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

California Institute of Technology

2016 University Academic Rankings
The California Institute of Technology (abbreviated Caltech) is a private doctorate-granting university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Although founded as a preparatory and vocational school by Amos G. Throop in 1891, the college attracted influential scientists such as George Ellery Hale, Arthur Amos Noyes, and Robert Andrews Millikan in the early 20th century. The vocational and preparatory schools were disbanded and spun off in 1910, and the college assumed its present name in 1921. In 1934, Caltech was elected to the Association of American Universities, and the antecedents of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which Caltech continues to manage and operate, were established between 1936 and 1943 under Theodore von Kármán. The university is one among a small group of Institutes of Technology in the United States which tends to be primarily devoted to the instruction of technical arts and applied sciences.

Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphasis on science and engineering, managing $332 million in 2011 in sponsored research. Its 124-acre (50 ha) primary campus is located approximately 11 mi (18 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles. First-year students are required to live on campus, and 95% of undergraduates remain in the on-campus House System at Caltech. Although Caltech has a strong tradition of practical jokes and pranks, student life is governed by an honor code which allows faculty to assign take-home examinations. The Caltech Beavers compete in 13 intercollegiate sports in the NCAA Division III's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Caltech is frequently cited as one of the world's best universities. Despite its small size, 33 Caltech alumni and faculty have won a total of 34 Nobel Prizes (Linus Pauling being the only individual in history to win two unshared prizes), 5 Fields Medalists, 6 Turing Award winners have been affiliated with the university, and 71 have won the United States National Medal of Science or Technology. There are 112 faculty members who have been elected to the United States National Academies. In addition, numerous faculty members are associated with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as well as NASA. According to a 2015 Pomona study, Caltech ranked number one in the USA for the percentage of its graduates who go on to earn a PhD.

History | Throop College

Caltech started as a vocational school founded in Pasadena in 1891 by local businessman and politician Amos G. Throop. The school was known successively as Throop University, Throop Polytechnic Institute (and Manual Training School), and Throop College of Technology, before acquiring its current name in 1920. The vocational school was disbanded and the preparatory program was split off to form an independent Polytechnic School in 1907.

At a time when scientific research in the United States was still in its infancy, George Ellery Hale, a solar astronomer from the University of Chicago, founded the Mount Wilson Observatory in 1904. He joined Throop's board of trustees in 1907, and soon began developing it and the whole of Pasadena into a major scientific and cultural destination. He engineered the appointment of James A. B. Scherer, a literary scholar untutored in science but a capable administrator and fund raiser, to Throop's presidency in 1908. Scherer persuaded retired businessman and trustee Charles W. Gates to donate $25,000 in seed money to build Gates Laboratory, the first science building on campus.

World Wars

In 1910, Throop moved to its current site. Arther Fleming donated the land for the permanent campus site. Theodore Roosevelt delivered an address at Throop Institute on March 21, 1911, and he declared:

I want to see institutions like Throop turn out perhaps ninety-nine of ev ... [more on wikipedia]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "California Institute of Technology", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0

Top Ten All Universities

California Institute of Technology Details

California Institute of Technology Details
detail value
stateCalifornia
conferenceSouthern California Intercoll ...
publicPrivate
scores2300/1533/35
levelElite
rank[1
overall ROI rank[5
sizetiny
undergrads983
grads1226
price60990
drop12
stem91
research368
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for California Institute of Technology?

1. number 1 for Academics.

2. number 5 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to California Institute of Technology?

1. Harvey Mudd College

2. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

3. Franklin W Olin College of Engineering

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

5. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

6. Georgia Institute of Technology

7. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

California Institute of Technology National Academic Rankings

California Institute of Technology National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Top25011114224265
All11114224183
All Nonivy1119114185
Private11113223142
Stem High1113114153
Stem Low11111224225
West Coast Region111211321
State of California111211221
Top Ten Top25011114224265
Top Ten All1111022241
Top Ten All Nonivy111911363
Top Ten Private1111022241
Top Ten Stem High111311463
Top Ten Stem Low1111022251
Top Ten West Coast Region111211321
Top Ten State of California111211221


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

California Institute of Technology Peer Universities, Similar Universities to California Institute of Technology

California Institute of Technology Peer Universities, Similar Universities to California Institute of Technology
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
85.45
Harvey Mudd CollegeCaliforniaSouthern California Intercoll ...PrivateElite4919
79.39
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and ArtNew YorkNo Conference AffiliationPrivateExcellent10969
75.71
Franklin W Olin College of EngineeringMassachusettsNo Conference AffiliationPrivateElite4853
74.79
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusettsNew England Football Conferenc...PrivateElite52
74.50
Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteNew YorkUpstate Collegiate Athletic As...PrivateExcellent2734
73.78
Georgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgiaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicElite61
69.54
Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyIndianaHeartland Collegiate Athletic ...PrivateExcellent15960
68.93
Stevens Institute of TechnologyNew JerseyEmpire EightPrivateExcellent9943
68.21
Worcester Polytechnic InstituteMassachusettsUpstate Collegiate Athletic As...PrivateExcellent7340


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

California Institute of Technology Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to California Institute of Technology

California Institute of Technology Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to California Institute of Technology
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
97.05
Harvard UniversityMassachusettsIvy LeaguePrivateElite210
94.90
Princeton UniversityNew JerseyIvy LeaguePrivateElite411
94.86
Yale UniversityConnecticutIvy LeaguePrivateElite337
93.08
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusettsNew England Football Conferenc...PrivateElite52
91.99
University of ChicagoIllinoisUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateElite1014
90.19
Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew YorkIvy LeaguePrivateElite742
89.41
Washington University in St LouisMissouriUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateElite86
88.74
Carnegie Mellon UniversityPennsylvaniaUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateElite219
88.62
Ivy League (Average)-Ivy League-Conf-Elite-20
88.60
Georgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgiaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicElite61
88.27
Vanderbilt UniversityTennesseeSoutheastern ConferencePrivateElite148
88.06
Franklin W Olin College of EngineeringMassachusettsNo Conference AffiliationPrivateElite4853
87.82
Stanford UniversityCaliforniaPacific 12 ConferencePrivateElite917
87.76
Duke UniversityNorth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateElite133
87.50
Northwestern UniversityIllinoisBig Ten ConferencePrivateElite1113
84.91
University of California-BerkeleyCaliforniaPacific 12 ConferencePublicExcellent1826
84.33
Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteNew YorkUpstate Collegiate Athletic As...PrivateExcellent2734
82.83
Case Western Reserve UniversityOhioPresidents' Athletic Conferenc...PrivateExcellent2814
74.52
University of California-San DiegoCaliforniaDivision II IndependentsPublicExcellent2670
63.53
North Carolina State University at RaleighNorth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage5831