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 State University-Northridge

2016 University Academic Rankings
California State University, Northridge (also known as CSUN) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States, in the San Fernando Valley. With a total enrollment of 41,548 (as of Fall 2015) it has the largest student body of the 23 campus California State University system, and is one of the largest comprehensive universities in the State of California (behind UCLA) in terms of enrollment. As of Fall 2014, the school had 2,096 faculty, of which between 745 and 784 (or about 40%) were on the tenure track.

It was founded first as the Valley satellite campus of Cal State Los Angeles. It then became an independent college in 1958 as San Fernando Valley State College, with major campus master planning and construction. The University adopted its current name of California State University, Northridge in 1972.

CSUN offers a variety of programs including 134 different bachelor's degrees, master's degrees in 70 different fields, 3 doctoral degrees including two Doctor of Education and a Doctor of Physical Therapy, and 24 teaching credentials. CSUN enrolls more than 40,000 students and ranks 10 in the U.S. in bachelor's degrees awarded to underrepresented minority students. The university has over 200,000 alumni. CSUN is home to the National Center on Deafness, and the university hosts the International Conference on Technology and Persons with Disabilities (more commonly known as the CSUN Conference), which is held each year in San Diego.

History | Establishment

The establishment of CSUN began in 1952 with the proposal of a new satellite campus for Los Angeles State College (now known as California State University, Los Angeles). A Baldwin Hills location was planned in 1955, but San Fernando Valley advocates persuaded state officials to change the location to Northridge.

1958-1964

In July 1958, the campus separated from the Los Angeles State College and was renamed San Fernando Valley State College (popularly abbreviated to Valley State College, Valley State, or SFVSC), with enrollment reaching 2,525 and tuition reaching $29 per semester. In 1959, it became the first State College to have its own computer. In 1964, this pioneering computer lab was moved into quarters in the newly completed Sierra Hall building complex. In the same year, student enrollment reached nearly 12,000.

1964-1972

The campus's quiet, moderately conservative and overwhelmingly white suburban setting did not shield it from a share of the noise, strife and social upheavals of the Vietnam War era. As on many college campuses, there were increasingly large antiwar demonstrations and occasional draft card burnings. Due to complaints of low minority representation, the college decided to boost enrollment of Latinos and Blacks in 1967. In March 1968, a presidential primary campaign speech by Robert F. Kennedy drew an orderly crowd of 10,000, but in the wake of the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. in April and Robert Kennedy himself in June, some other events were not so peaceful. Later in 1968, the Black Student Union held 30 staff members hostage. Nobody was hurt and the administration agreed to increase minority enrollment and investigate discrimination complaints. Some of the students involved were prosecuted for false imprisonment.

1972-1988

The college officially named itself California State University, Northridge in June 1972. In 1975, the construction of the CSUN sculpture began at the southeast corner of campus. By 1977, enrollment at the university was 28,023, with tuition at $95. In 1981, the campus officially established a foreign exchange student program with Japan, China, Ukraine, South Korea, Taiwan, Brazil and the Netherlands. In 1988, the campus had an ... [more on wikipedia]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "California State University-Northridge", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0

California State University Details

California State University Details
detail value
stateCalifornia
conferenceBig West Conference
publicPublic
scores1375/917/21
levelBelowAverage
rank[459
overall ROI rank[474
sizehuge
undergrads35616
grads4515
price33270
drop47
stem26
research0
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for California State University-Northridge?

1. number 459 for Academics.

2. number 474 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to California State University-Northridge?

1. San Francisco State University

2. University of Nevada-Las Vegas

3. California State University-Long Beach

4. Texas Tech University

5. San Diego State University

6. California State University-Sacramento

7. San Jose State University


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

California State University National Academic Rankings

California State University National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Big West Conference989986678
West Coast Region679690343028265860
State of California507670272420183941
Top Ten Big West Conference989986678


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

California State University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to California State University

California State University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to California State University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
91.52
San Francisco State UniversityCaliforniaCalifornia Collegiate Athletic...PublicBelowAverage428458
91.12
University of Nevada-Las VegasNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicBelowAverage421449
85.92
California State University-Long BeachCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage318387
85.36
Texas Tech UniversityTexasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage176104
85.31
San Diego State UniversityCaliforniaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage183218
85.01
California State University-SacramentoCaliforniaBig Sky ConferencePublicBelowAverage453472
84.99
San Jose State UniversityCaliforniaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage386389
84.77
Florida Atlantic UniversityFloridaConference USAPublicAverage305303
84.47
Oregon State UniversityOregonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage152202
84.47
Washington State UniversityWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage189193
84.24
University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeWisconsinHorizon LeaguePublicBelowAverage420367
83.87
Central Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicBelowAverage454402
83.71
The University of Texas at El PasoTexasConference USAPublicBelowAverage499294
83.54
Western Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicBelowAverage446320
79.82
Brigham Young University-IdahoIdahoNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAverage312164
79.51
University of ArizonaArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage12486
79.46
Michigan State UniversityMichiganBig Ten ConferencePublicAverage11174
79.12
Florida International UniversityFloridaConference USAPublicAverage163170
78.07
Georgia State UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage253230
77.56
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
77.50
East Carolina UniversityNorth CarolinaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage312325
77.49
University of North Carolina at CharlotteNorth CarolinaDivision I-AA Independents / C...PublicAverage292207
77.41
University of New MexicoNew MexicoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage265153
77.26
Oklahoma State UniversityOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage182124
77.14
Kansas State UniversityKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage249168
77.10
Old Dominion UniversityVirginiaConference USAPublicAverage356368
77.02
University of Akron Main CampusOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage331251
76.77
Eastern Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicAverage445385
76.60
Western Kentucky UniversityKentuckyConference USAPublicBelowAverage491433
76.53
University of MemphisTennesseeAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage359314
76.50
Oakland UniversityMichiganHorizon LeaguePublicAverage417270
76.49
University of Nevada-RenoNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage289340
76.35
University of ToledoOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage405285
76.32
University of LouisvilleKentuckyAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAverage258224
76.29
CUNY Queens CollegeNew YorkEast Coast ConferencePublicAverage307400
76.22
Northern Illinois UniversityIllinoisMid American ConferencePublicAverage435289
75.98
University of Hawaii at ManoaHawaiiMountain West Conference / Big...PublicAverage204245
75.98
CUNY Brooklyn CollegeNew YorkCity University of New York At...PublicAverage296394
75.58
Wichita State UniversityKansasMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage382307
75.55
Cleveland State UniversityOhioHorizon LeaguePublicAverage440299
75.49
University of North DakotaNorth DakotaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage363266
74.72
Rutgers University-NewarkNew JerseyNew Jersey Athletic ConferencePublicAverage371392
74.65
Howard UniversityWashington DCMid Eastern Athletic ConferencePrivateAverage343429
73.86
Maryville University of Saint LouisMissouriGreat Lakes Valley ConferencePrivateAverage424426
71.08
Kennesaw State UniversityGeorgiaAtlantic Sun ConferencePublicAverage290291
70.88
Indiana University-Purdue University-IndianapolisIndianaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage427342
70.46
Middle Tennessee State UniversityTennesseeConference USAPublicAverage384372
70.29
Boise State UniversityIdahoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage389329
70.18
University of California-RiversideCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage167212
70.06
Illinois State UniversityIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage279222


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

California State University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to California State University

California State University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to California State University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
84.40
Manhattan CollegeNew YorkMetro Atlantic Athletic ConferencePrivateAverage460378
83.40
SUNY College of Technology at AlfredNew YorkDivision III IndependentsPublicAverage457467
83.36
Capital Athletic Conference (Average)-Capital Athletic Conference-Conf-Average-481
82.33
Webster UniversityMissouriSt.Louis Intercollegiate Ath ConfPrivateAboveAverage458421
82.28
Gulf South Conference (Average)-Gulf South Conference-Conf-Average-340
80.34
Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaCaliforniaWest Coast ConferencePrivateAboveAverage461440
80.18
North Central CollegeIllinoisCollege Conference of Illinois...PrivateAverage455382
80.08
Siena CollegeNew YorkMetro Atlantic Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage462479
78.89
Old Dominion Athletic Conference (Average)-Old Dominion Athletic Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-485
77.85
School of the Art Institute of ChicagoIllinoisNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAboveAverage455470
76.94
The King’s CollegeNew YorkNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAboveAverage462496