University Benchmarks

Ranking the Top 100 Academic Universities

UniversityBenchmarks.com ranks the universities that attract and produce the best academic students.

There are many 'University Rankings' on the internet. Most rankings rely heavily on subjective metrics like 'reputation' and 'selectivity'. UniversityBenchmarks is purely an academic ranking model. The rankings are based on the reported academic and financial metrics of the colleges. There are no subjective factors like 'reputation' that are used. The calculations are performed using normal statistical models. All universities are considered equal and there is no weighting of the ranking categories.

The university 2014-2015 dataset is comprised of over 2400 US Universities & Colleges and comes from multiple sources using the most favorable reported metrics for a university.

The universities are ranked against each other in each filtered set. It is an iterative process whereby lower ranking universities are removed and the set is re-ranked until the final set of 100 is reached.

Selecting 'Rank Top 10 Only' will show the Top 10 for each filter category ranked against each other.

The academic rankings of the universities within the major conferences (ACC, Big12, Big10, Pac12, SEC) are available.

The 2017 rankings will be available in August.

Notes:
  • It is possible for universities to be ranked higher/lower than one another depending on the filter set.
  • Conference averages are based on the top 8 schools in the conference.
  • Public Schools are highlighted
  • Clicking on the university's seal icon will take you to the university's website.

Ranking Fields

Rank - Overall rank based on the average of the ranking fields (Scores, Difficulty, Smartest, Brainpower, Faculty and Research).

Scores - SAT & ACT scores. The university's test scores are corrected for dropout rate when score level is Good, Excellent or Elite. This will slightly boost scores for highly competitive schools.

Difficulty - Academic rigor is estimated based on how difficult it is to get an "A" at the university. An estimated GPA at the university is calculated for the average US Student. University grade inflation, average GPA, and STEM density are factors.

Smartest - University that can field the highest scoring students based on the average US University size. Higher Smartest Rank = "Smartest for the Average University"

Brainpower - The average "smartest" rank using 5 reference populations (CalTech, MIT, Stanford, GaTech and Berkeley). Higher Brainpower Rank = "Higher Density of Smart Students". The university ranked higher can mathematically field 'X' number of smarter students than universities ranked below them.

Faculty - Ranking based on number of % of faculty with awards and academy membership.

Research - Ranking is achieved by iteratively ranking the average of 3 research metrics (r-pop, r-stem, r-other ). The lowest ranked college is then removed and the new set is re-ranked. The result is the schools with potentially the strongest research environments per student bubble up to the top regardless of size or research budget.

  • r-pop - Average research spending for student population
  • r-stem - STEM research spending
  • r-other - Other/Medical/Health research spending

Salary ROI - "Salary Return on Investment" is not used in the overall ranking but is provided for additional information. Using the undergraduate average starting and mid-career salaries, the rank is based on a 20yr salary accumulation (with raises) minus the cost of a 4 year education at the university. Salaries are normalized across the country using the average COLA for the university's geo-economic region (7 regions total). The COLA effect is diminished by the level of the university. Elite, Excellent and Good universities have a greater distribution of graduates across the country and a diminishing COLA effect. The resultant value would be the graduate's spending potential over the 20yr period.

Overall ROI - "Overall Return on Investment" is not used in the overall ranking but is provided for additional information. The average of Overall Rank and Salary ROI. This would be the "Best academic bang for the buck". Colleges that produce the best education, at the best price, with the best return will be ranked higher.

Color Key - ranks are colorized as follows 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 50 100

The 2016 University Academic Rankings

Atlantic 10 Conference (Low)

2016 University Academic Rankings
The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference with schools located mostly on the United States Eastern Seaboard, as well as some in the Midwest. Member schools are located in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, and Missouri as well as in the District of Columbia. Although some of its members are state-funded, half of its membership is made up of private, Catholic institutions. Despite the name, there are 14 full-time members, and two affiliate members that participate in women's field hockey only.

History

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The Atlantic 10 Conference was founded in 1975 as the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League (ECBL) and began conference play in 1976. At that time, basketball was its only sport. After its first season, it added sports other than basketball and changed its name to the Eastern Athletic Association. However, despite its official names, it was popularly known as the Eastern 8, as it then had eight members (Villanova, Duquesne, Penn State, West Virginia, George Washington, Massachusetts, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers).

After changes in membership that saw charter members Villanova and Pittsburgh leave (in 1980 and 1982, respectively) and new members St. Bonaventure (1979), Rhode Island (1980), Saint Joseph's (1982), and Temple (1982) enter, establishing the league with 10 members, the conference adopted the current Atlantic 10 name in 1982.

Further membership changes saw the league expand to its maximum of 16 members. From 1997 through 2006, the league also operated a football conference; during that period, more than 20 schools were participating in A-10 competition in at least one sport. This ended when the A-10 football programs all departed to join a new football conference sponsored by the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). In 2012, Butler joined the conference after leaving the Horizon League and VCU joined after leaving the CAA.

Conference realignment in 2013 saw the departure of Temple to the American Athletic Conference, Butler and Xavier to the new Big East, and Charlotte to Conference USA. George Mason joined from the CAA, and Davidson announced they would join in 2014.

The league office headquarters has been located in Newport News, Virginia since the Fall of 2009. Prior to that, the headquarters was in Philadelphia, within a few miles of member schools Saint Joseph's and La Salle.

Member schools | Current members | Full members

†- Duquesne left the A-10 for the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now known as the Horizon League) only for the 1992-93 season, but returned in the 1993-94 season.

^ - Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Richmond also played football within the A-10 from 1997 to 2006 after the Yankee Conference was absorbed (however, Richmond's primary conference until 2001 was the CAA).

Associate members | Former members | Former full members | Former associate members | Former football-only members

After expansion in the Colonial Athletic Association brought that conference to 6 football-playing schools, it was agreed that the CAA would take over management of the Atlantic 10's football conference starting in 2007. All the schools on this list (except Boston U. and Connecticut) were in the A-10 football conference when it became the CAA football conference, but Hofstra and Northeastern discontinued their football programs after the 2009-10 season. Membership dates include time in the Yankee Conference (which was an all-sports conference from 1947 to 1975 and a football-only conference after that) which merged into the ... [more on wikipedia]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Atlantic 10 Conference (Low)", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0

Atlantic 10 Conference Details

Atlantic 10 Conference Details
detail value
state-
conferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
public-Conf-
scores1670/1113/25
levelAboveAverage
rank[-
overall ROI rank[336
sizemedium
undergrads10932
grads6050
price54756
drop23
stem15
research16
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for Atlantic 10 Conference (Low)?

1. number - for Academics.

2. number 336 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to Atlantic 10 Conference (Low)?

1. Loyola University Chicago

2. Saint Louis University

3. Syracuse University

4. DePaul University

5. University of Denver

6. University of Vermont

7. College of Charleston


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

Atlantic 10 Conference National Academic Rankings

Atlantic 10 Conference National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Conferences585597404858636262
Atlantic 10 Conference-81689109813


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

(mathematically similar student body, size, academics, stem, salary... etc)

Atlantic 10 Conference Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Atlantic 10 Conference

Atlantic 10 Conference Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Atlantic 10 Conference
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
92.96
Loyola University ChicagoIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePrivateAboveAverage228206
92.56
Saint Louis UniversityMissouriAtlantic 10 ConferencePrivateAboveAverage169165
91.45
Syracuse UniversityNew YorkAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateAboveAverage172216
91.18
DePaul UniversityIllinoisBig East ConferencePrivateAboveAverage193150
90.11
University of DenverColoradoThe Summit LeaguePrivateAboveAverage204186
86.63
University of VermontVermontAmerica EastPublicAboveAverage136191
86.37
College of CharlestonSouth CarolinaColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage219233
86.18
University of Northern IowaIowaMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAboveAverage252248
85.96
University of Nebraska at OmahaNebraskaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage491364
85.90
University of Puerto Rico-Rio PiedrasPuerto RicoIndependent Southeast RegionPublicAboveAverage176232
85.64
SUNY at AlbanyNew YorkColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage188218
85.62
University of North Carolina WilmingtonNorth CarolinaColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage221228
85.30
Pace University-New YorkNew YorkNortheast 10 ConferencePrivateAverage476465
85.26
West Chester University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaPennsylvania State Athletic Co...PublicAboveAverage315361
85.17
Bowling Green State UniversityOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage442351
85.15
Western Washington UniversityWashingtonGreat Northwest Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage297338
84.91
CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew YorkCity University of New York At...PublicAboveAverage135182
84.88
Salisbury UniversityMarylandEmpire Eight / Capital Athleti...PublicAboveAverage243358
84.32
CUNY Hunter CollegeNew YorkCity University of New York At...PublicAboveAverage193228
84.21
Hofstra UniversityNew YorkColonial Athletic AssociationPrivateAboveAverage231298
83.77
University of KansasKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage172130
83.36
The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleTennesseeSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage116188
83.34
University of ArkansasArkansasSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage171119
83.28
University of KentuckyKentuckySoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage159130
82.93
University of South Carolina-ColumbiaSouth CarolinaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage93130
82.64
University of Missouri-ColumbiaMissouriSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage12198
82.48
Creighton UniversityNebraskaBig East ConferencePrivateAboveAverage273190
82.45
University of North TexasTexasConference USAPublicAboveAverage192165
82.37
The University of AlabamaAlabamaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage175112
82.21
Florida State UniversityFloridaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage76104
79.97
University of Wisconsin-WhitewaterWisconsinWisconsin Intercollegiate Ath ConfPublicAverage479363
79.65
University of North DakotaNorth DakotaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage363266
79.62
The University of Tennessee-ChattanoogaTennesseeSouthern ConferencePublicAverage434464
79.57
The University of MontanaMontanaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage372232
79.55
University of Wisconsin-Eau ClaireWisconsinWisconsin Intercollegiate Ath ConfPublicAverage350253
79.32
University of Wisconsin-La CrosseWisconsinWisconsin Intercollegiate Ath ConfPublicAverage302258
79.01
University of New HampshireNew HampshireColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage221225
78.83
University of Wisconsin-Stevens PointWisconsinWisconsin Intercollegiate Ath ConfPublicAverage466414
78.70
University of Rhode IslandRhode IslandColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage270328
78.59
Baylor UniversityTexasBig Twelve ConferencePrivateGood134128
78.09
University of North Carolina at GreensboroNorth CarolinaSouthern ConferencePublicAverage449439
78.01
University of Louisiana at LafayetteLouisianaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage350248
77.96
St John's University-New YorkNew YorkBig East ConferencePrivateAverage309444
77.95
CUNY Queens CollegeNew YorkEast Coast ConferencePublicAverage307400
77.94
Miami University-OxfordOhioMid American ConferencePublicGood11867
77.81
University of California-Santa CruzCaliforniaDivision III IndependentsPublicAverage157208
77.77
Ball State UniversityIndianaMid American ConferencePublicAverage337326
77.72
SUNY College at OswegoNew YorkState University of New York A...PublicAboveAverage361450
77.67
Sam Houston State UniversityTexasSouthland ConferencePublicAverage472383
77.51
University of San FranciscoCaliforniaWest Coast ConferencePrivateAboveAverage226241


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

Atlantic 10 Conference Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Atlantic 10 Conference

Atlantic 10 Conference Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Atlantic 10 Conference
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
98.51
Empire Eight (Average)-Empire Eight-Conf-AboveAverage-460
97.40
Lawrence Technological UniversityMichiganWolverine - Hoosier Athletic ConfPrivateAboveAverage319146
96.48
West Chester University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaPennsylvania State Athletic Co...PublicAboveAverage315361
96.06
Southern Conference (Average)-Southern Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-361
95.42
Great Lakes Valley Conference (Low)-Great Lakes Valley Conference-Conf-Average-319
93.16
Centennial Conference (Low)-Centennial Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-415
93.04
Soka University of AmericaCaliforniaNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAboveAverage317447
92.95
America East (Low)-America East-Conf-Average-364
92.82
Eureka CollegeIllinoisUpper Midwest Athletic Confere...PrivateAboveAverage316427
91.63
Missouri Valley Conference (Low)-Missouri Valley Conference-Conf-Average-270
90.89
University of Minnesota-MorrisMinnesotaUpper Midwest Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage321161
90.56
Conference USA (Low)-Conference USA-Conf-Average-272
88.91
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
88.77
California State University-Long BeachCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage318387
85.77
Big West Conference (Low)-Big West Conference-Conf-Average-385