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

Mid - American Conference (Average)

2016 University Academic Rankings

The 2014 Mid-American Conference football season was the 69th season of college football play for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and was a part of the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

Previous season | References

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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mid - American Conference (Average)", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0

Mid - American Conference Details

Mid - American Conference Details
detail value
state-
conferenceMid American Conference
public-Conf-
scores1649/1099/25
levelAboveAverage
rank[-
overall ROI rank[185
sizemedium
undergrads19632
grads5516
price37386
drop39
stem22
research92
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for Mid - American Conference (Average)?

1. number - for Academics.

2. number 185 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to Mid - American Conference (Average)?

1. Syracuse University

2. University of Kansas

3. University of Nebraska-Lincoln

4. Old Dominion University

5. University of Delaware

6. Auburn University

7. University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus



National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

Mid - American Conference National Academic Rankings

Mid - American Conference National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Top250-230229158148142130123185
Conferences316245292418363729
Mid - American Conference-44456363
Top Ten Top250-230229158148142130123185
Top Ten Mid - American Conference-44456343


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

Mid - American Conference Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Mid - American Conference

Mid - American Conference Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Mid - American Conference
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
98.50
Syracuse UniversityNew YorkAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateAboveAverage172216
93.24
University of KansasKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage172130
93.22
University of Nebraska-LincolnNebraskaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage11998
93.17
Old Dominion UniversityVirginiaConference USAPublicAverage356368
93.10
University of DelawareDelawareColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage107138
93.01
Auburn UniversityAlabamaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage13979
92.90
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage13754
92.66
University of ArkansasArkansasSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage171119
92.56
University of KentuckyKentuckySoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage159130
92.55
University of Massachusetts-AmherstMassachusettsMid - American Conference / At...PublicAboveAverage88144
92.53
Clemson UniversitySouth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage9851
92.47
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
92.46
University of MemphisTennesseeAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage359314
92.40
CUNY Hunter CollegeNew YorkCity University of New York At...PublicAboveAverage193228
92.21
Colorado State University-Fort CollinsColoradoMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage143139
92.20
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginiaAtlantic 10 ConferencePublicAboveAverage178207
92.15
DePaul UniversityIllinoisBig East ConferencePrivateAboveAverage193150
92.13
University of ToledoOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage405285
91.93
University of South Carolina-ColumbiaSouth CarolinaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage93130
91.83
Georgia State UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage253230
91.80
Florida Atlantic UniversityFloridaConference USAPublicAverage305303
91.78
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeLouisianaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage14888
91.59
University of Colorado BoulderColoradoPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage7959
91.40
University of Missouri-ColumbiaMissouriSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage12198
91.29
Temple UniversityPennsylvaniaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage168199
91.28
San Diego State UniversityCaliforniaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage183218
91.24
Texas Tech UniversityTexasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage176104
91.20
Iowa State UniversityIowaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage12971
89.15
University of Central FloridaFloridaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage103141
86.64
University of Akron Main CampusOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage331251
86.44
Kansas State UniversityKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage249168
86.25
Oklahoma State UniversityOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage182124
86.25
University of ConnecticutConnecticutBig East ConferencePublicGood87139
86.23
Eastern Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicAverage445385
86.04
The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleTennesseeSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage116188
86.01
University of New MexicoNew MexicoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage265153
85.88
East Carolina UniversityNorth CarolinaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage312325
85.86
George Mason UniversityVirginiaAtlantic 10 ConferencePublicAboveAverage156143
85.85
University of IowaIowaBig Ten ConferencePublicGood6879
85.81
Indiana University-Purdue University-IndianapolisIndianaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage427342
85.62
Mississippi State UniversityMississippiSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage197130
85.61
Kent State University at KentOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage347358
85.55
Ohio UniversityOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage215174
85.48
Washington State UniversityWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage189193
85.42
University of LouisvilleKentuckyAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAverage258224
85.39
Utah State UniversityUtahMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage165120
85.39
University of CincinnatiOhioAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage202106
85.24
Northern Illinois UniversityIllinoisMid American ConferencePublicAverage435289
84.81
Western Washington UniversityWashingtonGreat Northwest Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage297338
84.40
University of North TexasTexasConference USAPublicAboveAverage192165


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

Mid - American Conference Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Mid - American Conference

Mid - American Conference Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Mid - American Conference
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
97.70
Pacific - 12 Conference (Low)-Pacific 12 Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-115
97.47
University of New HampshireNew HampshireColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage221225
96.99
University of North FloridaFloridaAtlantic Sun ConferencePublicAboveAverage219214
96.14
Montana State UniversityMontanaBig Sky ConferencePublicAboveAverage217168
95.98
Big Sky Conference (Average)-Big Sky Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-170
94.62
Mountain West Conference (Average)-Mountain West Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-193
94.48
College of CharlestonSouth CarolinaColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage219233
94.43
American Athletic Conference (Low)-American Athletic Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-162
93.59
Ohio UniversityOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage215174
93.03
University of North Carolina WilmingtonNorth CarolinaColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage221228
91.86
James Madison UniversityVirginiaColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage196170
91.11
Loyola Marymount UniversityCaliforniaWest Coast ConferencePrivateAboveAverage218233
87.16
West Coast Conference (Average)-West Coast Conference-Conf-Good-155
86.27
Skidmore CollegeNew YorkUpstate Collegiate Athletic As...PrivateGood210220
85.69
Clark UniversityMassachusettsNew England Women's & Men's At...PrivateGood201224
84.81
New Mexico Institute of Mining and TechnologyNew MexicoNo Conference AffiliationPublicGood18093
84.57
Patriot League (Low)-Patriot League-Conf-Good-84
84.39
Division I Independents (Average)-Division I Independents-Conf-Excellent-59
84.35
Rhodes CollegeTennesseeSouthern Athletic AssociationPrivateExcellent191147
83.77
Muhlenberg CollegePennsylvaniaCentennial ConferencePrivateGood223217
82.86
Trinity CollegeConnecticutNew England Small College Ath ConfPrivateGood215225
82.19
Thomas Aquinas CollegeCaliforniaNo Conference AffiliationPrivateGood223243
79.72
Jewish Theological Seminary of AmericaNew YorkNo Conference AffiliationPrivateExcellent186233
79.10
New College of FloridaFloridaNo Conference AffiliationPublicExcellent190237
77.89
No Conference Affiliation (Average)-No Conference Affiliation-Conf-Excellent-180