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

Georgia Southern University

2016 University Academic Rankings
Georgia Southern University is a public university located on a 900-acre (3.6 km2) campus in Statesboro, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1906, it is part of the University System of Georgia and is the largest center of higher education in the southern half of Georgia offering 117 academic majors in a comprehensive array of baccalaureate degrees and master's and doctoral programs. The university is the sixth largest in the University System of Georgia, with a fall 2015 enrollment of 20,459 students from 49 states and 86 nations. Georgia Southern is classified as a Doctoral and Research University (2006) by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and as a comprehensive university by the University System of Georgia.

Georgia Southern University's intercollegiate sports teams, known as the "Georgia Southern Eagles," compete in the Sun Belt Conference in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I.

History

Georgia Southern University began as First District Agricultural & Mechanical School; its inaugural academic year began in 1908 with four faculty members and 15 students.

Founded as a school for teaching modern agricultural production techniques and homemaking skills to rural school children, First District A&M began within two decades to shift its emphasis to meet the growing need for teachers within the state. Its name and mission were changed in 1924 to Georgia Normal School as a training ground for educators. Five years later in 1929, full-fledged senior college status was granted and the school was renamed South Georgia Teachers College.

Ensuing decades found more name and mission changes: to Georgia Teachers College in 1939 and Georgia Southern College in 1959. The university continued program and physical expansion. The institution would experience probably its biggest change in identity in 1990 when it became known as Georgia Southern University.

Since then, the University has embarked on a massive upgrade of facilities, adding more than $300 million in new construction. Georgia Southern was named a Doctoral/Research University by Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2006. The University is recognized in publications including U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" and "Best Graduate Schools", Forbes' "America's Best Colleges" and most recently by Kiplinger for being one of the Top 100 Best Values among Public Colleges and Universities. Additionally, Georgia Southern's MBA program was named one of the Best 301 in the country by The Princeton Review.

Since 1999, two new colleges have been established: the College of Information Technology in 2001, and the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health in 2004. Additional undergraduate and graduate programs were formed including doctorate degrees in psychology, public health and nursing. In 2011, the University established the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Information Technology, which combines the previous College of IT with its engineering programs. In addition, it at the same time created the College of Science and Mathematics which was previously known as the Allen E. Paulson College of Science and Technology.

Online bachelor's degrees are available in nursing, general studies, and information technology. Master's programs are offered in kinesiology, instructional technology, accomplished teaching, instructional improvement, higher education administration, reading education, middle grades education, secondary education, special education, and educational leadership. Additionally, the University offers master's degrees in business administration, applied economics, accounting, computer science and sport management. Georgia Southern also offers online endorsements in online teaching and learning, K-5 math, and reading.

Th ... [more on wikipedia]

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

Georgia Southern University Details

Georgia Southern University Details
detail value
stateGeorgia
conferenceSun Belt Conference
publicPublic
scores1640/1093/25
levelAverage
rank[254
overall ROI rank[236
sizemedium
undergrads18004
grads2513
price33093
drop51
stem19
research4
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for Georgia Southern University?

1. number 254 for Academics.

2. number 236 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to Georgia Southern University?

1. Sam Houston State University

2. Illinois State University

3. University of California-Riverside

4. Towson University

5. Oakland University

6. University of Nevada-Reno

7. Boise State University


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

Georgia Southern University National Academic Rankings

Georgia Southern University National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Sun Belt Conference321558896
South East Region527461373045465753
State of Georgia61086666107
Top Ten Sun Belt Conference321557796
Top Ten State of Georgia687665567


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

Georgia Southern University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Georgia Southern University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
99.56
Sam Houston State UniversityTexasSouthland ConferencePublicAverage472383
93.28
Illinois State UniversityIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage279222
93.05
University of California-RiversideCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage167212
93.05
Towson UniversityMarylandColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAverage264365
92.94
Oakland UniversityMichiganHorizon LeaguePublicAverage417270
92.90
University of Nevada-RenoNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage289340
92.88
Boise State UniversityIdahoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage389329
92.59
Middle Tennessee State UniversityTennesseeConference USAPublicAverage384372
92.51
CUNY Queens CollegeNew YorkEast Coast ConferencePublicAverage307400
91.89
Bowling Green State UniversityOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage442351
91.75
Kennesaw State UniversityGeorgiaAtlantic Sun ConferencePublicAverage290291
91.70
University of Rhode IslandRhode IslandColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage270328
91.42
University of New HampshireNew HampshireColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage221225
91.19
University of Nebraska at OmahaNebraskaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage491364
86.54
Eastern Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicAverage445385
86.46
Western Kentucky UniversityKentuckyConference USAPublicBelowAverage491433
86.33
University of DelawareDelawareColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage107138
86.32
University of MemphisTennesseeAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage359314
86.12
Mississippi State UniversityMississippiSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage197130
86.09
University of Akron Main CampusOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage331251
86.03
University of California-Santa CruzCaliforniaDivision III IndependentsPublicAverage157208
85.97
Old Dominion UniversityVirginiaConference USAPublicAverage356368
85.91
University of LouisvilleKentuckyAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAverage258224
85.81
Central Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicBelowAverage454402
85.77
University of Louisiana at LafayetteLouisianaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage350248
85.73
Oklahoma State UniversityOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage182124
85.50
CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew YorkCity University of New York At...PublicAboveAverage135182
85.39
East Carolina UniversityNorth CarolinaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage312325
85.33
Indiana University-Purdue University-IndianapolisIndianaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage427342
85.32
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
85.15
Northern Arizona UniversityArizonaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage336333
85.15
Kent State University at KentOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage347358
85.09
Ohio UniversityOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage215174
85.03
Washington State UniversityWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage189193
84.95
Utah State UniversityUtahMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage165120
84.79
SUNY at AlbanyNew YorkColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage188218
84.74
Georgia State UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage253230
84.63
San Francisco State UniversityCaliforniaCalifornia Collegiate Athletic...PublicBelowAverage428458
84.58
University of Puerto Rico-Rio PiedrasPuerto RicoIndependent Southeast RegionPublicAboveAverage176232
84.33
The University of MontanaMontanaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage372232
84.27
University of North DakotaNorth DakotaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage363266
83.57
University of Colorado Colorado SpringsColoradoRocky Mountain Athletic ConferencePublicAverage451347
82.60
Howard UniversityWashington DCMid Eastern Athletic ConferencePrivateAverage343429
81.72
Monmouth UniversityNew JerseyBig South Conference / Metro A...PrivateAverage478477
81.04
Maryville University of Saint LouisMissouriGreat Lakes Valley ConferencePrivateAverage424426
79.72
Clemson UniversitySouth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage9851
79.69
Western Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicBelowAverage446320
79.58
CUNY Hunter CollegeNew YorkCity University of New York At...PublicAboveAverage193228
79.54
University of KansasKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage172130
79.34
University of Nebraska-LincolnNebraskaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage11998


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

Georgia Southern University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Georgia Southern University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
96.18
Georgia State UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage253230
95.09
University of WyomingWyomingMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage250152
94.14
University of LouisvilleKentuckyAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAverage258224
93.91
University of Northern IowaIowaMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAboveAverage252248
93.71
West Coast Conference (Low)-West Coast Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-258
93.53
The University of Texas at ArlingtonTexasSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage240157
92.02
Calvin CollegeMichiganMichigan Intercollegiate Athle...PrivateAboveAverage255209
90.98
University of the PacificCaliforniaWest Coast ConferencePrivateAboveAverage251344
87.78
Midwest Conference (Average)-Midwest Conference-Conf-Good-245
84.94
Babson CollegeMassachusettsNew England Women's & Men's At...PrivateGood243150