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

Liberty University

2016 University Academic Rankings

Liberty University is a private, non-profit Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. It is classified as a doctoral research university. Liberty's annual enrollment includes over 14,000 residential students and over 100,000 online students as of May 2013.

History

The university was founded as Lynchburg Baptist College in 1971 by Jerry Falwell, who was also Senior Pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church. The name was changed to Liberty Baptist College in 1976 before settling on its current name, Liberty University, in 1984, when it obtained university status.

Liberty University describes itself as a Christian academic community. Its stated mission and aims emphasize both the intellectual and spiritual development of the institution's students. Students are held to The Liberty Way, a code of conduct.

Campus | Main, East and North campuses

Liberty University's Campus East housing complex consists of 30 multi-story apartment style dormitories, the last six of which were completed in 2007. Rooms in these dormitories have their own kitchens, living room and private baths. A clubhouse offers a swimming pool, billiards room, and a private theater. A tunnel connecting the east and west ends of the campus was completed in 2004. A second tunnel was completed in May 2014, and provides pedestrian passage under the Norfolk Southern Railway and access to nearby shopping opportunities. In addition, a campus bus/shuttle system was added in the fall of 2006, providing transportation both on and off campus until midnight most evenings, along with an on-call late night shuttle bus until 2:30am.

The 90,000-square-foot (8,400 m2) LaHaye Student Center, has a lounge, basketball courts, cardio and weight rooms, cafe, multi-purpose rooms, aerobic rooms and other amenities. The adjacent Tilley Center has TV lounges, game tables, pool room, and social areas, as well as a stage for student performances, bands and small concerts. Other projects include a 60-mile (97 km) mountain bike trail system, a motocross facility, paintball fields, 3D archery range, intramural sports program and club sports, including lacrosse and ice hockey, which plays in an ice rink donated by Drs. Tim and Beverly LaHaye, and a new indoor soccer facility.

During the spring of 2007, a secondary practice facility for the Liberty volleyball program was opened as part of a new, on-campus training complex. The existing $750,000 facility on Campus East houses the volleyball coaches' offices and a team room, and serves as the team's practice facility whenever the Vines Center and Schilling Center are unavailable.

Construction was completed in August 2009 on the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre, a synthetic ski slope featuring Snowflex; the Centre was designed by England's Briton Engineering. It includes beginner, intermediate and advanced slopes, and is the first of its kind in the United States.

On September 24, 2010, Liberty opened the new Tower Theater, with seating for up to 640 people. For the 2010-11 theater season, the Theater Department opened with Hairspray, and closed in Spring 2011 with The Phantom of the Opera. The theatre includes balcony seating, an orchestra pit, catwalks, a fly tower, a box office and 12,000 square feet (1,100 m2) of support area. The tower was originally part of a cell phone plant. BCWH Architects, which designed the adaptation of the tower as a theatre, won first place at the ASID's annual IDEAs for the Contract Institutional Category.

In August 2011, Liberty announced a 120 million dollar campus expansion. The expansion includes more dorms, greener space, and more academic buildings allowing the campus to hold 20,000 resident students.

In January 2012, Liberty University's Department of Theatre Arts announced the f ... [more on wikipedia]

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

Liberty University Details

Liberty University Details
detail value
stateVirginia
conferenceBig South Conference
publicPrivate
scores1525/1017/23
levelAverage
rank[230
overall ROI rank[248
sizeenormous
undergrads49744
grads31715
price34000
drop50
stem3
research0
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for Liberty University?

1. number 230 for Academics.

2. number 248 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to Liberty University?

1. Indiana Wesleyan University

2. Azusa Pacific University

3. Southern New Hampshire University

4. Bryant University

5. Pratt Institute-Main

6. North Greenville University



National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

Liberty University National Academic Rankings

Liberty University National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Top250230249248124111153159235248
Div1 Nonivy9999987164909098100
Div1 Private384746262131314743
Private939999595153539299
New England Region89100995445606093100
State of Virginia14222465872013
Top Ten Top250230249248124111153159235248
Top Ten State of Virginia10101065661010


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

Liberty University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Liberty University

Liberty University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Liberty University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
74.73
Indiana Wesleyan UniversityIndianaCrossroads LeaguePrivateAverage412406
74.13
Azusa Pacific UniversityCaliforniaGreat Northeast Athletic Confe...PrivateAverage370455
70.60
Southern New Hampshire UniversityNew HampshireNortheast 10 ConferencePrivateBelowAverage373456
67.11
Bryant UniversityRhode IslandNortheast ConferencePrivateAboveAverage433405
67.11
Pratt Institute-MainNew YorkNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAboveAverage396460
66.98
North Greenville UniversitySouth CarolinaDivision II Independents / Con...PrivateAboveAverage477492


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

Liberty University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Liberty University

Liberty University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Liberty University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
96.71
East Carolina UniversityNorth CarolinaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage312325
95.67
Brigham Young University-IdahoIdahoNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAverage312164
95.44
Portland State UniversityOregonBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage308408
95.21
Mountain West Conference (Low)-Mountain West Conference-Conf-Average-285
94.24
Sun Belt Conference (Average)-Sun Belt Conference-Conf-Average-232
94.02
Howard UniversityWashington DCMid Eastern Athletic ConferencePrivateAverage343429
93.72
Ohio UniversityOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage215174
92.85
St John's University-New YorkNew YorkBig East ConferencePrivateAverage309444
91.85
University of MississippiMississippiSoutheastern ConferencePublicAverage232197
90.85
CUNY Queens CollegeNew YorkEast Coast ConferencePublicAverage307400
90.48
University of Michigan-DearbornMichiganWolverine - Hoosier Athletic ConfPublicAboveAverage312185
90.15
University of WyomingWyomingMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage250152
89.97
Appalachian State UniversityNorth CarolinaSun Belt ConferencePublicAboveAverage230228
88.42
Rowan UniversityNew JerseyNew Jersey Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage306392
87.32
University of DaytonOhioPioneer Football League / Atla...PrivateAboveAverage278138
87.15
Stetson UniversityFloridaPioneer Football League / Atla...PrivateAboveAverage344395
87.15
SUNY College of Environmental Science and ForestryNew YorkNo Conference AffiliationPublicAboveAverage229244
86.90
Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (Low)-Upstate Collegiate Athletic As...-Conf-AboveAverage-320
86.77
Samford UniversityAlabamaSouthern ConferencePrivateAboveAverage431272
86.15
Loyola University ChicagoIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePrivateAboveAverage228206
85.64
Butler UniversityIndianaPioneer Football League / Big ...PrivateAboveAverage349204
85.39
Colonial Athletic Association (Low)-Colonial Athletic Association-Conf-AboveAverage-214
85.16
Westmont CollegeCaliforniaGolden State Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage311400
84.64
Wofford CollegeSouth CarolinaSouthern ConferencePrivateAboveAverage340211
84.15
DePaul UniversityIllinoisBig East ConferencePrivateAboveAverage193150
83.14
University of San FranciscoCaliforniaWest Coast ConferencePrivateAboveAverage226241
82.67
Drake UniversityIowaPioneer Football League / Miss...PrivateAboveAverage263136
82.65
Mercer UniversityGeorgiaSouthern ConferencePrivateAboveAverage237242
82.43
Saint Louis UniversityMissouriAtlantic 10 ConferencePrivateAboveAverage169165
80.78
Milwaukee School of EngineeringWisconsinNorthern Athletics Collegiate ...PrivateGood184102
80.77
Bentley UniversityMassachusettsNortheast 10 ConferencePrivateGood232199
80.07
Furman UniversitySouth CarolinaSouthern ConferencePrivateGood232192
78.68
University of Puget SoundWashingtonNorthwest ConferencePrivateGood227223
76.62
Lafayette CollegePennsylvaniaPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent165106
75.49
Occidental CollegeCaliforniaSouthern California Intercoll ...PrivateExcellent158162
75.06
Union CollegeKentuckyMid - South Conference / Appal...PrivateBelowAverage162178
73.83
Gettysburg CollegePennsylvaniaCentennial ConferencePrivateExcellent170148