by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 21 colleges for Women’s Volleyball by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Our analysis found Macalester College to be the best college for Women's Volleyball in Minnesota. This private not-for-profit school is set in Saint Paul, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $12,012, compared with $11,556 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Carleton College is one of the top schools for Women's Volleyball, at #2. Located in Northfield, MN, Carleton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $6,657 per participant, compared with $7,175 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities came in at #3 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. Based in Minneapolis, MN, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is a public institution. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 100% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 86%. Team revenue averages $84,612 per participant, against $207,738 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $27,174.
St Olaf College ranked #4 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Based in Northfield, MN, St Olaf College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,572 in revenue per athlete, compared with $8,572 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Gustavus Adolphus College came in at #5 on this year's ranking for Women's Volleyball. Based in Saint Peter, MN, Gustavus Adolphus College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $10,513 per participant, with expenses of about $10,513 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Duluth placed #6 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. This public school is set in Duluth, MN. Team revenue averages $34,661 per participant, compared with $34,661 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $5,671 per athlete.
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Winona, MN, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $9,504 in revenue per athlete, compared with $9,504 spent per athlete. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Winona State University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Winona State University is a public school based in Winona, MN. Team revenue averages $32,089 per participant, against $32,089 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,907.
Martin Luther College ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Based in New Ulm, MN, Martin Luther College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $4,165 in revenue per athlete, compared with $4,165 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
St Catherine University placed #10 among the best colleges for Women's Volleyball. Located in Saint Paul, MN, St Catherine University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $8,081 in revenue per athlete, against $8,081 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
University of Northwestern-St Paul came in at #11 in this year's ranking. Based in Saint Paul, MN, University of Northwestern-St Paul is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,640 per participant, against $5,640 in expenses. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Bemidji State University landed the #12 spot this year. This public school is set in Bemidji, MN. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $24,253, against $24,253 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $6,153 per athlete.
Saint Cloud State University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Based in Saint Cloud, MN, Saint Cloud State University is a public institution. Team revenue averages $41,619 per participant, against $37,829 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $5,426.
Minnesota State University Moorhead came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Based in Moorhead, MN, Minnesota State University Moorhead is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $23,645, with expenses of about $22,027 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $3,722.
University of Minnesota-Crookston came in at #15 in this year's ranking. University of Minnesota-Crookston is a public school based in Crookston, MN. The program generates about $32,184 in revenue per athlete, against $32,184 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $7,101 per athlete.
University of Minnesota-Morris landed the #16 spot this year. University of Minnesota-Morris is a public school based in Morris, MN. The program generates about $6,232 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,151 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Hamline University did well this year, earning the #17 position. Based in Saint Paul, MN, Hamline University is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,658 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,658 per participant. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
North Central University came in at #18 in this year's ranking. This private not-for-profit school is set in Minneapolis, MN. Team revenue averages $4,091 per participant, compared with $4,091 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $49.
Southwest Minnesota State University ranked #19 on our 2026 list for Women's Volleyball. Southwest Minnesota State University is a public school based in Marshall, MN. The program generates about $36,797 in revenue per athlete, compared with $36,797 spent per athlete. The school awards about $2,980 in athletic aid per athlete.
Augsburg University did well this year, earning the #20 position. This private not-for-profit school is set in Minneapolis, MN. The program generates about $7,639 in revenue per athlete, compared with $7,639 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $0.
Bethany Lutheran College landed the #21 spot this year. Based in Mankato, MN, Bethany Lutheran College is a private not-for-profit institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $5,196, compared with $5,121 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
*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.