be the best college for Women's Volleyball in Tennessee. Based in Jackson, TN, Union University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $33,900, with expenses of about $33,193 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,895.
Rhodes College ranked #2 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Rhodes College is a private not-for-profit school based in Memphis, TN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,574, compared with $11,574 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lipscomb University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Nashville, TN. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $88,684, against $88,684 in expenses. The school awards about $18,176 in athletic aid per athlete.
Belmont University ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Belmont University is a private not-for-profit school based in Nashville, TN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 78%. The program generates about $70,943 in revenue per athlete, against $70,943 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $21,742.
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. The University of Tennessee-Knoxville is a public school based in Knoxville, TN. The University of Tennessee-Knoxville records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. About 82% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $20,760 per participant, against $159,880 in expenses. The school awards about $29,054 in athletic aid per athlete.
Middle Tennessee State University ranked #6 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Based in Murfreesboro, TN, Middle Tennessee State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 28%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $75,864, compared with $75,864 spent per athlete. The school awards about $20,110 in athletic aid per athlete.
Tennessee Technological University landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Cookeville, TN, Tennessee Technological University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. About 69% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $48,948, with expenses of about $48,948 per participant. The school awards about $14,453 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Memphis placed #8 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Memphis, TN. The team's NCAA APR score is 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. The federal graduation rate stands at 33%. The program generates about $60,011 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $60,011 per participant. The school awards about $16,106 in athletic aid per athlete.
Lee University placed #9 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Lee University is a private not-for-profit school based in Cleveland, TN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $28,179, compared with $28,179 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,272.
Austin Peay State University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Based in Clarksville, TN, Austin Peay State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 90% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $58,677 per participant, compared with $58,677 spent per athlete. The school awards about $13,483 in athletic aid per athlete.
East Tennessee State University placed #11 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. East Tennessee State University is a public school based in Johnson City, TN. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 994, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. About 78% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $40,797 per participant, compared with $40,797 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,444.
Christian Brothers University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Located in Memphis, TN, Christian Brothers University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $20,677 per participant, against $21,818 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,833.
Lincoln Memorial University landed the #13 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Harrogate, TN. The program generates about $24,506 in revenue per athlete, compared with $24,552 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,449.
Trevecca Nazarene University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Nashville, TN. Team revenue averages $12,236 per participant, with expenses of about $12,236 per participant. Athletic aid averages $5,766 per athlete.
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Based in Chattanooga, TN, The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 988, and a 90% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 100%. Team revenue averages $16,959 per participant, against $16,959 in expenses. The school awards about $13,025 in athletic aid per athlete.
Tennessee State University landed the #16 spot this year. This public school is set in Nashville, TN. The team's NCAA APR score is 944, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Team revenue averages $38,779 per participant, compared with $38,779 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $13,651 per athlete.
The University of Tennessee-Martin ranked #17 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Martin, TN. The team's NCAA APR score is 971, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 75%. Team revenue averages $33,052 per participant, against $32,524 in expenses. The school awards about $9,021 in athletic aid per athlete.
Carson-Newman University placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Based in Jefferson City, TN, Carson-Newman University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $15,654, against $14,377 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $10,904 per athlete.
King University placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Located in Bristol, TN, King University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $17,271 in revenue per athlete, compared with $11,774 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $7,932 per athlete.
Tusculum University did well this year, earning the #20 position. Tusculum University is a private not-for-profit school based in Greeneville, TN. The program generates about $12,387 in revenue per athlete, compared with $12,370 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $6,457.
Lane College placed #21 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Lane College is a private not-for-profit school based in Jackson, TN. Team revenue averages $10,106 per participant, with expenses of about $10,628 per participant. Athletic aid averages $3,306 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.