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

Towson University

2016 University Academic Rankings
Towson University, often referred to as TU or simply Towson for short, is a public university located in Towson in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is a part of the University System of Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University has evolved into a 4-year degree-granting institution consisting of 8 colleges with over 20,000 students enrolled. Towson is one of the largest public universities in Maryland and still produces the most teachers of any university in the state.

The U.S. News & World Report ranked Towson University 8th in the Public Universities-Master's (North) category for its 2010 America's Best Colleges issue. Forbes included Towson University in its 2009 list of the top 100 public colleges and universities in the United States. Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine named Towson University one of the top 100 best values in public colleges for the 2008-2009 academic year.

History | Maryland State Normal School

The General Assembly of Maryland established what would eventually become Towson University in 1865, with the allocation of funds directed toward Maryland's first teacher-training school, or then called "normal school" (term used from a new French tradition). On January 15, 1866, this institution, known then as the "Maryland State Normal School" (M.S.N.S.), officially opened its doors as part of the substantial modern educational reforms prescribed by the Unionist/Radical Republican Party-dominated Maryland Constitution of 1864 of the Civil War-era state government, which provided for a new state superintendent of public instruction and a Board of Education to be appointed to advise and supervise the counties, in addition to the already progressive public educational system previously established in 1829 in Baltimore City. Located then at Red Man's Hall on North Paca Street in Baltimore, the new teachers' school originally enrolled eleven students and fostered three faculty members. McFadden Alexander Newell served as the school's first principal as well as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and oversaw the first graduating class of sixteen students in June 1866.

As time passed, the enrollment in the school grew exponentially. The State Normal School soon quickly outgrew its temporary facilities in Red Man's Hall on Paca Street and moved to another temporary location in 1873 on the northeast corner of North Charles and East Franklin Streets, in the former William Howard Greek Revival mansion (son of famous American Revolutionary War Col. John Eager Howard of the famous "Maryland Line" in the Continental Army who owned most of the land north of Baltimore Town as his estate of "Belvidere" or "Howard's Woods"), and his family was now starting to develop and lay out city streets. The landmark mansion, (across the street from the First Unitarian Church of Baltimore), which later was known as the Union Club by 1863 and later became the Athenaeum Club. The following year, the General Assembly appropriated money to construct an exclusive building to house the burgeoning school. In 1876, the Normal School moved its faculty and 206 students to this new landmark facility located in West Baltimore facing Lafayette Square on Carrollton and Lafayette Avenues.

Move to Towson

The demand for qualified teachers became overwhelming by the turn of the century. The Maryland Department of Education reported an annual need for 350 new teachers, but the Maryland State Normal School was graduating fewer than 100. The facilities in West Baltimore were now inadequate to meet state demands. Principal Sarah Richmond, one of the original eleven graduates, began a campaign to establish a campus where the school could function more appropriately. In 1910, the General Assembly formed a committee to oversee site selection, ... [more on wikipedia]

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

Towson University Details

Towson University Details
detail value
stateMaryland
conferenceColonial Athletic Association
publicPublic
scores1620/1080/24
levelAverage
rank[264
overall ROI rank[365
sizemedium
undergrads18807
grads3478
price35384
drop34
stem16
research0
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for Towson University?

1. number 264 for Academics.

2. number 365 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to Towson University?

1. Missouri State University-Springfield

2. Eastern Michigan University

3. Illinois State University

4. Georgia Southern University

5. Old Dominion University

6. Middle Tennessee State University

7. University of Memphis


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

Towson University National Academic Rankings

Towson University National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Colonial Athletic Association15151412810101717
New England Region959794706660608699
State of Maryland81211537796
Top Ten State of Maryland71010535566


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

Towson University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Towson University

Towson University Peer Universities, Similar Universities to Towson University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
93.23
Missouri State University-SpringfieldMissouriMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage301266
93.17
Eastern Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicAverage445385
93.10
Illinois State UniversityIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage279222
93.05
Georgia Southern UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage254236
92.90
Old Dominion UniversityVirginiaConference USAPublicAverage356368
92.85
Middle Tennessee State UniversityTennesseeConference USAPublicAverage384372
92.72
University of MemphisTennesseeAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage359314
92.67
Oakland UniversityMichiganHorizon LeaguePublicAverage417270
92.63
Sam Houston State UniversityTexasSouthland ConferencePublicAverage472383
92.49
Ball State UniversityIndianaMid American ConferencePublicAverage337326
92.46
Grand Valley State UniversityMichiganGreat Lakes Intercollegiate At...PublicAverage247239
92.26
CUNY Queens CollegeNew YorkEast Coast ConferencePublicAverage307400
92.25
St John's University-New YorkNew YorkBig East ConferencePrivateAverage309444
92.09
University of North Carolina at GreensboroNorth CarolinaSouthern ConferencePublicAverage449439
92.04
Northern Arizona UniversityArizonaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage336333
91.66
Bowling Green State UniversityOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage442351
91.48
University of Rhode IslandRhode IslandColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage270328
91.25
SUNY at AlbanyNew YorkColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage188218
86.62
University of DelawareDelawareColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage107138
86.28
University of Nebraska-LincolnNebraskaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage11998
86.19
Western Kentucky UniversityKentuckyConference USAPublicBelowAverage491433
86.10
University of OregonOregonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage174221
85.77
University of California-Santa CruzCaliforniaDivision III IndependentsPublicAverage157208
85.74
University of ArkansasArkansasSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage171119
85.63
East Carolina UniversityNorth CarolinaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage312325
85.63
Montclair State UniversityNew JerseyNew Jersey Athletic ConferencePublicBelowAverage447463
85.56
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
85.52
University of Louisiana at LafayetteLouisianaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage350248
85.37
Kent State University at KentOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage347358
85.32
Ohio UniversityOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage215174
85.31
Kennesaw State UniversityGeorgiaAtlantic Sun ConferencePublicAverage290291
85.27
University of Nevada-Las VegasNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicBelowAverage421449
85.27
CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew YorkCity University of New York At...PublicAboveAverage135182
85.17
Utah State UniversityUtahMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage165120
84.95
Georgia State UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage253230
84.83
San Francisco State UniversityCaliforniaCalifornia Collegiate Athletic...PublicBelowAverage428458
84.55
University of New HampshireNew HampshireColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage221225
84.42
San Diego State UniversityCaliforniaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage183218
84.33
University of Nebraska at OmahaNebraskaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage491364
84.09
University of North DakotaNorth DakotaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage363266
83.90
Texas State UniversityTexasSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage364290
83.08
Pace University-New YorkNew YorkNortheast 10 ConferencePrivateAverage476465
81.00
Maryville University of Saint LouisMissouriGreat Lakes Valley ConferencePrivateAverage424426
79.82
University of KansasKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage172130
79.40
Central Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicBelowAverage454402
79.32
CUNY Hunter CollegeNew YorkCity University of New York At...PublicAboveAverage193228
79.12
The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleTennesseeSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage116188
79.06
DePaul UniversityIllinoisBig East ConferencePrivateAboveAverage193150
78.98
University of KentuckyKentuckySoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage159130
78.97
University of Massachusetts-AmherstMassachusettsMid - American Conference / At...PublicAboveAverage88144


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

Towson University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Towson University

Towson University Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to Towson University
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
98.38
University of New MexicoNew MexicoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage265153
95.63
North Dakota State UniversityNorth DakotaMissouri Valley Conference / T...PublicAverage261196
95.55
Missouri Valley Conference (Average)-Missouri Valley Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-202
93.43
Southern Polytechnic State UniversityGeorgiaNo Conference AffiliationPublicAboveAverage267128
91.29
Florida Institute of TechnologyFloridaGulf South Conference / Sunshi...PrivateAboveAverage260130
90.01
Drake UniversityIowaPioneer Football League / Miss...PrivateAboveAverage263136
89.37
Christopher Newport UniversityVirginiaUSA South Athletic Conference ...PublicAboveAverage268320
88.50
Rollins CollegeFloridaSunshine State ConferencePrivateAboveAverage262338
85.68
Sewanee-The University of the SouthTennesseeSouthern Athletic AssociationPrivateGood244250
83.14
North Coast Athletic Conference (Average)-North Coast Athletic Conference-Conf-Good-221