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

East Carolina University

2016 University Academic Rankings
East Carolina University is a public, doctoral/research university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the third-largest in North Carolina. The Association of Public and Land Grant Universities designates East Carolina as both a Sea Grant university, as well as an Innovation and Economic Prosperity campus.

Founded on March 8, 1907 as a teacher training school, East Carolina has grown from 43 acres (17 ha) to almost 1,600 acres (647 ha) today. The university's academic facilities are located on four properties: Main Campus, Health Sciences Campus, West Research Campus, and the Field Station for Coastal Studies in New Holland, North Carolina. The nine undergraduate colleges, graduate school, and four professional schools are located on these four properties. All of the non-health sciences majors are located on the main campus. The College of Nursing, College of Allied Health Sciences, The Brody School of Medicine, and School of Dental Medicine are located on the health science campus. There are ten social sororities, 16 social fraternities, four historically black sororities, five historically black fraternities, one Native American fraternity, and one Native American sorority. There are over 300 registered clubs on campus including fraternities and sororities.

History

Public Laws of North Carolina, 1907, Chapter 820 titled An Act to Stimulate High School Instruction in the Public Schools of the State and Teacher Training is the official law chartering East Carolina Teachers Training School (ECTTS) on March 8, 1907 by the North Carolina General Assembly. The chairman of its original Board of Trustees, Thomas Jordan Jarvis, a former Governor of North Carolina now known as the "Father of ECU", participated in groundbreaking ceremonies for the first buildings on July 2, 1908 in Greenville, North Carolina and ECTTS opened its doors on October 5, 1909. Although its purpose was to train "young white men and women", there were no male graduates until 1932. In 1920, ECTTS became a four-year institution and renamed East Carolina Teachers College (ECTC); its first bachelor's degrees were awarded the following year in education. A master's degree program was authorized in 1929; the first such degree granted by ECTC was in 1933. Progress toward full college status was made in 1948 with the designation of the bachelor of arts as a liberal arts degree, and the bachelor of science as a teaching degree. A change of name to East Carolina College in 1951 reflected this expanded mission. Over the objections of Governor Dan K. Moore, who opposed the creation of a university system separate from the Consolidated University of North Carolina, ECC was made a regional university effective July 1, 1967, and assumed its present name, East Carolina University. The university did not remain independent for long; on July 1, 1972, it was incorporated into the University of North Carolina System, the successor to the Consolidated University. Today, ECU is the third-largest university in North Carolina with 21,589 undergraduate and 5,797 graduate students, including the 308 medicine and 52 dental students.

Campus

East Carolina is separated into three distinct campuses: Main Campus, Health Sciences Campus, and West Research Campus. It owns two sports complexes: Blount Recreational Sports Complex and North Recreational Complex. It owns a field station in New Holland, North Carolina.

Main

The main campus, also known as the east campus, is about 530 acres (2 km2) in an urban residential area of downtown Greenville. The 158 buildings on main campus comprise more than 4.6 million square feet (325,000 m²) of academic, research, and residential space. ... [more on wikipedia]

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

East Carolina University Details

East Carolina University Details
detail value
stateNorth Carolina
conferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
publicPublic
scores1545/1030/23
levelAverage
rank[312
overall ROI rank[325
sizemedium-large
undergrads22252
grads5259
price36299
drop39
stem19
research28
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for East Carolina University?

1. number 312 for Academics.

2. number 325 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to East Carolina University?

1. Northern Arizona University

2. Kent State University at Kent

3. Oakland University

4. West Virginia University

5. Ohio University

6. Oklahoma State University

7. Washington State University


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

East Carolina University National Academic Rankings

East Carolina University National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Div1 Public929694827887878797
American Athletic Conference1010109898910
South East Region679696443744427275
State of North Carolina1120169787128
Top Ten American Athletic Conference1010109898910


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

East Carolina University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to East Carolina University

East Carolina University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to East Carolina University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
99.69
Northern Arizona UniversityArizonaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage336333
99.69
Kent State University at KentOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage347358
98.41
Oakland UniversityMichiganHorizon LeaguePublicAverage417270
93.24
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
92.96
Ohio UniversityOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage215174
92.94
Oklahoma State UniversityOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage182124
92.88
Washington State UniversityWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage189193
92.69
Old Dominion UniversityVirginiaConference USAPublicAverage356368
92.57
University of Akron Main CampusOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage331251
92.52
Georgia State UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage253230
92.33
Western Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicBelowAverage446320
92.16
Eastern Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicAverage445385
92.11
Illinois State UniversityIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage279222
91.89
San Diego State UniversityCaliforniaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage183218
91.85
Texas Tech UniversityTexasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage176104
91.78
University of MemphisTennesseeAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage359314
91.65
University of North TexasTexasConference USAPublicAboveAverage192165
91.45
University of LouisvilleKentuckyAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAverage258224
91.39
CUNY Queens CollegeNew YorkEast Coast ConferencePublicAverage307400
91.35
California State University-Long BeachCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage318387
91.25
University of North Carolina at GreensboroNorth CarolinaSouthern ConferencePublicAverage449439
91.20
California State University-FullertonCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage362435
86.67
University of Massachusetts-AmherstMassachusettsMid - American Conference / At...PublicAboveAverage88144
86.66
University of KentuckyKentuckySoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage159130
86.64
George Mason UniversityVirginiaAtlantic 10 ConferencePublicAboveAverage156143
86.59
Indiana University-Purdue University-IndianapolisIndianaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage427342
86.54
University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeWisconsinHorizon LeaguePublicBelowAverage420367
86.54
University of ArkansasArkansasSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage171119
86.29
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage13754
86.29
Kennesaw State UniversityGeorgiaAtlantic Sun ConferencePublicAverage290291
86.27
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginiaAtlantic 10 ConferencePublicAboveAverage178207
86.23
University of Nevada-Las VegasNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicBelowAverage421449
86.19
Central Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicBelowAverage454402
86.16
University of OregonOregonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage174221
86.07
Middle Tennessee State UniversityTennesseeConference USAPublicAverage384372
85.99
University of Nebraska-LincolnNebraskaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage11998
85.80
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeLouisianaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage14888
85.80
University of KansasKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage172130
85.79
Boise State UniversityIdahoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage389329
85.72
San Francisco State UniversityCaliforniaCalifornia Collegiate Athletic...PublicBelowAverage428458
85.68
University of DelawareDelawareColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage107138
85.63
Towson UniversityMarylandColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAverage264365
85.63
University of California-RiversideCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage167212
85.59
University of Colorado BoulderColoradoPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage7959
85.39
Georgia Southern UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage254236
85.37
University of Missouri-ColumbiaMissouriSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage12198
85.17
Clemson UniversitySouth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage9851
85.06
CUNY Hunter CollegeNew YorkCity University of New York At...PublicAboveAverage193228
85.04
University of Nevada-RenoNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage289340
85.04
Sam Houston State UniversityTexasSouthland ConferencePublicAverage472383


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

East Carolina University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to East Carolina University

East Carolina University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to East Carolina University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
98.04
South Dakota State UniversitySouth DakotaMissouri Valley Conference / T...PublicAverage354263
98.00
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
97.34
Brigham Young University-IdahoIdahoNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAverage312164
96.69
Liberty UniversityVirginiaBig South ConferencePrivateAverage230248
96.48
Mountain West Conference (Low)-Mountain West Conference-Conf-Average-285
96.48
University of IdahoIdahoSun Belt Conference / Big Sky ...PublicAverage379216
95.49
Sun Belt Conference (Average)-Sun Belt Conference-Conf-Average-232
94.72
Portland State UniversityOregonBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage308408
94.48
University of Louisiana at LafayetteLouisianaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage350248
94.48
University of North DakotaNorth DakotaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage363266
94.41
University of MemphisTennesseeAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage359314
93.69
University of Michigan-DearbornMichiganWolverine - Hoosier Athletic ConfPublicAboveAverage312185
93.67
Arizona State University-Downtown PhoenixArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage357234
92.08
St John's University-New YorkNew YorkBig East ConferencePrivateAverage309444
91.96
Tennessee Technological UniversityTennesseeOhio Valley ConferencePublicAverage374212
90.92
West Chester University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaPennsylvania State Athletic Co...PublicAboveAverage315361
86.29
Westmont CollegeCaliforniaGolden State Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage311400
86.05
Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (Low)-Upstate Collegiate Athletic As...-Conf-AboveAverage-320
82.80
Eureka CollegeIllinoisUpper Midwest Athletic Confere...PrivateAboveAverage316427