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 Coast Conference (Average)

2016 University Academic Rankings
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States of America in which its fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I, with its football teams competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest levels for athletic competition in US-based collegiate sports. The ACC sponsors competition in twenty-five sports with many of its member institutions' athletic programs held in high regard nationally.

ACC teams and athletes have claimed dozens of national championships in multiple sports throughout the conference's history. Generally, the ACC's top athletes and teams in any particular sport in a given year are considered to be among the top collegiate competitors in the nation. Also, the conference enjoys extensive media coverage. The ACC was one of the six collegiate power conferences, which had automatic qualifying for their football champion into the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). With the advent of the College Football Playoff in 2014, the ACC is one of five conferences with a contractual tie-in to an "access bowl", the successors to the BCS.

Founded in 1953 in Sedgefield, North Carolina, by seven universities located in the South Atlantic States, the conference added additional members in late 1953, 1979, 1991, 2004, 2005, and 2013. The 2004 and 2013 additions extended the conference's footprint into the Northeast and Midwest. The most recent expansion in 2013 saw the additions of the University of Notre Dame, the University of Pittsburgh, and Syracuse University. In 2012, the University of Maryland's Board of Regents voted to withdraw from the ACC to join the Big Ten Conference. On November 28, 2012, the ACC's Council of Presidents voted unanimously to invite the University of Louisville as a full member, replacing Maryland.

ACC member universities represent a range of well-regarded private and public universities of various enrollment sizes, all of which participate in the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Consortium whose purpose is to "enrich the educational missions, especially the undergraduate student experiences, of member universities".

History

Locations of Atlantic Coast Conference member institutions as of July 1, 2014. Louisville joined on July 1, 2014, replacing Maryland, which left for the Big Ten Conference.

1950s-1990s

Seven universities in the South Atlantic States were charter members of the ACC: Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina, and Wake Forest. Previously members of the Southern Conference, they left partially due to that league's ban on post-season football play. After drafting a set of bylaws for the creation of a new league, the seven withdrew from the Southern Conference at the spring meeting on the morning of May 8, 1953. The bylaws were ratified on June 14, 1953, and the ACC was created, becoming the second conference formed by schools collectively withdrawing from the SoCon, after the Southeastern Conference. On December 4, 1953, officials convened in Greensboro, North Carolina, and admitted Virginia, a SoCon charter member that had been independent since 1937, into the conference.

In 1960, the ACC implemented a minimum SAT score for incoming student-athletes of 750, the first conference to do so. This minimum was raised to 800 in 1964, but was ultimately struck down by a federal court in 1972.

In 1971, South Carolina left the ACC to become an independent. The ACC operated with seven members until the addition of Georgia Tech from the Metro Conference on April 3, 1978. The total number of member schools reached nine with the addition of Florida State, also formerly from the Metro Conference, on July 1, 1991. The additions of those schools marked the first expansions of the conference footprint since 1953, th ... [more on wikipedia]

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

Atlantic Coast Conference Details

Atlantic Coast Conference Details
detail value
state-
conferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
public-Conf-
scores2052/1368/31
levelExcellent
rank[-
overall ROI rank[21
sizemedium
undergrads11310
grads6538
price58231
drop11
stem29
research436
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for Atlantic Coast Conference (Average)?

1. number - for Academics.

2. number 21 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to Atlantic Coast Conference (Average)?

1. University of Miami

2. University of Virginia

3. University of Rochester

4. University of Pennsylvania

5. SUNY at Binghamton

6. Northeastern University

7. Northwestern University


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

Atlantic Coast Conference National Academic Rankings

Atlantic Coast Conference National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Top250-4736323860435121
Conferences353566562
Atlantic Coast Conference-43557574
Top Ten Top250-4736323860435121
Top Ten Conferences553566434
Top Ten Atlantic Coast Conference-43557564


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

Atlantic Coast Conference Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Atlantic Coast Conference

Atlantic Coast Conference Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Atlantic Coast Conference
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
99.92
University of MiamiFloridaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateExcellent4493
91.24
University of VirginiaVirginiaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicExcellent3227
90.36
University of RochesterNew YorkUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateExcellent3993
86.53
University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaIvy LeaguePrivateElite127
85.62
SUNY at BinghamtonNew YorkAmerica EastPublicExcellent65125
85.58
Northeastern UniversityMassachusettsColonial Athletic AssociationPrivateElite40109
85.33
Northwestern UniversityIllinoisBig Ten ConferencePrivateElite1113
85.28
Cornell UniversityNew YorkIvy LeaguePrivateElite1539
85.27
The University of Texas at DallasTexasAmerican Southwest ConferencePublicGood7055
84.04
Vanderbilt UniversityTennesseeSoutheastern ConferencePrivateElite148
83.38
University of ChicagoIllinoisUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateElite1014
83.23
Yale UniversityConnecticutIvy LeaguePrivateElite337
83.11
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVirginiaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicGood7540
82.66
University of Michigan-Ann ArborMichiganBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent1716
82.54
University of California-Los AngelesCaliforniaPacific 12 ConferencePublicExcellent2984
82.46
University of Wisconsin-MadisonWisconsinBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3325
82.29
University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignIllinoisBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent2417
82.19
University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesMinnesotaBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3022
79.43
Harvard UniversityMassachusettsIvy LeaguePrivateElite210
78.31
University of Notre DameIndianaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateElite3112
78.11
Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew YorkIvy LeaguePrivateElite742
77.95
Emory UniversityGeorgiaUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateExcellent3629
77.70
Washington University in St LouisMissouriUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateElite86
77.53
Villanova UniversityPennsylvaniaColonial Athletic Association ...PrivateExcellent9968
77.52
Boston UniversityMassachusettsPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent45116
77.47
Stanford UniversityCaliforniaPacific 12 ConferencePrivateElite917
77.43
University of ConnecticutConnecticutBig East ConferencePublicGood87139
77.35
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusPennsylvaniaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicGood5075
77.24
Duke UniversityNorth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateElite133
77.06
University of California-Santa BarbaraCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicGood63122
76.60
SUNY College at GeneseoNew YorkState University of New York A...PublicExcellent111184
76.51
Princeton UniversityNew JerseyIvy LeaguePrivateElite411
76.38
Tufts UniversityMassachusettsNew England Small College Ath ConfPrivateElite2334
76.32
Lehigh UniversityPennsylvaniaPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent6932
75.79
University of Washington-Seattle CampusWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicGood5566
75.43
Bucknell UniversityPennsylvaniaPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent13193
75.24
The University of Texas at AustinTexasBig Twelve ConferencePublicGood3851
75.12
St Olaf CollegeMinnesotaMinnesota Intercollegiate Ath ConfPrivateExcellent144127
75.02
Ohio State UniversityOhioBig Ten ConferencePublicGood4043
74.81
Lafayette CollegePennsylvaniaPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent165106
74.78
Gettysburg CollegePennsylvaniaCentennial ConferencePrivateExcellent170148
74.65
Union CollegeKentuckyMid - South Conference / Appal...PrivateBelowAverage162178
74.54
Colorado CollegeColoradoSouthern Collegiate Athletic C...PrivateExcellent149160
74.42
Colby CollegeMaineNew England Small College Ath ConfPrivateExcellent132155
74.36
Grinnell CollegeIowaMidwest ConferencePrivateExcellent114123
74.22
Whitman CollegeWashingtonNorthwest ConferencePrivateExcellent153154
74.14
Reed CollegeOregonNo Conference AffiliationPrivateExcellent106144
73.12
University of Alabama at BirminghamAlabamaConference USAPublicAboveAverage153148
72.48
Boston CollegeMassachusettsAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateExcellent4775
72.00
University of Hawaii at ManoaHawaiiMountain West Conference / Big...PublicAverage204245


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

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

Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Atlantic Coast Conference
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
97.86
Case Western Reserve UniversityOhioPresidents' Athletic Conferenc...PrivateExcellent2814
96.98
University Athletic Association (Average)-University Athletic Association-Conf-Elite-21
96.41
Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteNew YorkUpstate Collegiate Athletic As...PrivateExcellent2734
96.36
University of VirginiaVirginiaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicExcellent3227
95.72
University of Notre DameIndianaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateElite3112
95.61
New York UniversityNew YorkUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateExcellent35101
95.38
Ivy League (Low)-Ivy League-Conf-Elite-21
95.25
University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesMinnesotaBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3022
94.04
University of California-Los AngelesCaliforniaPacific 12 ConferencePublicExcellent2984
93.30
Big Ten Conference (Average)-Big Ten Conference-Conf-Excellent-22
93.10
University Athletic Association (Low)-University Athletic Association-Conf-Excellent-32
91.76
Ivy League (Average)-Ivy League-Conf-Elite-20
91.47
University of Maryland-College ParkMarylandBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3460
90.49
University of Wisconsin-MadisonWisconsinBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3325
90.43
Pacific - 12 Conference (Average)-Pacific 12 Conference-Conf-Excellent-32
89.58
University of California-San DiegoCaliforniaDivision II IndependentsPublicExcellent2670
87.46
Colonial Athletic Association (Average)-Colonial Athletic Association-Conf-Excellent-112
84.96
Southeastern Conference (Average)-Southeastern Conference-Conf-Good-53
81.08
Big Ten Conference (Low)-Big Ten Conference-Conf-Good-51