by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. This list ranks 29 colleges for Women’s Volleyball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Learn more about these schools below:
No school ranked higher than Washington and Lee University this year for Women's Volleyball. Located in Lexington, VA, Washington and Lee University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $14,655 in revenue per athlete, against $14,401 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
University of Virginia-Main Campus came in at #2 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. Located in Charlottesville, VA, University of Virginia-Main Campus is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 995, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 91%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $121,549, with expenses of about $121,549 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $26,976.
Christopher Newport University came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. Based in Newport News, VA, Christopher Newport University is a public institution. The program generates about $15,255 in revenue per athlete, against $15,255 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
William & Mary earned the #4 place for student athletes. William & Mary is a public school based in Williamsburg, VA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 92%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $49,694, against $61,012 in expenses. The school awards about $15,943 in athletic aid per athlete.
James Madison University came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. Based in Harrisonburg, VA, James Madison University is a public institution. James Madison University records an NCAA APR of 1000, alongside a GSR of 91%. The federal graduation rate stands at 89%. The program generates about $88,502 in revenue per athlete, compared with $88,502 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $19,945.
Old Dominion University did well this year, earning the #6 position. Located in Norfolk, VA, Old Dominion University is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 100%. Team revenue averages $61,088 per participant, compared with $61,088 spent per athlete. The school awards about $24,728 in athletic aid per athlete.
Liberty University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. Located in Lynchburg, VA, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 1000, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 83%. The program generates about $95,563 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $95,563 per participant. The school awards about $16,589 in athletic aid per athlete.
Randolph-Macon College ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Located in Ashland, VA, Randolph-Macon College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $9,037 per participant, with expenses of about $9,036 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Mary Washington ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Located in Fredericksburg, VA, University of Mary Washington is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $8,398, against $8,042 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Shenandoah University landed the #10 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Winchester, VA. The program generates about $8,066 in revenue per athlete, against $8,066 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
George Mason University ranked #11 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Located in Fairfax, VA, George Mason University is a public institution. George Mason University records an NCAA APR of 989, alongside a GSR of 100%. Its federal graduation rate is 67%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $49,192, against $49,192 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,956.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University placed #12 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Located in Blacksburg, VA, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 981, and a 91% Graduation Success Rate. About 80% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $18,365 per participant, with expenses of about $93,034 per participant. The school awards about $29,706 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Lynchburg came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Lynchburg, VA, University of Lynchburg is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $9,884, with expenses of about $9,884 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Virginia Commonwealth University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Virginia Commonwealth University is a public school based in Richmond, VA. The team's NCAA APR score is 988, alongside a GSR of 67%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $100,611, with expenses of about $100,611 per participant. The school awards about $20,187 in athletic aid per athlete.
Roanoke College did well this year, earning the #15 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Salem, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,239, with expenses of about $6,239 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Radford University placed #16 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Radford, VA. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 993, and a 92% Graduation Success Rate. About 50% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $24,344 per participant, with expenses of about $24,344 per participant. The school awards about $8,467 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hampton University placed #17 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Located in Hampton, VA, Hampton University is a private not-for-profit institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 960, and a 93% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 80%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $57,446, with expenses of about $58,737 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $18,394.
Emory & Henry University placed #18 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Emory & Henry University is a private not-for-profit school based in Emory, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,804, with expenses of about $12,804 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,871.
Mary Baldwin University placed #19 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Based in Staunton, VA, Mary Baldwin University is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $7,381 per participant, compared with $7,381 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Regent University placed #20 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This private not-for-profit school is set in Virginia Beach, VA. The program generates about $5,261 in revenue per athlete, compared with $5,261 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Eastern Mennonite University ranked #21 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Based in Harrisonburg, VA, Eastern Mennonite University is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $7,716, against $7,716 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Norfolk State University ranked #22 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Based in Norfolk, VA, Norfolk State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 944, and a 83% Graduation Success Rate. About 88% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $24,518 in revenue per athlete, compared with $24,518 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,545.
Randolph College ranked #23 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Randolph College is a private not-for-profit school based in Lynchburg, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,583, with expenses of about $6,583 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Virginia Wesleyan University landed the #24 spot this year. Virginia Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit school based in Virginia Beach, VA. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $6,599, against $6,599 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Virginia State University landed the #25 spot this year. This public school is set in Petersburg, VA. Team revenue averages $17,916 per participant, against $17,916 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $4,082 per athlete.
Not far behind, these colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on 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.