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

Columbia University in the City of New York

2016 University Academic Rankings
Columbia University (officially Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private, Ivy League, research university in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It was established in 1754 as King's College by royal charter of George II of Great Britain. Columbia is the oldest college in New York State and the fifth chartered institution of higher learning in the country, making it one of nine colonial colleges founded before the Declaration of Independence. After the revolutionary war, King's College briefly became a state entity, and was renamed Columbia College in 1784. A 1787 charter placed the institution under a private board of trustees before it was renamed Columbia University in 1896 when the campus was moved from Madison Avenue to its current location in Morningside Heights occupying land of 32 acres (13 ha). Columbia is one of the fourteen founding members of the Association of American Universities, and was the first school in the United States to grant the M.D. degree.

The university is organized into twenty schools, including Columbia College, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of General Studies. The university also has global research outposts in Amman, Beijing, Istanbul, Paris, Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Asunción and Nairobi. It has affiliations with several other institutions nearby, including Teachers College, Barnard College, and Union Theological Seminary, with joint undergraduate programs available through the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Sciences Po Paris, and the Juilliard School.

Columbia annually administers the Pulitzer Prize. Notable alumni and former students (including those from King's College) include five Founding Fathers of the United States; nine Justices of the United States Supreme Court; 20 living billionaires; 29 Academy Award winners; and 29 heads of state, including three United States Presidents. Additionally, some 100 Nobel laureates have been affiliated with Columbia as students, faculty, or staff, second in the world only to Harvard.

History | King's College (1754-1784)

Discussions regarding the founding of a college in the Province of New York began as early as 1704, at which time Colonel Lewis Morris wrote to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, the missionary arm of the Church of England, persuading the society that New York City was an ideal community in which to establish a college; however, not until the founding of Princeton University across the Hudson River in New Jersey did the City of New York seriously consider founding a college. In 1746 an act was passed by the general assembly of New York to raise funds for the foundation of a new college. In 1751, the assembly appointed a commission of ten New York residents, seven of whom were members of the Church of England, to direct the funds accrued by the state lottery towards the foundation of a college.

Classes were initially held in July 1754 and were presided over by the college's first president, Dr. Samuel Johnson. Dr. Johnson was the only instructor of the college's first class, which consisted of a mere eight students. Instruction was held in a new schoolhouse adjoining Trinity Church, located on what is now lower Broadway in Manhattan. The college was officially founded on October 31, 1754, as King's College by royal charter of King George II, making it the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York and the fifth oldest in the United States.

In 1763, Dr. Johnson was succeeded in the presidency by Myles Cooper, a graduate of The Queen's College, Oxford, and an ardent Tory. In the charged political climate of the American Revolution, his chief opponent in discussions at the college was an undergraduate of the class of 1777, Alex ... [more on wikipedia]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Columbia University in the City of New York", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0

Top Ten All Universities

Columbia University in the City of New York Details

Columbia University in the City of New York Details
detail value
stateNew York
conferenceIvy League
publicPrivate
scores2215/1477/33
levelElite
rank[7
overall ROI rank[42
sizemedium-small
undergrads8100
grads19489
price66604
drop6
stem41
research859
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for Columbia University in the City of New York?

1. number 7 for Academics.

2. number 42 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to Columbia University in the City of New York?

1. Harvard University

2. Johns Hopkins University

3. Carnegie Mellon University

4. Stanford University

5. Duke University

6. University of Rochester

7. University of Miami


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

Columbia University in the City of New York National Academic Rankings

Columbia University in the City of New York National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Top250791167211712142
All79116721176226
Div1555451496627
Div1 Private45444952912
Private6910661455621
Stem Low67104517127026
Ivy League443446486
New England Region556441063313
State of New York112113182
Top Ten Top250791167211712142
Top Ten All8876776109
Top Ten Div15554576109
Top Ten Div1 Private4544475109
Top Ten Private7976666109
Top Ten Stem Low5774575108
Top Ten Ivy League443446486
Top Ten New England Region5544476106
Top Ten State of New York112113152


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

Columbia University in the City of New York Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Columbia University in the City of New York

Columbia University in the City of New York Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Columbia University in the City of New York
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
98.56
Harvard UniversityMassachusettsIvy LeaguePrivateElite210
91.90
Johns Hopkins UniversityMarylandCentennial ConferencePrivateElite1647
91.51
Carnegie Mellon UniversityPennsylvaniaUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateElite219
85.78
Stanford UniversityCaliforniaPacific 12 ConferencePrivateElite917
85.45
Duke UniversityNorth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateElite133
85.16
University of RochesterNew YorkUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateExcellent3993
84.83
University of MiamiFloridaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateExcellent4493
83.23
Rice UniversityTexasConference USAPrivateElite204
81.57
University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesMinnesotaBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3022
78.01
University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaIvy LeaguePrivateElite127
77.77
Princeton UniversityNew JerseyIvy LeaguePrivateElite411
77.33
Northeastern UniversityMassachusettsColonial Athletic AssociationPrivateElite40109
77.11
Cornell UniversityNew YorkIvy LeaguePrivateElite1539
75.33
University of Maryland-College ParkMarylandBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3460
75.24
University of Michigan-Ann ArborMichiganBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent1716
75.03
Carleton CollegeMinnesotaMidwest ConferencePrivateElite8443
74.97
University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignIllinoisBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent2417
73.06
University of Notre DameIndianaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateElite3112
72.63
Northwestern UniversityIllinoisBig Ten ConferencePrivateElite1113
71.39
University of ChicagoIllinoisUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateElite1014
70.83
Lehigh UniversityPennsylvaniaPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent6932
70.71
Case Western Reserve UniversityOhioPresidents' Athletic Conferenc...PrivateExcellent2814
70.69
SUNY at BinghamtonNew YorkAmerica EastPublicExcellent65125
70.38
United States Naval AcademyMarylandDivision I Independents / Patr...PublicExcellent12648
69.92
United States Air Force AcademyColoradoMountain West ConferencePublicExcellent9130
69.60
Bucknell UniversityPennsylvaniaPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent13193
69.16
St Olaf CollegeMinnesotaMinnesota Intercollegiate Ath ConfPrivateExcellent144127
68.84
University of California-San DiegoCaliforniaDivision II IndependentsPublicExcellent2670
68.73
Lafayette CollegePennsylvaniaPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent165106
68.66
University of California-BerkeleyCaliforniaPacific 12 ConferencePublicExcellent1826
68.51
Union CollegeKentuckyMid - South Conference / Appal...PrivateBelowAverage162178
68.49
University of California-Los AngelesCaliforniaPacific 12 ConferencePublicExcellent2984
68.43
University of Wisconsin-MadisonWisconsinBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3325
68.19
Colby CollegeMaineNew England Small College Ath ConfPrivateExcellent132155
68.09
Grinnell CollegeIowaMidwest ConferencePrivateExcellent114123
67.80
Reed CollegeOregonNo Conference AffiliationPrivateExcellent106144


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

Columbia University in the City of New York Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Columbia University in the City of New York

Columbia University in the City of New York Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Columbia University in the City of New York
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
97.92
Vanderbilt UniversityTennesseeSoutheastern ConferencePrivateElite148
97.78
Washington University in St LouisMissouriUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateElite86
97.14
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusettsNew England Football Conferenc...PrivateElite52
96.51
Georgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgiaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicElite61
95.65
Stanford UniversityCaliforniaPacific 12 ConferencePrivateElite917
95.45
Ivy League (Average)-Ivy League-Conf-Elite-20
95.34
Northwestern UniversityIllinoisBig Ten ConferencePrivateElite1113
95.26
University of ChicagoIllinoisUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateElite1014
94.58
University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaIvy LeaguePrivateElite127
94.39
Yale UniversityConnecticutIvy LeaguePrivateElite337
94.35
Princeton UniversityNew JerseyIvy LeaguePrivateElite411
94.21
Harvard UniversityMassachusettsIvy LeaguePrivateElite210
93.63
Duke UniversityNorth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateElite133