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

Central Michigan University

2016 University Academic Rankings
Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan. Established in 1892, Central Michigan University is one of the largest universities in the state of Michigan and one of the nation's 100 largest public universities. It has more than 20,000 students on its Mount Pleasant campus and 7,000 students enrolled online at more than 60 locations worldwide.

CMU offers 200 academic programs at the undergraduate, master's, specialist and doctoral levels, including nationally recognized programs in entrepreneurship, journalism, music, audiology, teacher education, psychology, and physician assistant. The university's neuroscience program was ranked first in the nation by the Society for Neuroscience and CMU has also established a College of Medicine, which opened in fall 2013. CMU competes in the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference in seven men's and nine women's sports.

Governance

Central Michigan University is governed by a Board of Trustees, whose eight members are appointed by the Governor of Michigan and confirmed by the Michigan Senate for terms of eight years. This arrangement is provided for by the Michigan Constitution of 1963 for nearly all public universities, the three exceptions being the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University. The Board of Trustees appoints and reviews the President of Central Michigan University, currently George E. Ross. The president administers the policies set by the board and serves ex officio on the board as a non-voting member. The Board of Trustees also controls university finances, including tuition, fees, and budgets, as well as university policies, ranging from missions and goals to faculty and tenure to athletics and academics to admissions and programs. It names facilities and groups and accepts gifts from large donors, among several other duties and powers it possesses. Members of the Board of Trustees serve without compensation, but are reimbursed by the university for expenses related to their official capacity, such as travel.

Academics

Academic work on campus is supported by the recently renovated Charles V. Park Library which holds one million books and can seat up to 2,655 patrons at a time. The school owns and operates the Brooks Astronomical Observatory.

Graduate School

The Central Michigan University College of Graduate Studies provides over 70 graduate degree programs at the Master's, Specialist, or Doctoral levels.

Endowed lectureships

Harold Abel Endowed Lecture Series in the Study of Dictatorship, Democracy and Genocide. Focuses on the impact of historical events such as the Holocaust and mass murders in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central America. Named in honor of former CMU President Harold Abel.

Philip A. Hart and William G. Milliken Endowed Speaker Series for Integrity in Politics. Focuses on political integrity and challenges students to approach politics in a way that embraces America's diversity of ideas and perspectives, working to supplant negativity and partisanship with creativity and innovation in shaping future public policy. Named in honor of U.S. Senator Philip Hart and Michigan Governor William Milliken.

William B. Nolde Lecture Series. Focuses on intellectual discussions for future leaders both in the military and across the campus and community. Named in honor of Army Colonel William Nolde, the last official combat casualty of the Vietnam War.

Athletics

The school's athletics programs are affiliated with NCAA Division I. For football, the school is in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. Almost all Central Michigan teams compete in the Mid-American Conference (MAC); the one exception is the women's lacrosse team, newly elevat ... [more on wikipedia]

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

Central Michigan University Details

Central Michigan University Details
detail value
stateMichigan
conferenceMid American Conference
publicPublic
scores1475/983/22
levelBelowAverage
rank[454
overall ROI rank[402
sizemedium-large
undergrads20671
grads6208
price34620
drop43
stem18
research9
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for Central Michigan University?

1. number 454 for Academics.

2. number 402 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to Central Michigan University?

1. Western Michigan University

2. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

3. University of Nevada-Las Vegas

4. Montclair State University

5. Oklahoma State University

6. Old Dominion University

7. University of Akron Main Campus


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

Central Michigan University National Academic Rankings

Central Michigan University National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Mid - American Conference13121210811111013
Mid West Region929897463738398495
State of Michigan17282584872120


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

Central Michigan University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Central Michigan University

Central Michigan University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Central Michigan University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
92.76
Western Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicBelowAverage446320
92.74
University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeWisconsinHorizon LeaguePublicBelowAverage420367
92.46
University of Nevada-Las VegasNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicBelowAverage421449
91.79
Montclair State UniversityNew JerseyNew Jersey Athletic ConferencePublicBelowAverage447463
86.58
Oklahoma State UniversityOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage182124
86.49
Old Dominion UniversityVirginiaConference USAPublicAverage356368
86.36
University of Akron Main CampusOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage331251
86.19
East Carolina UniversityNorth CarolinaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage312325
86.12
Indiana University-Purdue University-IndianapolisIndianaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage427342
86.11
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
85.91
Northern Arizona UniversityArizonaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage336333
85.91
Kent State University at KentOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage347358
85.85
Ohio UniversityOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage215174
85.81
Georgia Southern UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage254236
85.77
Washington State UniversityWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage189193
85.63
Western Kentucky UniversityKentuckyConference USAPublicBelowAverage491433
85.44
Georgia State UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage253230
85.31
San Francisco State UniversityCaliforniaCalifornia Collegiate Athletic...PublicBelowAverage428458
85.15
University of LouisvilleKentuckyAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAverage258224
84.85
San Diego State UniversityCaliforniaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage183218
84.81
Texas Tech UniversityTexasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage176104
83.87
California State University-NorthridgeCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicBelowAverage459474
79.87
Middle Tennessee State UniversityTennesseeConference USAPublicAverage384372
79.57
Boise State UniversityIdahoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage389329
79.40
Towson UniversityMarylandColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAverage264365
79.39
University of California-RiversideCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage167212
79.31
Missouri State University-SpringfieldMissouriMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage301266
79.25
Eastern Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicAverage445385
79.19
Illinois State UniversityIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage279222
79.17
Kennesaw State UniversityGeorgiaAtlantic Sun ConferencePublicAverage290291
78.84
University of MemphisTennesseeAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage359314
78.80
Oakland UniversityMichiganHorizon LeaguePublicAverage417270
78.76
University of Nevada-RenoNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage289340
78.76
Sam Houston State UniversityTexasSouthland ConferencePublicAverage472383
78.58
University of California-Santa CruzCaliforniaDivision III IndependentsPublicAverage157208
78.42
CUNY Queens CollegeNew YorkEast Coast ConferencePublicAverage307400
78.36
University of Louisiana at LafayetteLouisianaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage350248
78.27
University of North Carolina at GreensboroNorth CarolinaSouthern ConferencePublicAverage449439
77.88
Bowling Green State UniversityOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage442351
77.69
California State University-Long BeachCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage318387
77.54
California State University-FullertonCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage362435
77.51
University of ArizonaArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage12486
77.50
SUNY at AlbanyNew YorkColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage188218
76.14
Pace University-New YorkNew YorkNortheast 10 ConferencePrivateAverage476465
71.05
University of Rhode IslandRhode IslandColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage270328
70.80
University of New HampshireNew HampshireColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage221225
70.61
University of Nebraska at OmahaNebraskaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage491364
70.44
The University of MontanaMontanaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage372232
70.43
Brigham Young University-IdahoIdahoNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAverage312164
70.39
University of North DakotaNorth DakotaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage363266


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

Central Michigan University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Central Michigan University

Central Michigan University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Central Michigan University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
94.80
California State University-SacramentoCaliforniaBig Sky ConferencePublicBelowAverage453472
90.03
University of Colorado Colorado SpringsColoradoRocky Mountain Athletic ConferencePublicAverage451347
89.28
North Central CollegeIllinoisCollege Conference of Illinois...PrivateAverage455382
88.58
SUNY College of Technology at AlfredNew YorkDivision III IndependentsPublicAverage457467
87.37
Gulf South Conference (Average)-Gulf South Conference-Conf-Average-340
86.77
School of the Art Institute of ChicagoIllinoisNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAboveAverage455470
85.36
Webster UniversityMissouriSt.Louis Intercollegiate Ath ConfPrivateAboveAverage458421
82.98
Judson CollegeAlabamaNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAboveAverage451481