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

Pacific - 12 Conference (Average)

2016 University Academic Rankings

The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that operates in the Western United States. It participates in 22 NCAA sports in the NCAA's Division I; its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division I-A), the higher of two levels of NCAA Division I football competition. The conference's 12 members are located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. They include each state's flagship public university, four additional public universities, and two private research universities. The conference was created after the disbanding of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), whose principal members founded the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) in 1959, and went by the names Big Five, Big Six, Pacific-8, Pacific-10. It became the Pac-12 in 2011 with the addition of the University of Colorado and the University of Utah.

Nicknamed the "Conference of Champions," the Pac-12 has won more NCAA National Team Championships than any other conference in history; the three schools with the most NCAA team championships belong to the Pac-12 (UCLA, Stanford, and USC, in that order). With Arizona State's softball title in 2011, the conference won its 400th NCAA Championship.

The current commissioner of the conference is Larry Scott; Scott replaced Thomas C. Hansen, who retired in July 2009 after 26 years in that position. Prior to joining the Pac-10, Scott was Chairman and CEO of the Women's Tennis Association.

Member schools | Full members

The Pac-12 has twelve full member institutions. Football currently is the only sport where the conference is divided evenly into two geographic divisions, the North Division and the South Division. The Pac-12 spans six states in the Western United States: Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

Unusual for a major conference, the Pac-12's members are spread evenly between 3 regions, with 4 schools each in California, the Pacific Northwest, and the Four Corners region.

Affiliate members

Cal State Bakersfield initially announced it would become a men's soccer affiliate starting in 2013, but never went through with those plans, accepting an invitation to become an all-sports member of the Western Athletic Conference, which sponsors men's soccer, also in 2013. The school will maintain its Pac-12 affiliation in wrestling, which the WAC does not sponsor.

Former members | Former affiliate members | Facilities | Key personnel | Academics

Eight of the twelve member schools are members of the Association of American Universities (AAU), including all of the conference's California schools. The only FBS conference with more AAU members is the Big Ten with 13 out of 14 member institutions having AAU membership.

Additionally, these member schools are also highly ranked nationally and globally by various groups, including the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and Times Higher Education World University Rankings (Times). As of 2014, four Pac-12 institutions are ranked in the top 20 universities in the world, the most out of all conferences outside the Ivy League with Stanford ranked 2nd, UC Berkeley ranked 4th (the highest ranking of any public university), UCLA ranked 12th, and the University of Washington ranked at 15th. In 2014, of the twelve member schools, nine were ranked in the top 100 universities in the world.

Schools ranked by revenue

Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights/licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, food and novelties. Total expenses includes coaching/staff, scholarships, buildings/ground, maintenance, utilities and rental fees and all other costs including recruiting, team travel, equipment and unif ... [more on wikipedia]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pacific - 12 Conference (Average)", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0

Pacific - 12 Conference Details

Pacific - 12 Conference Details
detail value
state-
conferencePacific 12 Conference
public-Conf-
scores1901/1268/29
levelExcellent
rank[-
overall ROI rank[32
sizelarge
undergrads25451
grads11783
price52465
drop18
stem33
research676
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for Pacific - 12 Conference (Average)?

1. number - for Academics.

2. number 32 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to Pacific - 12 Conference (Average)?

1. University of Maryland-College Park

2. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

3. University of California-Los Angeles

4. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

5. University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

6. University of Washington-Seattle Campus

7. University of Wisconsin-Madison



National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

Pacific - 12 Conference National Academic Rankings

Pacific - 12 Conference National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Top250-10068393539286932
Conferences6171265541410
Pacific - 12 Conference-54555633
Top Ten Top250-10068393539286932
Top Ten Conferences6109655387
Top Ten Pacific - 12 Conference-54555633


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

Pacific - 12 Conference Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Pacific - 12 Conference

Pacific - 12 Conference Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Pacific - 12 Conference
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
99.60
University of Maryland-College ParkMarylandBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3460
99.31
University of Michigan-Ann ArborMichiganBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent1716
99.06
University of California-Los AngelesCaliforniaPacific 12 ConferencePublicExcellent2984
98.48
University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignIllinoisBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent2417
98.27
University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesMinnesotaBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3022
92.20
University of Washington-Seattle CampusWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicGood5566
92.19
University of Wisconsin-MadisonWisconsinBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3325
91.84
University of FloridaFloridaSoutheastern ConferencePublicGood4338
86.35
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVirginiaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicGood7540
84.91
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusPennsylvaniaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicGood5075
84.82
University of ConnecticutConnecticutBig East ConferencePublicGood87139
84.32
University of VirginiaVirginiaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicExcellent3227
84.29
The University of Texas at AustinTexasBig Twelve ConferencePublicGood3851
83.79
Ohio State UniversityOhioBig Ten ConferencePublicGood4043
83.02
University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaIvy LeaguePrivateElite127
82.93
University of MiamiFloridaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateExcellent4493
82.37
Northwestern UniversityIllinoisBig Ten ConferencePrivateElite1113
81.64
University of RochesterNew YorkUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateExcellent3993
79.59
University of California-BerkeleyCaliforniaPacific 12 ConferencePublicExcellent1826
79.58
Brigham Young University-ProvoUtahOther / West Coast ConferencePrivateGood7227
78.37
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCaliforniaBig Sky Conference / Big West ...PublicGood9688
78.14
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillNorth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicExcellent3764
77.65
Stony Brook UniversityNew YorkColonial Athletic Association ...PublicGood62109
77.08
The University of Texas at DallasTexasAmerican Southwest ConferencePublicGood7055
76.85
SUNY at BinghamtonNew YorkAmerica EastPublicExcellent65125
75.46
Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew YorkIvy LeaguePrivateElite742
75.20
Villanova UniversityPennsylvaniaColonial Athletic Association ...PrivateExcellent9968
75.17
Stanford UniversityCaliforniaPacific 12 ConferencePrivateElite917
75.07
Duke UniversityNorth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateElite133
75.00
Johns Hopkins UniversityMarylandCentennial ConferencePrivateElite1647
74.79
SUNY College at GeneseoNew YorkState University of New York A...PublicExcellent111184
74.66
Lehigh UniversityPennsylvaniaPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent6932
74.36
Rice UniversityTexasConference USAPrivateElite204
74.27
Bucknell UniversityPennsylvaniaPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent13193
74.13
St Olaf CollegeMinnesotaMinnesota Intercollegiate Ath ConfPrivateExcellent144127
73.99
Lafayette CollegePennsylvaniaPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent165106
73.92
Union CollegeKentuckyMid - South Conference / Appal...PrivateBelowAverage162178
73.82
Colby CollegeMaineNew England Small College Ath ConfPrivateExcellent132155
73.79
Grinnell CollegeIowaMidwest ConferencePrivateExcellent114123
73.73
Whitman CollegeWashingtonNorthwest ConferencePrivateExcellent153154
73.69
Reed CollegeOregonNo Conference AffiliationPrivateExcellent106144
72.28
Purdue UniversityIndianaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage5720
71.81
University of ArizonaArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage12486
71.39
Boston UniversityMassachusettsPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent45116
70.41
Cornell UniversityNew YorkIvy LeaguePrivateElite1539
70.21
Northeastern UniversityMassachusettsColonial Athletic AssociationPrivateElite40109
69.37
Harvard UniversityMassachusettsIvy LeaguePrivateElite210
68.88
University of Notre DameIndianaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateElite3112
68.61
Washington University in St LouisMissouriUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateElite86
68.46
Vanderbilt UniversityTennesseeSoutheastern ConferencePrivateElite148


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

Pacific - 12 Conference Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Pacific - 12 Conference

Pacific - 12 Conference Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Pacific - 12 Conference
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
97.96
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillNorth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicExcellent3764
97.49
The University of Texas at AustinTexasBig Twelve ConferencePublicGood3851
96.97
Colonial Athletic Association (Average)-Colonial Athletic Association-Conf-Excellent-112
95.34
Ohio State UniversityOhioBig Ten ConferencePublicGood4043
95.30
Big Ten Conference (Average)-Big Ten Conference-Conf-Excellent-22
94.81
Southeastern Conference (Average)-Southeastern Conference-Conf-Good-53
94.28
University of RochesterNew YorkUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateExcellent3993
94.09
University of Maryland-College ParkMarylandBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3460
93.61
University Athletic Association (Low)-University Athletic Association-Conf-Excellent-32
92.04
Emory UniversityGeorgiaUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateExcellent3629
91.04
Big Ten Conference (Low)-Big Ten Conference-Conf-Good-51
90.83
Atlantic Coast Conference (Average)-Atlantic Coast Conference-Conf-Excellent-21
90.38
Ivy League (Low)-Ivy League-Conf-Elite-21
90.20
New York UniversityNew YorkUniversity Athletic AssociationPrivateExcellent35101
89.44
Northeastern UniversityMassachusettsColonial Athletic AssociationPrivateElite40109
87.94
University Athletic Association (Average)-University Athletic Association-Conf-Elite-21
87.89
Georgetown UniversityWashington DCPatriot League / Big East Conf...PrivateElite4288