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

Southeastern Conference (Average)

2016 University Academic Rankings
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the Southern part of the United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ten states, three additional public land grant universities, and one private research university. The conference is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The SEC participates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I in sports competitions; for football, it is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A. Regarded as one of the most accomplished sports conferences in terms of its winning reputation, the SEC is also highly successful financially. The conference consistently leads most others in revenue distribution to its members, including an SEC record $455.8 million for the 2014-15 fiscal year, which was a sizable increase over the $292.8 million for the 2013-14 fiscal year, largely due to the revenue from the introduction of the SEC Network.

The SEC was also the first NCAA Division I conference to hold a championship game (and award a subsequent title) for college football and was one of the founding members of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). The current SEC commissioner is Greg Sankey. The conference sponsors team championships in nine men's sports and twelve women's sports.

Member universities | Current members

The SEC consists of 14 member institutions located within the borders of 11 contiguous states. Listed in alphabetical order, these 11 states within the SEC's geographical footprint are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. The geographic domain of the conference is predominantly within the Southeastern and Southern United States (with the notable exception of the border states of Kentucky and Missouri), and stretches from Texas in the west to South Carolina in the east and from Missouri in the north to Florida in the south.

The SEC is divided into East and West Divisions although the divisional labels are misnomers given Missouri's East Division alignment while being located in the west geographically, and Auburn's West Division alignment despite being located considerably further east than Missouri and Vanderbilt. These divisional groupings are applied exclusively to football and baseball as well as their scheduling and standings.

^ As of the 2015-16 school year, almost all women's teams are known as "Volunteers"; with the only team retaining the former "Lady Volunteers" nickname being the basketball team.

Former members | History

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Founding and former members

The SEC was established on December 8 and 9, 1932, when the thirteen members of the Southern Conference located west and south of the Appalachian Mountains left to form their own conference. Ten of the thirteen founding members have remained in the conference since its inception: the University of Alabama, Auburn University, the University of Florida, the University of Georgia, the University of Kentucky, Louisiana State University ("LSU"), the University of Mississippi ("Ole Miss"), Mississippi State University, the University of Tennessee, and Vanderbilt University.

The University of the South ("Sewanee") left the SEC on December 13, 1940, and later de-emphasized varsity sports. It is currently a member of the Division III Southern Athletic Association.

Georgia Institute of Technology ("Georgia Tech") left the SEC in 1964. In 1975, it became a founding member of the Metro Conf ... [more on wikipedia]

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

Southeastern Conference Details

Southeastern Conference Details
detail value
state-
conferenceSoutheastern Conference
public-Conf-
scores1837/1225/28
levelGood
rank[-
overall ROI rank[53
sizelarge
undergrads26057
grads9402
price45325
drop23
stem24
research391
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for Southeastern Conference (Average)?

1. number - for Academics.

2. number 53 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to Southeastern Conference (Average)?

1. University of Georgia

2. University of Iowa

3. University of Connecticut

4. University of Missouri-Columbia

5. University of Utah

6. Virginia Commonwealth University

7. Colorado State University-Fort Collins


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

Southeastern Conference National Academic Rankings

Southeastern Conference National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Top250-135124524794598853
Conferences723198710111911
Southeastern Conference-434456106
Top Ten Top250-135124524794598853
Top Ten Southeastern Conference-43445575


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

Southeastern Conference Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Southeastern Conference

Southeastern Conference Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Southeastern Conference
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
99.80
University of GeorgiaGeorgiaSoutheastern ConferencePublicGood8265
99.05
University of IowaIowaBig Ten ConferencePublicGood6879
98.04
University of ConnecticutConnecticutBig East ConferencePublicGood87139
92.95
University of Missouri-ColumbiaMissouriSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage12198
92.78
University of UtahUtahPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage14286
92.72
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginiaAtlantic 10 ConferencePublicAboveAverage178207
92.70
Colorado State University-Fort CollinsColoradoMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage143139
92.36
University of Massachusetts-AmherstMassachusettsMid - American Conference / At...PublicAboveAverage88144
92.35
University of KentuckyKentuckySoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage159130
92.33
University of Washington-Seattle CampusWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicGood5566
92.21
The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleTennesseeSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage116188
91.96
University of FloridaFloridaSoutheastern ConferencePublicGood4338
91.94
Florida State UniversityFloridaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage76104
91.94
University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignIllinoisBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent2417
91.75
University at BuffaloNew YorkMid American ConferencePublicAboveAverage124190
91.70
Rutgers University-New BrunswickNew JerseyBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage56115
91.62
University of KansasKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage172130
91.47
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusPennsylvaniaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicGood5075
91.06
The University of Texas at AustinTexasBig Twelve ConferencePublicGood3851
90.55
Ohio State UniversityOhioBig Ten ConferencePublicGood4043
86.54
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeLouisianaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage14888
86.40
Brigham Young University-ProvoUtahOther / West Coast ConferencePrivateGood7227
86.36
University of South Carolina-ColumbiaSouth CarolinaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage93130
86.22
University of CincinnatiOhioAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage202106
86.21
Utah State UniversityUtahMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage165120
86.14
Temple UniversityPennsylvaniaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage168199
86.01
Iowa State UniversityIowaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage12971
85.86
University of California-Los AngelesCaliforniaPacific 12 ConferencePublicExcellent2984
85.72
George Mason UniversityVirginiaAtlantic 10 ConferencePublicAboveAverage156143
85.66
University of Wisconsin-MadisonWisconsinBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent3325
85.38
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage13754
85.28
Auburn UniversityAlabamaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage13979
85.18
University of California-Santa BarbaraCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicGood63122
85.11
University of Nebraska-LincolnNebraskaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage11998
84.69
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillNorth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicExcellent3764
84.61
Boston UniversityMassachusettsPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent45116
84.35
Arizona State University-TempeArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage10182
84.22
University of VirginiaVirginiaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicExcellent3227
83.66
The University of Texas at DallasTexasAmerican Southwest ConferencePublicGood7055
79.87
University of Colorado BoulderColoradoPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage7959
79.54
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVirginiaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicGood7540
79.45
University of Michigan-Ann ArborMichiganBig Ten ConferencePublicExcellent1716
78.92
University of ArkansasArkansasSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage171119
77.75
Clemson UniversitySouth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage9851
77.38
Miami University-OxfordOhioMid American ConferencePublicGood11867
77.02
Texas A & M University-College StationTexasSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage7122
76.88
Baylor UniversityTexasBig Twelve ConferencePrivateGood134128
76.63
University of Central FloridaFloridaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage103141
76.32
University of Alabama at BirminghamAlabamaConference USAPublicAboveAverage153148
76.19
University of MiamiFloridaAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateExcellent4493


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

Southeastern Conference Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Southeastern Conference

Southeastern Conference Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Southeastern Conference
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
96.31
Big Ten Conference (Low)-Big Ten Conference-Conf-Good-51
96.08
North Carolina State University at RaleighNorth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage5831
95.59
University of Washington-Seattle CampusWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicGood5566
95.21
Stony Brook UniversityNew YorkColonial Athletic Association ...PublicGood62109
94.98
Pacific - 12 Conference (Average)-Pacific 12 Conference-Conf-Excellent-32
94.65
Rutgers University-New BrunswickNew JerseyBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage56115
93.94
Colonial Athletic Association (Average)-Colonial Athletic Association-Conf-Excellent-112
92.91
Purdue UniversityIndianaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage5720
92.50
Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvaniaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage5384
92.50
University of California-DavisCaliforniaBig Sky Conference / Big West ...PublicAboveAverage58142
90.50
Tulane University of LouisianaLouisianaAmerican Athletic ConferencePrivateExcellent61106
90.39
Big Ten Conference (Average)-Big Ten Conference-Conf-Excellent-22
90.08
Patriot League (Average)-Patriot League-Conf-Excellent-43
89.85
George Washington UniversityWashington DCAtlantic 10 ConferencePrivateExcellent51135
87.76
University Athletic Association (Low)-University Athletic Association-Conf-Excellent-32
86.89
College of William and MaryVirginiaColonial Athletic AssociationPublicExcellent5460
86.06
Atlantic Coast Conference (Average)-Atlantic Coast Conference-Conf-Excellent-21
85.70
Ivy League (Low)-Ivy League-Conf-Elite-21
85.55
Williams CollegeMassachusettsNew England Small College Ath ConfPrivateElite58161
84.72
New England Small College Ath Conf (Average)-New England Small College Ath Conf-Conf-Elite-144