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

No Conference Affiliation (Average)

2016 University Academic Rankings

The 1998 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Navy competed as an independent with no conference affiliation. The team was led by fourth-year head coach Charlie Weatherbie.

Schedule | References

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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "No Conference Affiliation (Average)", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0

No Conference Affiliation Details

No Conference Affiliation Details
detail value
state-
conferenceNo Conference Affiliation
public-Conf-
scores2006/1337/30
levelExcellent
rank[-
overall ROI rank[180
sizetiny
undergrads761
grads97
price53631
drop18
stem34
research0
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for No Conference Affiliation (Average)?

1. number - for Academics.

2. number 180 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to No Conference Affiliation (Average)?

1. Earlham College

2. SUNY College at Geneseo

3. Reed College

4. Whitman College

5. Grinnell College

6. Colby College

7. Union College



National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

No Conference Affiliation National Academic Rankings

No Conference Affiliation National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Top250-5941219176153159201180
Conferences3476653858826751
Top Ten Top250-5941219176153159201180


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

No Conference Affiliation Peer Universities, Similar Universities to No Conference Affiliation

No Conference Affiliation Peer Universities, Similar Universities to No Conference Affiliation
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
85.11
Earlham CollegeIndianaHeartland Collegiate Athletic ...PrivateGood235249
80.91
SUNY College at GeneseoNew YorkState University of New York A...PublicExcellent111184
77.03
Reed CollegeOregonNo Conference AffiliationPrivateExcellent106144
76.72
Whitman CollegeWashingtonNorthwest ConferencePrivateExcellent153154
76.26
Grinnell CollegeIowaMidwest ConferencePrivateExcellent114123
76.08
Colby CollegeMaineNew England Small College Ath ConfPrivateExcellent132155
75.60
Union CollegeKentuckyMid - South Conference / Appal...PrivateBelowAverage162178
75.36
Lafayette CollegePennsylvaniaPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent165106
75.01
St Olaf CollegeMinnesotaMinnesota Intercollegiate Ath ConfPrivateExcellent144127
74.76
Bucknell UniversityPennsylvaniaPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent13193
74.37
Case Western Reserve UniversityOhioPresidents' Athletic Conferenc...PrivateExcellent2814
74.34
Lehigh UniversityPennsylvaniaPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent6932
74.14
University of RochesterNew YorkUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateExcellent3993
74.05
Villanova UniversityPennsylvaniaColonial Athletic Association ...PrivateExcellent9968
73.79
University of MiamiFloridaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateExcellent4493
73.71
SUNY at BinghamtonNew YorkAmerica EastPublicExcellent65125
73.64
University of VirginiaVirginiaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicExcellent3227
73.54
University of California-San DiegoCaliforniaDivision II IndependentsPublicExcellent2670
73.52
University of Maryland-College ParkMarylandBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3460
73.51
University of Michigan-Ann ArborMichiganBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent1716
73.50
University of California-Los AngelesCaliforniaPacific 12 ConferencePublicExcellent2984
73.50
University of Wisconsin-MadisonWisconsinBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3325
73.49
University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignIllinoisBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent2417
73.48
University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesMinnesotaBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3022
72.35
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and ArtNew YorkNo Conference AffiliationPrivateExcellent10969
70.92
Haverford CollegePennsylvaniaCentennial ConferencePrivateElite97182
69.96
Swarthmore CollegePennsylvaniaCentennial ConferencePrivateElite6748
69.67
St Mary's College of MarylandMarylandCapital Athletic ConferencePublicGood275409
69.13
Carleton CollegeMinnesotaMidwest ConferencePrivateElite8443
69.12
Williams CollegeMassachusettsNew England Small College Ath ConfPrivateElite58161
68.13
University of TulsaOklahomaAmerican Athletic ConferencePrivateGood13975
67.96
Rice UniversityTexasConference USAPrivateElite204
67.65
Tufts UniversityMassachusettsNew England Small College Ath ConfPrivateElite2334
67.61
Princeton UniversityNew JerseyIvy LeaguePrivateElite411
67.46
Johns Hopkins UniversityMarylandCentennial ConferencePrivateElite1647
67.43
Duke UniversityNorth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateElite133
67.41
Vanderbilt UniversityTennesseeSoutheastern ConferencePrivateElite148
67.35
Washington University in St LouisMissouriUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateElite86
67.29
Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew YorkIvy LeaguePrivateElite742
67.27
University of Notre DameIndianaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateElite3112
67.23
Northwestern UniversityIllinoisBig Ten ConferencePrivateElite1113
67.16
Harvard UniversityMassachusettsIvy LeaguePrivateElite210
67.04
Northeastern UniversityMassachusettsColonial Athletic AssociationPrivateElite40109
67.02
Cornell UniversityNew YorkIvy LeaguePrivateElite1539
67.02
The University of Texas at DallasTexasAmerican Southwest ConferencePublicGood7055
66.97
Stony Brook UniversityNew YorkColonial Athletic Association ...PublicGood62109
66.94
University of ConnecticutConnecticutBig East ConferencePublicGood87139
66.94
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusPennsylvaniaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicGood5075
66.93
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCaliforniaBig Sky Conference / Big West ...PublicGood9688
66.88
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVirginiaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicGood7540


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

No Conference Affiliation Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to No Conference Affiliation

No Conference Affiliation Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to No Conference Affiliation
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
98.93
Macalester CollegeMinnesotaMinnesota Intercollegiate Ath ConfPrivateExcellent133146
97.76
Colby CollegeMaineNew England Small College Ath ConfPrivateExcellent132155
95.88
Wheaton CollegeIllinoisCollege Conference of Illinois...PrivateExcellent149114
95.36
Bucknell UniversityPennsylvaniaPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent13193
93.61
University of RichmondVirginiaColonial Athletic Association ...PrivateExcellent128150
92.43
Division I Independents (Average)-Division I Independents-Conf-Excellent-59
90.80
The College of New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey Athletic ConferencePublicGood164193
89.98
Patriot League (Low)-Patriot League-Conf-Good-84
87.48
Baylor UniversityTexasBig Twelve ConferencePrivateGood134128
87.18
Atlantic 10 Conference (Average)-Atlantic 10 Conference-Conf-Good-158
86.98
New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (Low)-New England Women's & Men's At...-Conf-Good-161
84.44
University of Maryland-Baltimore CountyMarylandAmerica EastPublicAboveAverage130174
84.07
CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew YorkCity University of New York At...PublicAboveAverage135182
82.81
Saint Louis UniversityMissouriAtlantic 10 ConferencePrivateAboveAverage169165
81.49
University of VermontVermontAmerica EastPublicAboveAverage136191
80.72
Big Twelve Conference (Average)-Big Twelve Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-106
79.75
America East (Average)-America East-Conf-AboveAverage-202
79.19
Colonial Athletic Association (Low)-Colonial Athletic Association-Conf-AboveAverage-214
78.74
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeLouisianaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage14888
78.49
George Mason UniversityVirginiaAtlantic 10 ConferencePublicAboveAverage156143
77.31
American Athletic Conference (Low)-American Athletic Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-162
76.89
Conference USA (Average)-Conference USA-Conf-AboveAverage-148
76.51
Missouri Valley Conference (Average)-Missouri Valley Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-202
76.03
Iowa State UniversityIowaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage12971
74.98
University of UtahUtahPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage14286
73.98
Pacific - 12 Conference (Low)-Pacific 12 Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-115
73.37
Mid - American Conference (Average)-Mid American Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-185
71.71
Oregon State UniversityOregonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage152202