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

San Jose State University

2016 University Academic Rankings
San José State University (commonly referred to as San Jose State or SJSU) is a comprehensive public university located in San Jose, California, United States. It is the founding school of the 23 campus California State University (CSU) system, and holds the distinction of being the oldest public institution of higher education on the West Coast of the United States.

Located in downtown San Jose, the SJSU main campus is situated on 154 acres (62 ha), or roughly 19 square blocks. SJSU offers 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations and five credential programs with 19 concentrations. The university also offers three joint doctoral degree programs and one independent doctoral program as of 2014. SJSU is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

SJSU's total enrollment was 32,773 in fall 2015, including nearly 6,000 graduate students. As of fall 2015, graduate student enrollment at SJSU was the highest of any campus in the CSU system. SJSU's student population is one of the most ethnically diverse in the nation, with large Asian and Hispanic enrollments, as well as the highest foreign student enrollment of all master's institutions in the United States.

As of fall 2014, the top five most popular undergraduate majors at SJSU were (in descending order of popularity): psychology, accounting, marketing, business management and biological sciences. As of fall 2014, the top five most popular graduate programs were (in descending order of popularity): software engineering, electrical engineering, library and information sciences, social work and occupational therapy.

More San José State University alumni are hired by Silicon Valley firms than graduates of any other college or university, and philanthropic support of SJSU is among the highest in the CSU system. SJSU sports teams are known as the Spartans, and compete in the Mountain West Conference (MWC) in NCAA Division I.

History | Establishment

What is now San José State University was originally established in 1857 as the Minns Evening Normal School in San Francisco, founded by George W. Minns.

In 1862, by act of the California legislature, Minns Evening Normal School became the California State Normal School and graduated 54 women from a three-year program.

The school eventually moved to San Jose in 1871, and was given Washington Square Park at Fourth and San Carlos Streets, where the campus remains to this day.

In 1881, a large bell was forged to commemorate the school. The bell was inscribed with the words "California State Normal School, A.D. 1881," and would sound on special occasions until 1946 when the college obtained new chimes. The original bell appears on the SJSU campus to this day, and is still associated with various student traditions and rituals.

In August 1882, a southern branch campus of the California State Normal School opened in Los Angeles, which later became the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The southern branch campus would remain under administrative control of the San Jose campus until 1919, when by act of the California state legislature the campus became the second campus of the University of California and was renamed the Southern Branch of the University of California.

In 1921, the California State Normal School changed its name to the State Teachers College at San Jose. In 1935, the State Teachers Colleges became the California State Colleges, and the school's name was changed again, this time to San Jose State College. In 1972, upon meeting criteria established by the Board of Trustees and the Coordinating Council for Higher Education, SJSC was granted university status, and the name was changed to Cali ... [more on wikipedia]

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

San Jose State University Details

San Jose State University Details
detail value
stateCalifornia
conferenceMountain West Conference
publicPublic
scores1525/1017/23
levelAverage
rank[386
overall ROI rank[389
sizelarge
undergrads26664
grads6049
price36413
drop43
stem35
research0
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for San Jose State University?

1. number 386 for Academics.

2. number 389 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to San Jose State University?

1. Florida Atlantic University

2. Texas Tech University

3. The University of Texas at San Antonio

4. Oregon State University

5. Washington State University

6. West Virginia University

7. Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

San Jose State University National Academic Rankings

San Jose State University National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Mountain West Conference101010669978
West Coast Region527573252528262636
State of California354947222120181521
Top Ten Mountain West Conference101010668879


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

San Jose State University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to San Jose State University

San Jose State University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to San Jose State University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
93.04
Florida Atlantic UniversityFloridaConference USAPublicAverage305303
92.88
Texas Tech UniversityTexasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage176104
92.74
The University of Texas at San AntonioTexasConference USAPublicAverage330180
92.64
Oregon State UniversityOregonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage152202
92.63
Washington State UniversityWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage189193
92.31
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
92.30
Indiana University-Purdue University-IndianapolisIndianaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage427342
92.28
California State University-Long BeachCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage318387
92.22
University of North Carolina at CharlotteNorth CarolinaDivision I-AA Independents / C...PublicAverage292207
92.12
University of New MexicoNew MexicoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage265153
91.91
Oklahoma State UniversityOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage182124
91.75
Kansas State UniversityKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage249168
91.59
University of Akron Main CampusOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage331251
86.64
University of Colorado BoulderColoradoPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage7959
86.45
University of California-DavisCaliforniaBig Sky Conference / Big West ...PublicAboveAverage58142
86.39
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeLouisianaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage14888
86.15
Iowa State UniversityIowaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage12971
86.12
University of California-IrvineCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAboveAverage108162
85.98
University of UtahUtahPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage14286
85.92
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginiaAtlantic 10 ConferencePublicAboveAverage178207
85.90
Colorado State University-Fort CollinsColoradoMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage143139
85.67
University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeWisconsinHorizon LeaguePublicBelowAverage420367
85.39
University of ArizonaArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage12486
85.38
University of HoustonTexasAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage8960
85.25
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage13754
85.16
Auburn UniversityAlabamaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage13979
84.99
California State University-NorthridgeCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicBelowAverage459474
84.83
Boise State UniversityIdahoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage389329
84.72
Western Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicBelowAverage446320
84.70
University of California-RiversideCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage167212
84.58
Michigan State UniversityMichiganBig Ten ConferencePublicAverage11174
84.33
Florida International UniversityFloridaConference USAPublicAverage163170
84.02
University of ToledoOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage405285
83.99
University of LouisvilleKentuckyAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAverage258224
83.86
Northern Illinois UniversityIllinoisMid American ConferencePublicAverage435289
83.53
University of Hawaii at ManoaHawaiiMountain West Conference / Big...PublicAverage204245
83.37
Southern Illinois University-CarbondaleIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage368278
82.96
Cleveland State UniversityOhioHorizon LeaguePublicAverage440299
79.98
California State University-SacramentoCaliforniaBig Sky ConferencePublicBelowAverage453472
79.21
Purdue UniversityIndianaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage5720
79.06
University of South FloridaFloridaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage94113
78.48
Rutgers University-New BrunswickNew JerseyBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage56115
78.30
University at BuffaloNew YorkMid American ConferencePublicAboveAverage124190
78.29
The University of Texas at El PasoTexasConference USAPublicBelowAverage499294
77.78
Arizona State University-TempeArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage10182
77.72
Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvaniaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage5384
77.65
Clemson UniversitySouth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage9851
77.54
University of Nevada-RenoNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage289340
77.35
California State University-ChicoCaliforniaCalifornia Collegiate Athletic...PublicAverage392409
76.86
CUNY Brooklyn CollegeNew YorkCity University of New York At...PublicAverage296394


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

San Jose State University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to San Jose State University

San Jose State University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to San Jose State University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
97.35
Middle Tennessee State UniversityTennesseeConference USAPublicAverage384372
95.39
Boise State UniversityIdahoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage389329
95.03
Conference USA (Low)-Conference USA-Conf-Average-272
94.33
New Jersey Athletic Conference (Average)-New Jersey Athletic Conference-Conf-Average-436
91.34
Wichita State UniversityKansasMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage382307
89.87
Empire Eight (Average)-Empire Eight-Conf-AboveAverage-460
88.44
Messiah CollegePennsylvaniaMiddle Atlantic States Athleti...PrivateAboveAverage387436
87.15
Wagner CollegeNew YorkNortheast ConferencePrivateAboveAverage385412
87.00
William Jewell CollegeMissouriGreat Lakes Valley ConferencePrivateAboveAverage387344
86.97
Seattle Pacific UniversityWashingtonGreat Northwest Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage383384
84.15
Berry CollegeGeorgiaSouthern Athletic AssociationPrivateAboveAverage390412