When it comes to choosing a college, student athletes have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Division III Women's Volleyball ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
After analyzing 375 schools in the United States, we came up with our list of those that offered the best educational experiences for D3 Women's Volleyball athletes. Our ranking methodology focuses a number of different objective factors - such as the overall quality of the school, the school's athletic competitiveness, and the amount of athletic aid per student - to make this determination. Having a great sports team is not enough - the school must also focus on academic excellence.
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.
We've created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don't have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
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Top Colleges in the U.S. for D3 Women's Volleyball athletes
Our 2023 rankings named Colorado College the best school for D3 Women’s Volleyball athletes working on their bachelor’s degree. Colorado College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Colorado Springs, Colorado that handed out 530 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Volleyball team at Colorado College brought home $211,776 in revenue in a single year.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. In addition to its great ranking here, Colorado College is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Colorado College Sports Report
The excellent sports programs at Emory University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools for D3 Women’s Volleyball athletes. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 2,663 students in .
The D3 Women’s Volleyball team at Emory made $638,932 in revenue, while incurring $343,023 in expenses. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $295,909.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. In addition to its great ranking here, Emory is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Emory University
You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend Calvin University. The school came in at #3 in this year’s ranking. Calvin is a private not-for-profit institution located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 858 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Volleyball team at Calvin made $261,481 in revenue, while incurring $201,690 in expenses. That boils down to a yearly profit of $59,791 for the sports team.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Calvin excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Calvin University Sports Report
Out of the 375 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 1,361 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Volleyball team at MIT made $109,446 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. In addition to its Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, MIT is ranked #5 for overall quality in the United States.
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Out of the 375 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Tufts University landed the #5 spot on the list. Tufts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Medford, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1,915 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Volleyball team at Tufts brought home $173,062 in revenue in a single year.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. In addition to its great ranking here, Tufts is in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Tufts University Sports Report
Swarthmore College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball list. Swarthmore is a private not-for-profit institution located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 567 bachelor’s degrees in .
Swarthmore brought in $157,096 while tallying up $128,259 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Volleyball team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $28,837.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, Swarthmore also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #7, DePauw University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking. Located in Greencastle, Indiana, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 532 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Volleyball team at DePauw took home $167,385 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, DePauw also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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Carnegie Mellon University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 1,971 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Volleyball team at Carnegie Mellon made $195,643 in revenue.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Carnegie Mellon excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Carnegie Mellon University Sports Report
Southwestern University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking. Located in Georgetown, Texas, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 420 bachelor’s degrees in .
Southwestern brought in $212,621 while tallying up $212,618 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Volleyball team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $3 for the sports team.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Southwestern also is in the top 15% of our overall quality ranking.
Full Southwestern University Sports Report
Stevens Institute of Technology landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking. Located in Hoboken, New Jersey, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 929 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Volleyball team at Stevens took home $176,412 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. In addition to its great ranking here, Stevens is in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
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The University of Texas at Dallas ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball list. This large public school is located in Richardson, Texas, and it awarded 4,995 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Volleyball team at UT Dallas made $139,624 in revenue.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UT Dallas also is in the top 20% of our overall quality ranking.
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Ithaca College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking. Ithaca is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In , this school awarded 1,322 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The D3 Women’s Volleyball team at Ithaca brought home $138,834 in revenue in a single year.
Ithaca excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Ithaca College Sports Report
Ohio Northern University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking. ONU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ada, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 450 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Volleyball team at ONU took home $190,629 in revenue.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, ONU also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Ohio Northern University Sports Report
With a ranking of #14, Trinity University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in San Antonio, Texas, and it awarded 691 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Volleyball team at Trinity U made $382,419 in revenue, while incurring $316,395 in expenses. Thus, the team actually made $66,024, which isn’t bad at all.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Trinity U excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Full Trinity University Sports Report
Washington University in St Louis came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 2,428 bachelor’s degrees in .
The team at WUSTL took home $427,296 in revenue and paid out $411,847 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $15,449 for the sports team.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. On top of its placing in this ranking, WUSTL also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Washington University in St Louis
With a ranking of #16, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking. Johns Hopkins is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Baltimore, Maryland. It awarded 1,910 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Volleyball team at Johns Hopkins made $210,434 in revenue.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Johns Hopkins also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Full Johns Hopkins University Sports Report
Washington and Lee University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Lexington, Virginia, and it awarded 581 bachelor’s degrees in .
Washington and Lee brought in $201,970 while tallying up $199,030 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Volleyball team. Happily, this means that the team turned a profit of $2,940.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. On top of its placing in this ranking, Washington and Lee also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Hope College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking, coming in at #18. Hope College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Holland, Michigan that handed out 837 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Volleyball team at Hope made $102,991 in revenue.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. Hope also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Gustavus Adolphus College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking. Gustavus Adolphus College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Saint Peter, Minnesota that handed out 682 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Volleyball team at Gustavus Adolphus took home $213,825 in revenue.
Gustavus Adolphus excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on Gustavus Adolphus College
Vassar College did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Poughkeepsie, New York, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 816 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in .
Vassar brought in $193,954 while tallying up $193,801 in expenses for its D3 Women’s Volleyball team. Thus, the team actually made $153, which isn’t bad at all.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Vassar also is in the top 5% of our overall quality ranking.
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With a ranking of #20, Union College New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking. Union College is located in Schenectady, New York and, has a small student population. In , this school awarded 600 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates.
The team at Union College took home $128,811 in revenue and paid out $123,892 in expenses in recent times. That boils down to a yearly profit of $4,919 for the sports team.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Union College also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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Worcester Polytechnic Institute landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking. Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, the medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1,333 bachelor’s degrees in .
On the financial side of things, the D3 Women’s Volleyball team at WPI made $152,632 in revenue.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. WPI also claimed a spot on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Read full sports report on Worcester Polytechnic Institute
University of Rochester ranked #23 on this year’s Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball list. University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rochester, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,090 bachelor’s degrees in .
Speaking financially, the D3 Women’s Volleyball team at University of Rochester took home $171,658 in revenue.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. University of Rochester excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our overall quality list.
Read full sports report on University of Rochester
With a ranking of #24, California Lutheran University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking. Located in Thousand Oaks, California, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 816 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Volleyball team at CLU brought home $264,802 in revenue in a single year.
Full California Lutheran University Sports Report
With a ranking of #25, Amherst College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Division III Women’s Volleyball ranking. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 759 bachelor’s degrees in .
The D3 Women’s Volleyball team at Amherst brought home $222,476 in revenue in a single year.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. On top of its placing in this ranking, Amherst also did well on our overall quality list. It’s in the top 1% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full sports report on Amherst College
Rest of the Top 50 Best Colleges for D3 Women's Volleyball athletes
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 25 schools only.
References
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
The academic progress rate (APR) of each team was made available by the NCAA.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
When it comes to choosing a college, student athletes have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Division III Women's Volleyball ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
