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

Oakland University

2016 University Academic Rankings

Oakland University (OU) is a public university located in the cities of Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan. Situated on a 1,443-acre (5.84 km2) campus, it was co-founded by Matilda Dodge Wilson and John A. Hannah. It is the only major research university in Oakland County, from which the school derives its name, and it serves much of the Metro Detroit region. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has classified OU as a Doctoral Research University.

Oakland University was initially under the banner of Michigan State University as Michigan State University-Oakland, or MSU-O. It opened in 1959 with 570 students and three buildings. In 1963, it became known as Oakland University.

The university's athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are collectively known as the Golden Grizzlies. They are members of the Horizon League.

History | Beginnings

In 1908, John Francis Dodge and his wife Matilda purchased a farmhouse and 320 acres (130 ha) of land known as Meadow Brook Farms, located in central Oakland County. Matilda inherited John's fortune upon his death in 1920 and soon remarried to a lumber baron, Alfred G. Wilson. The couple then built Meadow Brook Hall on the land between 1926 and 1929.

Michigan State University-Oakland

Oakland University was created in 1957 when Matilda Dodge Wilson and her second husband, Alfred Wilson, donated their 1,443-acre (5.84 km2) estate to Michigan State University, including Meadow Brook Hall, Sunset Terrace and all the estate's other buildings and collections, along with $2 million. Main campus buildings were completed on Squirrel Road in Pontiac Township (now the city of Auburn Hills). Originally known as Michigan State University-Oakland, the university enrolled its first students in 1959 and was renamed Oakland University in 1963.

Oakland University

The university has been officially independent since 1970. Wilson asked U.S. Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield to let the university use a Rochester, Michigan mailing address (2200 N Squirrel Rd, Rochester, Michigan 48309), even though the main part of the campus was in Pontiac Township (now the city of Auburn Hills). After Wilson reminded him that she had contributed to his administration, Summerfield granted her request. Rochester is five miles (8.0 km) and two cities away from the main campus buildings.

In September 2009, tenured faculty members represented by the OU chapter of the AAUP went on strike. Issues of contention included the University claiming ownership of professors' copyrights and patents, refusing to allow faculty input into matters of class size and curricula, reduction of health benefits and a three-year salary freeze. The salary freeze was in contrast to OU president Gary Russi, who had just received a $100,000 raise. The University Board of Trustees maintained that the strike was illegal and filed a lawsuit against the Oakland AAUP. After a week's strike, the faculty and administration came to an agreement on a three-year contract, which was implemented.

In January 2012, 56-year-old student Joseph Corlett was suspended for a year from Oakland University after writing “Hot for Teacher" in his Advanced Critical Writing class. He referred to the course instructor as ‘stacked' and graphically compared her to a sitcom character he fetishized in a 33-page essay. On March 15, 2013, Joseph Corlett filed a $2.2 million federal lawsuit against Oakland University alleging violations of his 1st and 14th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution. The lawsuit was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Duggan.

During the 2012 Republican presidential primaries, Oakland University hosted a debate between Republ ... [more on wikipedia]

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

Oakland University Details

Oakland University Details
detail value
stateMichigan
conferenceHorizon League
publicPublic
scores1533/1022/23
levelAverage
rank[417
overall ROI rank[270
sizemedium
undergrads16935
grads3584
price35545
drop53
stem22
research16
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for Oakland University?

1. number 417 for Academics.

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

What universities are similar to Oakland University?

1. Northern Illinois University

2. East Carolina University

3. University of Nebraska at Omaha

4. University of Nevada-Reno

5. Sam Houston State University

6. University of Memphis

7. University of Toledo



National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

Oakland University National Academic Rankings

Oakland University National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Horizon League376234423
Mid West Region719193373837374153
State of Michigan132422657688
Top Ten Horizon League376234423


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

Oakland University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Oakland University

Oakland University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Oakland University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
99.41
Northern Illinois UniversityIllinoisMid American ConferencePublicAverage435289
98.41
East Carolina UniversityNorth CarolinaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage312325
98.14
University of Nebraska at OmahaNebraskaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage491364
93.30
University of Nevada-RenoNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage289340
93.29
Sam Houston State UniversityTexasSouthland ConferencePublicAverage472383
93.28
University of MemphisTennesseeAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage359314
93.00
University of ToledoOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage405285
92.94
Georgia Southern UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage254236
92.89
Illinois State UniversityIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage279222
92.88
CUNY Queens CollegeNew YorkEast Coast ConferencePublicAverage307400
92.82
Eastern Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicAverage445385
92.68
University of California-RiversideCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage167212
92.67
Towson UniversityMarylandColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAverage264365
92.64
Western Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicBelowAverage446320
92.51
Boise State UniversityIdahoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage389329
92.39
University of Akron Main CampusOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage331251
92.28
Old Dominion UniversityVirginiaConference USAPublicAverage356368
92.24
Middle Tennessee State UniversityTennesseeConference USAPublicAverage384372
92.22
Kansas State UniversityKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage249168
92.06
Oklahoma State UniversityOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage182124
92.02
University of Rhode IslandRhode IslandColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage270328
91.76
SUNY at AlbanyNew YorkColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage188218
91.51
Kent State University at KentOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage347358
91.44
North Dakota State UniversityNorth DakotaMissouri Valley Conference / T...PublicAverage261196
91.40
Washington State UniversityWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage189193
91.38
Wichita State UniversityKansasMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage382307
91.21
University of North DakotaNorth DakotaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage363266
86.54
Clemson UniversitySouth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage9851
86.51
Mississippi State UniversityMississippiSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage197130
86.47
Western Kentucky UniversityKentuckyConference USAPublicBelowAverage491433
86.41
University of California-Santa CruzCaliforniaDivision III IndependentsPublicAverage157208
86.33
California State University-ChicoCaliforniaCalifornia Collegiate Athletic...PublicAverage392409
86.28
University of LouisvilleKentuckyAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAverage258224
86.25
Montclair State UniversityNew JerseyNew Jersey Athletic ConferencePublicBelowAverage447463
86.13
University of Louisiana at LafayetteLouisianaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage350248
85.96
University of DelawareDelawareColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage107138
85.65
University of Nebraska-LincolnNebraskaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage11998
85.47
Auburn UniversityAlabamaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage13979
85.18
University of New MexicoNew MexicoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage265153
85.17
University of ArkansasArkansasSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage171119
85.05
University of New HampshireNew HampshireColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage221225
85.01
Indiana University-Purdue University-IndianapolisIndianaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage427342
85.00
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
84.98
University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeWisconsinHorizon LeaguePublicBelowAverage420367
84.87
Saint Louis UniversityMissouriAtlantic 10 ConferencePrivateAboveAverage169165
84.79
Ohio UniversityOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage215174
84.79
Kennesaw State UniversityGeorgiaAtlantic Sun ConferencePublicAverage290291
84.74
University of Nevada-Las VegasNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicBelowAverage421449
84.73
Rowan UniversityNew JerseyNew Jersey Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage306392
84.65
Utah State UniversityUtahMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage165120


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

Oakland University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Oakland University

Oakland University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Oakland University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
94.78
Wayne State UniversityMichiganGreat Lakes Intercollegiate At...PublicAverage414286
92.45
University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeWisconsinHorizon LeaguePublicBelowAverage420367
92.05
University of Nevada-Las VegasNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicBelowAverage421449
91.09
Madonna UniversityMichiganWolverine - Hoosier Athletic ConfPrivateAboveAverage418377
91.09
Saint Edward's UniversityTexasHeartland ConferencePrivateAboveAverage418480
90.37
University of Detroit MercyMichiganHorizon LeaguePrivateAboveAverage415313
89.57
Millsaps CollegeMississippiSouthern Athletic AssociationPrivateAboveAverage416473