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

The University of Texas at El Paso

2016 University Academic Rankings
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, and a practice mineshaft survives on the mountainous desert campus. Following a reorganization of the University of Texas in 1920, the school was renamed the College of Mines and Metallurgy of the University of Texas. It became Texas Western College of the University of Texas in 1949, and The University of Texas at El Paso in 1967. UTEP is part of the University of Texas System.

In fall 2014, enrollment was 23,079 (19,817 undergraduate and 3,262 graduate students). UTEP is the largest university in the US to have a majority Mexican American student population (about 70%). The campus features a collection of buildings in the Dzong architectural style. It is located on hillsides overlooking the Rio Grande, with Ciudad Juárez in easy view across the Mexico-US border.

History

On April 16, 1913, SB 183 was signed by the Texas governor allocating funding for a new institution, making it the second oldest academic institution in the University of Texas system. The school officially opened on September 28, 1914, with 27 students in buildings belonging to the former El Paso Military Institute on a site just adjacent to Fort Bliss on the Lenoria Mesa. By 1916, enrollment had grown to 39 students, including its first two female students, Ruth Brown and Grace Odell. On October 29, 1916, a devastating fire destroyed the main building of the school, prompting its relocation. In 1917, the new school facility was constructed on its present site above Mundy Heights, with the land donated by several El Paso residents. In a period when United States architects were designing in styles adopted especially from Europe, Kathleen Worrell, wife of the university's dean, was attracted by photographs of the Kingdom of Bhutan in a 1914 issue of National Geographic magazine, which showed the dzong architecture style of its Buddhist monasteries. The resemblances between the local terrain and mountainous features of Bhutan inspired her to propose designing early buildings of the mining school in the dzong style. Liking its distinctiveness, administrations have continued to choose that style for additional facilities, including the Sun Bowl football stadium and parking garages. Dzong (fortified religious and administrative centers) has characteristics such as sloping sides, markedly overhanging roofs, and bands of colored decoration.

In 1919, the school name was changed to the University of Texas Department of Mines and Metallurgy, when it was made a branch of the University of Texas by act of the Texas State Legislature. In 1920, it was changed to the Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy (TCM). TCM's students painted a large "M" for Miners on the Franklin Mountains in 1923; this was later moved to a site adjacent to the Sun Bowl Stadium in the 1960s where it remains today. The school's name was changed again in 1949, to Texas Western College of The University of Texas (TWC).

Notable events at TWC include the training in 1961 of the nation's first Peace Corps class, the construction of Sun Bowl Stadium in 1963, and the winning of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship in 1966. In 1967, following the establishment of a reorganized University of Texas System, the school took on its current name: The University of Texas at El Paso. While the 1967 law designated "U.T. El Paso" as the school's official abbreviated name, the school is more commonly referred to by its trademarked name of "UTEP."

The school has had achievements in academic and sports areas. In 1969, UTEP won the first of seven NCAA Men's Cross Country Championships. In 1974, UTEP's first doctoral degree program in Geological Sciences was approved. Also in 1974, UTEP won the first of seven NCAA Men's I ... [more on wikipedia]

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "The University of Texas at El Paso", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0

The University of Texas at El Paso Details

The University of Texas at El Paso Details
detail value
stateTexas
conferenceConference USA
publicPublic
scores1365/910/20
levelBelowAverage
rank[499
overall ROI rank[294
sizemedium
undergrads19817
grads3262
price32029
drop55
stem37
research74
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for The University of Texas at El Paso?

1. number 499 for Academics.

2. number 294 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to The University of Texas at El Paso?

1. University of Nevada-Reno

2. University of Toledo

3. California State University-Sacramento

4. Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

5. University of Akron Main Campus

6. Boise State University

7. Kansas State University


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

The University of Texas at El Paso National Academic Rankings

The University of Texas at El Paso National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Conference Usa11141413116549
South West Region569588332921182137
State of Texas29535116151071521


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

The University of Texas at El Paso Peer Universities, Similar Universities to The University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso Peer Universities, Similar Universities to The University of Texas at El Paso
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
92.33
University of Nevada-RenoNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage289340
92.08
University of ToledoOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage405285
91.61
California State University-SacramentoCaliforniaBig Sky ConferencePublicBelowAverage453472
91.20
Southern Illinois University-CarbondaleIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage368278
86.63
University of Akron Main CampusOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage331251
86.50
Boise State UniversityIdahoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage389329
86.50
Kansas State UniversityKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage249168
86.31
Oklahoma State UniversityOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage182124
85.83
University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeWisconsinHorizon LeaguePublicBelowAverage420367
85.54
Washington State UniversityWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage189193
85.44
The University of Texas at San AntonioTexasConference USAPublicAverage330180
85.19
Florida Atlantic UniversityFloridaConference USAPublicAverage305303
84.75
CUNY Brooklyn CollegeNew YorkCity University of New York At...PublicAverage296394
84.61
Texas Tech UniversityTexasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage176104
84.30
New Mexico State UniversityNew MexicoSun Belt Conference / Western ...PublicBelowAverage486360
84.04
University of Southern MississippiMississippiConference USAPublicAverage493423
84.03
Wichita State UniversityKansasMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage382307
83.71
California State University-NorthridgeCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicBelowAverage459474
79.40
University of New MexicoNew MexicoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage265153
79.28
University of North Carolina at CharlotteNorth CarolinaDivision I-AA Independents / C...PublicAverage292207
79.20
Indiana University-Purdue University-IndianapolisIndianaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage427342
78.86
Oregon State UniversityOregonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage152202
78.74
California State University-ChicoCaliforniaCalifornia Collegiate Athletic...PublicAverage392409
78.70
University of LouisvilleKentuckyAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAverage258224
78.53
Northern Illinois UniversityIllinoisMid American ConferencePublicAverage435289
78.29
San Jose State UniversityCaliforniaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage386389
78.09
University of Hawaii at ManoaHawaiiMountain West Conference / Big...PublicAverage204245
77.41
North Dakota State UniversityNorth DakotaMissouri Valley Conference / T...PublicAverage261196
77.18
Southern Illinois University-EdwardsvilleIllinoisOhio Valley ConferencePublicAverage438368
76.54
Louisiana Tech UniversityLouisianaConference USAPublicAverage392213
76.46
University of IdahoIdahoSun Belt Conference / Big Sky ...PublicAverage379216
75.83
Rutgers University-NewarkNew JerseyNew Jersey Athletic ConferencePublicAverage371392
75.74
University of New OrleansLouisianaSouthland ConferencePublicAverage405309
74.36
University of Illinois at SpringfieldIllinoisGreat Lakes Valley ConferencePublicAverage403397
73.23
Old Dominion UniversityVirginiaConference USAPublicAverage356368
72.76
University of MississippiMississippiSoutheastern ConferencePublicAverage232197
72.54
Western Kentucky UniversityKentuckyConference USAPublicBelowAverage491433
72.22
University of Nevada-Las VegasNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicBelowAverage421449
72.01
Montclair State UniversityNew JerseyNew Jersey Athletic ConferencePublicBelowAverage447463
71.76
San Francisco State UniversityCaliforniaCalifornia Collegiate Athletic...PublicBelowAverage428458
71.18
SUNY at BinghamtonNew YorkAmerica EastPublicExcellent65125
71.09
The University of Texas at ArlingtonTexasSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage240157
70.84
California State University-Long BeachCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage318387
70.67
University of ArizonaArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage12486
70.65
Cleveland State UniversityOhioHorizon LeaguePublicAverage440299
70.14
Tennessee Technological UniversityTennesseeOhio Valley ConferencePublicAverage374212
70.03
University of Minnesota-DuluthMinnesotaNorthern Sun Intercollegiate C...PublicAverage464346
69.91
University of Colorado Colorado SpringsColoradoRocky Mountain Athletic ConferencePublicAverage451347
69.89
Florida International UniversityFloridaConference USAPublicAverage163170
69.81
University of MaineMaineAtlantic 10 Conference / Ameri...PublicAverage248245


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

The University of Texas at El Paso Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to The University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to The University of Texas at El Paso
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
84.31
Le Moyne CollegeNew YorkNortheast 10 ConferencePrivateAverage500485
81.23
Landmark Conference (Low)-Landmark Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-481
80.60
Northland CollegeWisconsinUpper Midwest Athletic ConferencePrivateAboveAverage497498
80.26
Bellarmine UniversityKentuckyGreat Lakes Valley ConferencePrivateAverage495365
79.35
Berea CollegeKentuckyIndependent Southeast RegionPrivateAboveAverage497494
77.49
Eckerd CollegeFloridaSunshine State ConferencePrivateAboveAverage495417