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

University of California-Santa Cruz

2016 University Academic Rankings

The University of California, Santa Cruz (also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC), is a public, collegiate research university and one of 10 campuses in the University of California system. Located 75 miles (120 km) south of San Francisco at the edge of the coastal community of Santa Cruz, the campus lies on 2,001 acres (810 ha) of rolling, forested hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay.

Founded in 1965, UC Santa Cruz is considered a Public Ivy institution. It began as a showcase for progressive, cross-disciplinary undergraduate education, innovative teaching methods and contemporary architecture. Since then, it has evolved into a modern research university with a wide variety of both undergraduate and graduate programs, while retaining its reputation for strong undergraduate support and student political activism. The residential college system, which consists of ten small colleges, is intended to combine the student support of a small college with the resources of a major university.

History

Although some of the original founders had already outlined plans for an institution like UCSC as early as the 1930s, the opportunity to realize their vision did not present itself until the City of Santa Cruz made a bid to the University of California Regents in the mid-1950s to build a campus just outside town, in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Santa Cruz site was selected over a competing proposal to build the campus closer to the population center of San Jose. Santa Cruz was selected for the beauty, rather than the practicality, of its location, however, and its remoteness led to the decision to develop a residential college system that would house most of the students on-campus. The formal design process of the Santa Cruz campus began in the late 1950s, culminating in the Long Range Development Plan of 1963. Construction had started by 1964, and the university was able to accommodate its first students (albeit living in trailers on what is now the East Field athletic area) in 1965. The campus was intended to be a showcase for contemporary architecture, progressive teaching methods, and undergraduate research. According to founding chancellor Dean McHenry, the purpose of the distributed college system was to combine the benefits of a major research university with the intimacy of a smaller college. UC President Clark Kerr shared a passion with former Stanford roommate McHenry to build a university modeled as "several Swarthmores" (i.e., small liberal arts colleges) in close proximity to each other. Roads on campus were named after UC Regents who voted in favor of building the campus.

Impact on Santa Cruz

Although the city of Santa Cruz already exhibited a strong conservation ethic before the founding of the university, the coincidental rise of the counterculture of the 1960s with the university's establishment fundamentally altered its subsequent development. Early student and faculty activism at UCSC pioneered an approach to environmentalism that greatly impacted the industrial development of the surrounding area. The lowering of the voting age to 18 in 1971 led to the emergence of a powerful student-voting bloc. A large and growing population of politically liberal UCSC alumni changed the electorate of the town from predominantly Republican to markedly left-leaning, consistently voting against expansion measures on the part of both town and gown.

Expansion plans

Plans for increasing enrollment to 19,500 students and adding 1,500 faculty and staff by 2020, and the anticipated environmental impacts of such action, encountered opposition from the city, the local community, and the student body. City voters in 2006 passed two measures calling on UCSC to pay for the impacts of campus growth. A Santa Cruz Superior Court ... [more on wikipedia]

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

University of California Details

University of California Details
detail value
stateCalifornia
conferenceDivision III Independents
publicPublic
scores1635/1090/25
levelAverage
rank[157
overall ROI rank[208
sizemedium
undergrads16277
grads1589
price57104
drop24
stem23
research152
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for University of California-Santa Cruz?

1. number 157 for Academics.

2. number 208 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to University of California-Santa Cruz?

1. California State University-Chico

2. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

3. SUNY at Albany

4. University of New Hampshire

5. Kennesaw State University

6. Washington State University

7. University of Vermont



National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

University of California National Academic Rankings

University of California National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Top2501572352101771673670229208
Public699376888016429389
West Coast Region214937242710135633
State of California20342621229103526
Top Ten Top2501572352101771673670229208


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

University of California Peer Universities, Similar Universities to University of California

University of California Peer Universities, Similar Universities to University of California
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
93.25
California State University-ChicoCaliforniaCalifornia Collegiate Athletic...PublicAverage392409
93.05
University of Louisiana at LafayetteLouisianaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage350248
91.96
SUNY at AlbanyNew YorkColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage188218
91.92
University of New HampshireNew HampshireColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage221225
91.27
Kennesaw State UniversityGeorgiaAtlantic Sun ConferencePublicAverage290291
91.21
Washington State UniversityWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage189193
91.17
University of VermontVermontAmerica EastPublicAboveAverage136191
91.15
South Dakota State UniversitySouth DakotaMissouri Valley Conference / T...PublicAverage354263
86.59
University of ToledoOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage405285
86.56
Mississippi State UniversityMississippiSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage197130
86.54
University of LouisvilleKentuckyAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAverage258224
86.46
CUNY Queens CollegeNew YorkEast Coast ConferencePublicAverage307400
86.45
Sam Houston State UniversityTexasSouthland ConferencePublicAverage472383
86.44
University of Nevada-RenoNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage289340
86.41
Oakland UniversityMichiganHorizon LeaguePublicAverage417270
86.36
University of MemphisTennesseeAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage359314
86.32
Northern Illinois UniversityIllinoisMid American ConferencePublicAverage435289
86.03
Georgia Southern UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage254236
85.98
Illinois State UniversityIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage279222
85.92
Eastern Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicAverage445385
85.78
University of California-RiversideCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage167212
85.77
Towson UniversityMarylandColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAverage264365
85.61
Boise State UniversityIdahoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage389329
85.57
University of Rhode IslandRhode IslandColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage270328
85.51
University of Akron Main CampusOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage331251
85.39
Old Dominion UniversityVirginiaConference USAPublicAverage356368
85.36
Middle Tennessee State UniversityTennesseeConference USAPublicAverage384372
85.34
Kansas State UniversityKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage249168
85.31
University of North Carolina WilmingtonNorth CarolinaColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage221228
85.18
Oklahoma State UniversityOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage182124
85.01
University of Nebraska at OmahaNebraskaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage491364
84.98
University of New MexicoNew MexicoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage265153
84.97
North Dakota State UniversityNorth DakotaMissouri Valley Conference / T...PublicAverage261196
84.92
University of Southern MississippiMississippiConference USAPublicAverage493423
84.91
Wichita State UniversityKansasMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage382307
84.88
University of North Carolina at CharlotteNorth CarolinaDivision I-AA Independents / C...PublicAverage292207
84.88
East Carolina UniversityNorth CarolinaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage312325
84.84
Cleveland State UniversityOhioHorizon LeaguePublicAverage440299
84.82
Indiana University-Purdue University-IndianapolisIndianaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage427342
84.81
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
84.78
University of Alabama at BirminghamAlabamaConference USAPublicAboveAverage153148
84.73
University of North DakotaNorth DakotaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage363266
84.65
Kent State University at KentOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage347358
84.60
Ohio UniversityOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage215174
84.22
The University of Tennessee-ChattanoogaTennesseeSouthern ConferencePublicAverage434464
84.09
University of Minnesota-DuluthMinnesotaNorthern Sun Intercollegiate C...PublicAverage464346
83.94
University of Colorado Colorado SpringsColoradoRocky Mountain Athletic ConferencePublicAverage451347
83.83
University of MaineMaineAtlantic 10 Conference / Ameri...PublicAverage248245
83.29
University of ArizonaArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage12486
82.96
University of Louisiana at MonroeLouisianaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage485352


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

University of California Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to University of California

University of California Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to University of California
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
98.70
Oregon State UniversityOregonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage152202
96.60
University of ArizonaArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage12486
96.20
University of KentuckyKentuckySoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage159130
95.46
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeLouisianaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage14888
95.38
Florida International UniversityFloridaConference USAPublicAverage163170
95.20
University of Illinois at ChicagoIllinoisHorizon LeaguePublicAboveAverage159111
94.06
George Mason UniversityVirginiaAtlantic 10 ConferencePublicAboveAverage156143
93.61
Big West Conference (Average)-Big West Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-202
93.51
Southeastern Conference (Low)-Southeastern Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-115
92.97
University of Missouri-Kansas CityMissouriWestern Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage197155
92.06
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage13754
90.51
University of Alabama in HuntsvilleAlabamaGulf South ConferencePublicAboveAverage181103
89.70
University of Alabama at BirminghamAlabamaConference USAPublicAboveAverage153148
89.67
University of Puerto Rico-Rio PiedrasPuerto RicoIndependent Southeast RegionPublicAboveAverage176232
88.41
West Coast Conference (Average)-West Coast Conference-Conf-Good-155
87.49
Big East Conference (Average)-Big East Conference-Conf-Good-144
85.84
Patriot League (Low)-Patriot League-Conf-Good-84
83.58
United States Military AcademyNew YorkDivision I-A Independents / Pa...PublicGood14578
83.08
New Mexico Institute of Mining and TechnologyNew MexicoNo Conference AffiliationPublicGood18093
82.68
Division I Independents (Average)-Division I Independents-Conf-Excellent-59
82.50
Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyIndianaHeartland Collegiate Athletic ...PrivateExcellent15960
81.01
Occidental CollegeCaliforniaSouthern California Intercoll ...PrivateExcellent158162
79.71
Kenyon CollegeOhioNorth Coast Athletic ConferencePrivateExcellent14791
79.34
Colorado CollegeColoradoSouthern Collegiate Athletic C...PrivateExcellent149160
79.24
Davidson CollegeNorth CarolinaPioneer Football League / Atla...PrivateExcellent155129
77.63
Whitman CollegeWashingtonNorthwest ConferencePrivateExcellent153154
76.40
Bryn Mawr CollegePennsylvaniaCentennial ConferencePrivateExcellent137205