Scholarships by Sport: Volleyball

College volleyball — particularly women's volleyball — is one of the most scholarship-rich sports in all of college athletics. With 12 full headcount scholarships per Division I program, over 335 Division I programs, and hundreds more at Division II and the NAIA, the total scholarship opportunity available in women's volleyball is among the largest of any sport. For talented volleyball players who pursue the recruiting process seriously, the pathway to meaningful athletic financial aid is well-defined and achievable.

Understanding Athletic Scholarships

Women's volleyball at NCAA Division I is a headcount sport — all 12 scholarships per program are full scholarships covering tuition, room, board, and fees. This makes women's volleyball one of only a handful of sports in college athletics where full scholarships are the standard offer. Men's volleyball at Division I is an equivalency sport with 4.5 equivalencies per program. The headcount structure for women means coaches extend fewer but larger offers — a full scholarship from a DI volleyball program is a genuinely significant financial award.

Key Insight: Over 335 Programs With 12 Full Scholarships Each

The combination of the headcount scholarship structure and the breadth of Division I women's volleyball programs creates an extraordinary total scholarship pool. Add Division II, NAIA, and junior college programs, and the aggregate scholarship opportunity in women's volleyball is matched by very few sports. The challenge for recruits is not finding programs — it is correctly identifying the level where their skills are genuinely competitive and targeting those programs with focused outreach.

Scholarship Numbers at a Glance

LevelScholarshipsPrograms NCAA Division I Women12.0 (headcount — all full)~335 programs NCAA Division I Men4.5 equivalencies~24 programs NCAA Division II Women8.0 equivalencies~300 programs NCAA Division II Men4.5 equivalencies~25 programs NCAA Division IIINo athletic scholarships400+ programs (academic & need-based aid) NAIAUp to 8 equivalencies175+ member schools

NAIA Scholarships

NAIA volleyball is a vibrant and competitive landscape with scholarship money available at approximately 175 member schools for women. NAIA volleyball programs regularly develop athletes who go on to professional careers domestically and abroad, and the scholarship packages available at strong NAIA programs can be genuinely competitive. For athletes who are strong but may not fit the recruiting criteria of NCAA programs, NAIA volleyball is a real and rewarding pathway.

NIL — A New Source of Compensation

NIL has emerged as a meaningful supplement to volleyball scholarships, particularly following the rise of beach volleyball as a separate NCAA sport and the explosive growth in women's volleyball's media profile. Athletic apparel brands, sports nutrition companies, volleyball equipment manufacturers, and lifestyle brands have all engaged college volleyball athletes in NIL partnerships. The Women's National Volleyball Program's success at recent Olympics has also elevated the sport's profile and created new brand partnership interest at the college level.

How to Maximize Your Scholarship Opportunities

• Compete at the highest level of club volleyball — coaches evaluate performance in AAU, USA Volleyball, and USAV-sanctioned national qualifiers and championships
• Know your position-specific metrics — hitters should know their approach jump vertical; setters should be able to articulate their game management skills; liberos should track their serve-receive and dig statistics
• Build a highlight video featuring your best competitive performances and submit it directly to coaches at your target programs
• Contact coaches proactively at programs across your full target list — personalized outreach significantly increases your response rate
• Attend college volleyball camps at target programs — these events provide live evaluation opportunities and direct access to coaching staffs who make scholarship decisions
• Consider the full financial picture — for men's recruits especially, a partial scholarship at a DII program stacked with academic merit aid may produce the strongest total financial aid package

The Bottom Line

Volleyball scholarship money — particularly the full headcount structure of women's DI — represents one of the most accessible scholarship landscapes in college athletics. Athletes who compete seriously at the club level, pursue their realistic program target list proactively, and bring both athletic credentials and strong academic profiles to their recruiting conversations consistently find meaningful scholarship support at programs that fit their level and goals.