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

Missouri Valley Conference (Low)

2016 University Academic Rankings

The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the second-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Currently, its members are located in the midwestern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I.

The MVC was founded in 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MVIAA), 12 years after the Big Ten, the only Division I conference that is older. However, some consider the MVC to have been formed from a split of the MVIAA in 1928. Most of the larger schools formed a conference that retained the MVIAA name and would ultimately become the Big Eight Conference. The smaller schools, plus Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University-Stillwater, which ultimately joined the Big Eight in 1957), formed the MVC. During the Big Eight's existence, both conferences claimed 1907 as their founding date, as well as the same history through 1927. It was never definitively established which conference was the original, but given that the Big Eight merged with four Texas schools of the Southwest Conference to form the Big 12 Conference in 1996, only the MVC continues to have a claim to the original heritage.

During the 2006-07 college basketball season, MVC teams held a 74-27 non-conference record, including a record of 44-1 at home. The Valley finished in the Top 6 of the RPI and ahead of a BCS conference for the second consecutive year, while also garnering multiple NCAA bids for the ninth straight year and 12th of 14.

The MVC has not sponsored football since 1985, when it was a hybrid I-A/I-AA (now FBS and FCS), respectively. However, five members have football programs in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (known as the Gateway from 1985-2008) of Division I FCS, and a sixth competes in another FCS conference, the Pioneer Football League. The Missouri Valley Conference shares its name with the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and the two also operate from the same headquarters complex in St. Louis. However, the two are separate administratively.

Member schools | Current members

†- Bradley and Drake both withdrew from the MVC during the 1951-52 academic year in protest over the Johnny Bright Incident, a racially motivated on-field attack by an Oklahoma A&M football player against Drake player Johnny Bright in a 1951 game. Bradley returned to the MVC for non-football sports in the 1955-56 school year, with Drake doing the same a year later. However, Bradley never returned to MVC football, dropping the sport in 1970, and Drake did not return for football until 1971.

Affiliate members | Former members | Former full members

^ During Oklahoma A&M's tenure in the MVC, the nicknames "Aggies" and "Cowboys" were used interchangeably. When the school adopted its current name in 1957, the "Cowboys" nickname was exclusively adopted.

Former affiliate members | Membership timeline | Commissioners | Sports

The Missouri Valley Conference sponsors championship competition in eight men's and ten women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Central Arkansas and SIU Edwardsville are Affiliate members for men's soccer, Dallas Baptist is an Affiliate member for baseball, and Arkansas-Little Rock is an Affiliate member for swimming and diving.

Men's sponsored sports by school | Women's sponsored sports by school | Facilities

For the football venues of schools who participate in the sport, see Facilities of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and Facilities of the Pioneer Football League.

Basketball tournament champions by year

The Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Championship is often referred to as Arch Madness, in reference to the Gateway Arch at the tournament's present location of St. Louis, Missouri, and a play on "March Madness".

... [more on wikipedia]

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

Missouri Valley Conference Details

Missouri Valley Conference Details
detail value
state-
conferenceMissouri Valley Conference
public-Conf-
scores1600/1067/24
levelAverage
rank[-
overall ROI rank[270
sizemedium-small
undergrads9954
grads2288
price38920
drop32
stem21
research18
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for Missouri Valley Conference (Low)?

1. number - for Academics.

2. number 270 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to Missouri Valley Conference (Low)?

1. University of Colorado Colorado Springs

2. University of Maine

3. South Dakota State University

4. University of North Dakota

5. The University of Montana

6. Marquette University

7. Wichita State University



National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

Missouri Valley Conference National Academic Rankings

Missouri Valley Conference National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Conferences627874505358602742
Missouri Valley Conference-812889758
Top Ten Missouri Valley Conference-7118876410


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

Missouri Valley Conference Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Missouri Valley Conference

Missouri Valley Conference Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Missouri Valley Conference
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
93.12
University of Colorado Colorado SpringsColoradoRocky Mountain Athletic ConferencePublicAverage451347
92.92
University of MaineMaineAtlantic 10 Conference / Ameri...PublicAverage248245
92.73
South Dakota State UniversitySouth DakotaMissouri Valley Conference / T...PublicAverage354263
92.42
University of North DakotaNorth DakotaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage363266
92.34
The University of MontanaMontanaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage372232
92.30
Marquette UniversityWisconsinBig East ConferencePrivateAboveAverage197121
92.21
Wichita State UniversityKansasMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage382307
92.14
North Dakota State UniversityNorth DakotaMissouri Valley Conference / T...PublicAverage261196
92.10
University of Nebraska at OmahaNebraskaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage491364
91.84
University of New HampshireNew HampshireColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage221225
91.63
Rutgers University-NewarkNew JerseyNew Jersey Athletic ConferencePublicAverage371392
91.55
University of Rhode IslandRhode IslandColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage270328
91.36
Howard UniversityWashington DCMid Eastern Athletic ConferencePrivateAverage343429
90.32
Illinois State UniversityIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage279222
86.64
University of Minnesota-DuluthMinnesotaNorthern Sun Intercollegiate C...PublicAverage464346
86.58
University of Wisconsin-La CrosseWisconsinWisconsin Intercollegiate Ath ConfPublicAverage302258
86.54
University of Northern IowaIowaMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAboveAverage252248
86.51
University of Wisconsin-Eau ClaireWisconsinWisconsin Intercollegiate Ath ConfPublicAverage350253
86.43
The University of Tennessee-ChattanoogaTennesseeSouthern ConferencePublicAverage434464
86.43
Loyola University ChicagoIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePrivateAboveAverage228206
86.04
University of VermontVermontAmerica EastPublicAboveAverage136191
86.03
University of Wisconsin-Stevens PointWisconsinWisconsin Intercollegiate Ath ConfPublicAverage466414
85.82
Pace University-New YorkNew YorkNortheast 10 ConferencePrivateAverage476465
85.71
University of DaytonOhioPioneer Football League / Atla...PrivateAboveAverage278138
85.52
Rowan UniversityNew JerseyNew Jersey Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage306392
85.37
University of Puerto Rico-Rio PiedrasPuerto RicoIndependent Southeast RegionPublicAboveAverage176232
85.13
SUNY at AlbanyNew YorkColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage188218
85.12
University of North Carolina WilmingtonNorth CarolinaColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage221228
84.83
University of Louisiana at MonroeLouisianaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage485352
84.72
SUNY College at BrockportNew YorkEmpire Eight / State Universit...PublicAverage473487
84.26
University of Louisiana at LafayetteLouisianaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage350248
84.08
University of California-Santa CruzCaliforniaDivision III IndependentsPublicAverage157208
83.95
Sam Houston State UniversityTexasSouthland ConferencePublicAverage472383
83.94
University of Nevada-RenoNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage289340
83.69
Georgia Southern UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage254236
83.53
University of California-RiversideCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage167212
83.43
Boise State UniversityIdahoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage389329
83.28
Middle Tennessee State UniversityTennesseeConference USAPublicAverage384372
82.98
East Carolina UniversityNorth CarolinaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage312325
82.82
Ohio UniversityOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage215174
82.81
Kennesaw State UniversityGeorgiaAtlantic Sun ConferencePublicAverage290291
81.89
Maryville University of Saint LouisMissouriGreat Lakes Valley ConferencePrivateAverage424426
79.69
College of CharlestonSouth CarolinaColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage219233
78.70
Saint Louis UniversityMissouriAtlantic 10 ConferencePrivateAboveAverage169165
78.69
Salisbury UniversityMarylandEmpire Eight / Capital Athleti...PublicAboveAverage243358
78.15
SUNY College at OswegoNew YorkState University of New York A...PublicAboveAverage361450
78.02
Western Washington UniversityWashingtonGreat Northwest Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage297338
77.92
University of San FranciscoCaliforniaWest Coast ConferencePrivateAboveAverage226241
77.54
CUNY Queens CollegeNew YorkEast Coast ConferencePublicAverage307400
77.49
University of LouisvilleKentuckyAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAverage258224


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

Missouri Valley Conference Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Missouri Valley Conference

Missouri Valley Conference Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Missouri Valley Conference
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
99.05
University of IdahoIdahoSun Belt Conference / Big Sky ...PublicAverage379216
97.34
City University of New York Ath Conf (Average)-City University of New York At...-Conf-Average-463
96.97
Wichita State UniversityKansasMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage382307
96.28
Great Lakes Valley Conference (Low)-Great Lakes Valley Conference-Conf-Average-319
96.07
Gulf South Conference (Average)-Gulf South Conference-Conf-Average-340
95.98
Big South Conference (Average)-Big South Conference-Conf-Average-392
95.96
New Jersey Athletic Conference (Average)-New Jersey Athletic Conference-Conf-Average-436
95.71
Southern Conference (Average)-Southern Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-361
93.81
Catholic University of AmericaWashington DCOld Dominion Athletic Conferen...PrivateAboveAverage381458
93.67
University of RedlandsCaliforniaSouthern California Intercoll ...PrivateAboveAverage380460
92.34
Empire Eight (Average)-Empire Eight-Conf-AboveAverage-460
91.81
Atlantic 10 Conference (Low)-Atlantic 10 Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-336
91.49
Transylvania UniversityKentuckyHeartland Collegiate Athletic ...PrivateAboveAverage378417
90.40
Seattle Pacific UniversityWashingtonGreat Northwest Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage383384
89.49
Birmingham Southern CollegeAlabamaSouthern Athletic AssociationPrivateAboveAverage376268
89.49
Simmons CollegeMassachusettsGreat Northeast Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage376452
88.25
Coe CollegeIowaIowa Intercollegiate Athletic ConfPrivateAboveAverage375340