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

Big West Conference (Low)

2016 University Academic Rankings
The Big West Conference (BWC) is a mid-major collegiate athletic conference that is classified with NCAA Division I. When the conference began in 1969, its name was the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA). After nineteen years, in 1988, its name was changed to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped sponsoring college football after the 2000 season.

History | Creation of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association

The Big West Conference was formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. The charter all-sports members of the PCAA were Cal State Los Angeles, Fresno State, Long Beach State, San Diego State, San Jose State, and UC Santa Barbara. The University of the Pacific joined only for football, becoming an all-sports member two years later.

Four of these charter members (Cal State Los Angeles, Fresno State, Long Beach State, and San Diego State) had previously been members of the nation's premier Division II conference, the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). After capturing multiple national championships, the members sought a higher level of play, which could be found within the university ranks. Charter football member Pacific and charter all-sports members San Jose State and UC Santa Barbara had also been CCAA members in the past, but had moved to the West Coast Athletic Conference (now West Coast Conference) before joining the PCAA.

Evolution

Since its inception as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, the conference has seen many changes throughout the years. Utah State was the first institution outside of California to join the conference in 1978. This opened the floodgates for many other schools to affiliate with the PCAA; notable schools include UNLV, Nevada, Louisiana Tech, and Boise State, among others.

In 1983, the PCAA became the first western conference to introduce women's athletic programs, giving the opportunity for all its members to have their women student-athletes compete at the same level as their male counterparts. This proved vital for Hawaiʻi as their only participation in the conference was for their women's sports.

However, turnover of universities started to take its toll. Many left to join conferences that were perceived as more well-known, such as the Western Athletic Conference or the Mountain West Conference, while others did not see the benefit of travel since historically many of the teams have been California-based. From the departures of Idaho and Utah State in 2005 until the arrival of Hawaiʻi in 2012, all members were based in California, reducing both the cost and travel time between the universities. When Hawaiʻi joined, it agreed to help defray a portion of travel costs to that state for the league's California members. Between full and associate members, there have been no fewer than 25 members in the conference's history, while only two of the original seven charter members remain (Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara).

The change to the Big West

To mark its 20th year as an athletic conference, in 1988 the Pacific Coast Athletic Association decided to change its name to the Big West Conference. The move signaled the changing landscape within the conference. With such schools as Utah State, UNLV, Nevada, New Mexico State, and Hawaii now in the fold, the name change was more representative of the population. In addition, the conference had signed a contract with ESPN to have its men's basketball games telecast as the third game of a triple header known as "Big Monday" - the other conferences being featured were the Big East and the Big 12 so the name Big West fit the "big" theme.

Member schools | Current members | Full members | Affiliate members | Former members

Many of the former members of the Big West are now members of either the Western Athletic Conference or th ... [more on wikipedia]

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

Big West Conference Details

Big West Conference Details
detail value
state-
conferenceBig West Conference
public-Conf-
scores1515/1010/23
levelAverage
rank[-
overall ROI rank[385
sizemedium-large
undergrads23602
grads4365
price46892
drop28
stem31
research133
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for Big West Conference (Low)?

1. number - for Academics.

2. number 385 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to Big West Conference (Low)?

1. Oklahoma State University

2. Kansas State University

3. Texas Tech University

4. University of Nevada-Reno

5. University of Louisville

6. Washington State University

7. Oregon State University


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

Big West Conference National Academic Rankings

Big West Conference National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Conferences549796383358267768
Big West Conference-89886557
Top Ten Big West Conference-89886557


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

Big West Conference Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Big West Conference

Big West Conference Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Big West Conference
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
99.25
Oklahoma State UniversityOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage182124
99.07
Kansas State UniversityKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage249168
98.83
Texas Tech UniversityTexasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage176104
98.09
University of Nevada-RenoNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage289340
97.84
University of LouisvilleKentuckyAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAverage258224
93.26
Washington State UniversityWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage189193
93.25
Oregon State UniversityOregonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage152202
93.15
The University of Texas at San AntonioTexasConference USAPublicAverage330180
93.04
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
92.95
University of Massachusetts-AmherstMassachusettsMid - American Conference / At...PublicAboveAverage88144
92.94
University of North Carolina at CharlotteNorth CarolinaDivision I-AA Independents / C...PublicAverage292207
92.84
Florida Atlantic UniversityFloridaConference USAPublicAverage305303
92.82
University of New MexicoNew MexicoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage265153
92.60
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage13754
92.57
San Jose State UniversityCaliforniaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage386389
92.49
Auburn UniversityAlabamaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage13979
92.31
University of Nebraska-LincolnNebraskaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage11998
92.26
The University of Texas at El PasoTexasConference USAPublicBelowAverage499294
92.23
University of Akron Main CampusOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage331251
92.21
San Diego State UniversityCaliforniaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage183218
91.64
California State University-Long BeachCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage318387
91.54
Clemson UniversitySouth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage9851
91.49
University of MemphisTennesseeAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage359314
91.45
Oakland UniversityMichiganHorizon LeaguePublicAverage417270
91.21
University of ToledoOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage405285
89.93
University of North DakotaNorth DakotaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage363266
86.67
Colorado State University-Fort CollinsColoradoMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage143139
86.66
Kennesaw State UniversityGeorgiaAtlantic Sun ConferencePublicAverage290291
86.65
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginiaAtlantic 10 ConferencePublicAboveAverage178207
86.43
University of California-IrvineCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAboveAverage108162
86.40
University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeWisconsinHorizon LeaguePublicBelowAverage420367
86.36
Indiana University-Purdue University-IndianapolisIndianaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage427342
86.21
Georgia State UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage253230
86.15
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeLouisianaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage14888
86.12
The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleTennesseeSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage116188
86.07
San Francisco State UniversityCaliforniaCalifornia Collegiate Athletic...PublicBelowAverage428458
85.92
University of Colorado BoulderColoradoPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage7959
85.62
University at BuffaloNew YorkMid American ConferencePublicAboveAverage124190
85.46
University of KansasKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage172130
85.46
Boise State UniversityIdahoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage389329
85.45
Iowa State UniversityIowaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage12971
85.34
Western Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicBelowAverage446320
85.31
University of California-RiversideCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage167212
85.13
Illinois State UniversityIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage279222
84.77
University of ArizonaArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage12486
84.72
University of Illinois at ChicagoIllinoisHorizon LeaguePublicAboveAverage159111
84.67
Mississippi State UniversityMississippiSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage197130
84.60
University of California-Santa CruzCaliforniaDivision III IndependentsPublicAverage157208
84.55
Rutgers University-New BrunswickNew JerseyBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage56115
84.54
California State University-ChicoCaliforniaCalifornia Collegiate Athletic...PublicAverage392409


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

Big West Conference Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Big West Conference

Big West Conference Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Big West Conference
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
97.06
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
97.00
California State University-Long BeachCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage318387
95.81
Big Sky Conference (Low)-Big Sky Conference-Conf-Average-245
95.38
Conference USA (Low)-Conference USA-Conf-Average-272
93.39
America East (Low)-America East-Conf-Average-364
91.58
Mountain West Conference (Low)-Mountain West Conference-Conf-Average-285
88.18
Lawrence Technological UniversityMichiganWolverine - Hoosier Athletic ConfPrivateAboveAverage319146
86.72
Atlantic 10 Conference (Low)-Atlantic 10 Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-336
86.08
University of Minnesota-MorrisMinnesotaUpper Midwest Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage321161
86.04
The New SchoolNew YorkNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAboveAverage325420
85.32
Allegheny CollegePennsylvaniaNorth Coast Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage322411
84.59
Covenant CollegeGeorgiaUSA South Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage322432
84.32
Centennial Conference (Low)-Centennial Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-415
83.60
Minnesota Intercollegiate Ath Conf (Average)-Minnesota Intercollegiate Ath Conf-Conf-AboveAverage-242
81.64
University of Minnesota-RochesterMinnesotaNo Conference AffiliationPublicAboveAverage324144
80.40
Soka University of AmericaCaliforniaNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAboveAverage317447
76.69
No Conference Affiliation (Low)-No Conference Affiliation-Conf-Good-338