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

Saint Mary's College of California

2016 University Academic Rankings
Saint Mary's College of California is a private, coeducational college located in Moraga, California, United States, a small suburban community about 10 miles (16 km) east of Oakland and 20 miles (32 km) east of San Francisco. It has a 420-acre (1.7 km2) campus in the Moraga hills. It is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church and administered by the De La Salle Christian Brothers. The college was ranked #9 in the U.S. News & World Report's 'Regional Universities' (West) rankings for 2015.

History

St. Mary's College began in 1863 as a diocesan college for boys established by the Most Rev. Joseph Alemany of the OP, the first archbishop of the See of San Francisco. Unhappy with the archdiocese's operation of the college, Archbishop Alemany applied for assistance from Rome and in 1868 St. Mary's College was handed over to the De La Salle Christian Brothers.

In 1889, the college moved east across San Francisco Bay to Oakland, California. The location on the corner of 30th and Broadway became affectionately known as "The Brickpile" and Saint Mary's College would call Oakland home until 1928, when it moved further eastward to Moraga after a fire severely damaged the Brickpile. The Oakland site is California Historical Landmark #676 and is marked by a commemorative plaque. The former San Francisco site is now the site of the St. Mary's Park neighborhood.

During its first years in Moraga, the college nearly went bankrupt, but eventually managed to gain financial security when it was bought by Archbishop John Joseph Mitty, for whom a residence hall is now named. During World War II the college was used by the United States Navy for the training of pilots. Gerald Ford was briefly stationed at the school and served as a naval instructor. The navy erected many buildings, including the world's largest indoor pool, but only one, Assumption Hall, remains on the campus as the school had little use for most of the buildings after the war. Saint Mary's continued to be a male-only school until 1970, when it became coeducational. Since then, more women have come to the college and by 2011, 62% of the students were women.

There are still roughly two dozen Christian Brothers living and working at the school, and the school presidents had always been Brothers until 2013. Recognizing the dwindling number of Christian Brothers, in 2003 the college's bylaws were changed to allow the election of a non-Christian Brother to the presidency if no qualified Brother exists or steps forward. James A. Donahue, a committed and engaged Roman Catholic, became the first nonreligious to serve as president in the 150-year history of Saint Mary's on July 1, 2013.

Academics

There are four schools at Saint Mary's: the School of Liberal Arts, the School of Science, the School of Economics and Business Administration, and the Kalmanovitz School of Education. Saint Mary's College is a liberal arts institution, and the majority of undergraduate students are in the School of Liberal Arts. However, the most popular major is Business Administration. This is followed by Psychology, Communication, Kinesiology, and Accounting.

The average class size is 19, with a student faculty ratio of 13:1. 91% of classes are taught by full-time faculty, of which 95% hold the highest degree in their fields. There are 40 academic majors, with an option to create your own major. Most Saint Mary's faculty are required to teach six courses per year (three per semester).

The School of Science has in the past few years grown as a result of a new science building, Brousseau Hall, which has made the college more appealing to students wishing to major in the life sciences.

Collegiate seminar

In addition to these general education courses, students must take four Collegiate Seminar or Great Books courses. Although based ... [more on wikipedia]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Saint Mary's College of California", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0

Saint Mary's College of California Details

Saint Mary's College of California Details
detail value
stateCalifornia
conferenceWest Coast Conference
publicPrivate
scores1670/1113/25
levelAboveAverage
rank[461
overall ROI rank[440
sizesmall
undergrads2961
grads1151
price59327
drop37
stem7
research0
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for Saint Mary's College of California?

1. number 461 for Academics.

2. number 440 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to Saint Mary's College of California?

1. Stetson University

2. Loyola University New Orleans

3. Samford University

4. University of Northwestern-St Paul

5. Bellarmine University

6. Bentley University

7. Biola University


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

Saint Mary's College of California National Academic Rankings

Saint Mary's College of California National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
West Coast Conference10101010106657
West Coast Region554061686828263039
State of California383040504920181726
Top Ten West Coast Conference10101010106657


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

Saint Mary's College of California Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Saint Mary's College of California

Saint Mary's College of California Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Saint Mary's College of California
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
93.06
Stetson UniversityFloridaPioneer Football League / Atla...PrivateAboveAverage344395
92.96
Loyola University New OrleansLouisianaSouthern States Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage411391
86.47
Samford UniversityAlabamaSouthern ConferencePrivateAboveAverage431272
86.13
University of Northwestern-St PaulMinnesotaUpper Midwest Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage412246
85.82
Bellarmine UniversityKentuckyGreat Lakes Valley ConferencePrivateAverage495365
84.63
Bentley UniversityMassachusettsNortheast 10 ConferencePrivateGood232199
84.51
Biola UniversityCaliforniaGolden State Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage397467
84.40
Harding UniversityArkansasGreat American ConferencePrivateAboveAverage395316
83.38
Belmont UniversityTennesseeOhio Valley ConferencePrivateAboveAverage246291
83.33
Georgia College and State UniversityGeorgiaPeach Belt ConferencePublicAboveAverage334352
82.28
Texas Christian UniversityTexasBig Twelve ConferencePrivateAboveAverage214181
81.03
James Madison UniversityVirginiaColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage196170
79.65
Champlain CollegeVermontNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAboveAverage475497
79.26
Skidmore CollegeNew YorkUpstate Collegiate Athletic As...PrivateGood210220
79.05
Pepperdine UniversityCaliforniaWest Coast ConferencePrivateGood212231
78.06
Benedictine CollegeKansasHeart of America Athletic Conf...PrivateAboveAverage473490
78.02
High Point UniversityNorth CarolinaBig South ConferencePrivateAverage448438
77.61
Xavier UniversityOhioBig East ConferencePrivateAboveAverage436336
76.91
Saint Joseph's UniversityPennsylvaniaAtlantic 10 ConferencePrivateAboveAverage398372
76.73
Seton Hall UniversityNew JerseyBig East ConferencePrivateAboveAverage365390
74.55
Appalachian State UniversityNorth CarolinaSun Belt ConferencePublicAboveAverage230228
73.88
Indiana University-BloomingtonIndianaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage10292
73.23
Madonna UniversityMichiganWolverine - Hoosier Athletic ConfPrivateAboveAverage418377
73.16
Lipscomb UniversityTennesseeAtlantic Sun ConferencePrivateAboveAverage303255
73.15
Bethel UniversityMinnesotaMinnesota Intercollegiate Ath ConfPrivateAboveAverage423428
73.09
Ohio Northern UniversityOhioOhio Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage332170
72.99
California Lutheran UniversityCaliforniaSouthern California Intercoll ...PrivateAboveAverage481488
72.97
Lawrence Technological UniversityMichiganWolverine - Hoosier Athletic ConfPrivateAboveAverage319146
72.71
Seattle Pacific UniversityWashingtonGreat Northwest Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage383384
72.69
Pratt Institute-MainNew YorkNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAboveAverage396460
72.53
Drake UniversityIowaPioneer Football League / Miss...PrivateAboveAverage263136
72.45
Point Loma Nazarene UniversityCaliforniaPacific West ConferencePrivateAboveAverage357440
71.89
University of RedlandsCaliforniaSouthern California Intercoll ...PrivateAboveAverage380460
71.60
University of ScrantonPennsylvaniaLandmark ConferencePrivateAboveAverage399368
71.53
Butler UniversityIndianaPioneer Football League / Big ...PrivateAboveAverage349204
70.08
Elon UniversityNorth CarolinaColonial Athletic AssociationPrivateGood200178
69.81
Chapman UniversityCaliforniaSouthern California Intercoll ...PrivateGood208242
69.79
SUNY College at CortlandNew YorkNew Jersey Athletic Conference...PublicAverage479490
69.68
Quinnipiac UniversityConnecticutMetro Atlantic Athletic ConferencePrivateAverage353433
69.23
American UniversityWashington DCPatriot LeaguePrivateGood113180
69.15
Covenant CollegeGeorgiaUSA South Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage322432
68.95
Fordham UniversityNew YorkPatriot League / Atlantic 10 C...PrivateGood109167
68.16
Eureka CollegeIllinoisUpper Midwest Athletic Confere...PrivateAboveAverage316427


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

Saint Mary's College of California Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Saint Mary's College of California

Saint Mary's College of California Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Saint Mary's College of California
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
98.46
Old Dominion Athletic Conference (Average)-Old Dominion Athletic Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-485
98.09
Siena CollegeNew YorkMetro Atlantic Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage462479
96.54
Capital Athletic Conference (Average)-Capital Athletic Conference-Conf-Average-481
96.09
The King’s CollegeNew YorkNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAboveAverage462496
95.79
Webster UniversityMissouriSt.Louis Intercollegiate Ath ConfPrivateAboveAverage458421
95.27
Manhattan CollegeNew YorkMetro Atlantic Athletic ConferencePrivateAverage460378
94.33
Houghton CollegeNew YorkEmpire EightPrivateAverage465489
93.64
Gulf South Conference (Average)-Gulf South Conference-Conf-Average-340
92.27
SUNY College of Technology at AlfredNew YorkDivision III IndependentsPublicAverage457467
90.63
University of Minnesota-DuluthMinnesotaNorthern Sun Intercollegiate C...PublicAverage464346
76.55
California State University-NorthridgeCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicBelowAverage459474