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 Louisville

2016 University Academic Rankings
The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky, a member of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General Assembly to be a "Preeminent Metropolitan Research University". UofL enrolls students from 118 of 120 Kentucky counties, all 50 U.S. states, and 116 countries around the world.

The University of Louisville School of Medicine is touted for the first fully self-contained artificial heart transplant surgery as well as the first successful hand transplantation. The University Hospital is also credited with the first civilian ambulance, the nation's first accident services, now known as an emergency room (ER), and one of the first blood banks in the US.

Between 1999 and 2006 UofL was one of the fastest growing medical research institutions according to National Institutes of Health rankings. As of 2006, the melanoma clinic ranked third in among public universities in NIH funding, the neurology research program fourth, and the spinal cord research program 10th.

UofL is also known for its Louisville Cardinals athletics programs, several of which are among the most successful in the country. Since 2005 the Cardinals have made appearances in the NCAA Division I men's basketball Final Four in 2005, 2012, and 2013 (champions), football Bowl Championship Series Orange Bowl in 2007 (champions) and Sugar Bowl in 2013 (champions), the College Baseball World Series 2007, 2013, and 2014, the women's basketball Final Four in 2009 (runner-up) and 2013 (runner-up), and the men's soccer national championship game in 2010. The Louisville Cardinals Women's Volleyball program has three-peated as champions of the Big East Tournament (2008, 2009, 2010), and were Atlantic Coast Conference Champions in 2015. Women's track and field program has won Outdoor Big East titles in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and an Indoor Big East title in 2011.

History | Founding and early years: 1798-1845

The University of Louisville traces its roots to a charter granted in 1798 by the Kentucky General Assembly to establish a school of higher learning in the newly founded town of Louisville. It ordered the sale of 6,000 acres (24 km²) of South Central Kentucky land to underwrite construction, joined on April 3, 1798 by eight community leaders who began local fund raising for what was then known as the Jefferson Seminary. It opened 15 years later and offered college and high school level courses in a variety of subjects. It was headed by Edward Mann Butler from 1813 to 1816, who later ran the first public school in Kentucky in 1829 and is considered Kentucky's first historian.

Despite the Jefferson Seminary's early success, pressure from newly established public schools and media critiques of it as "elitist" would force its closure in 1829.

Eight years later, in 1837, the Louisville City council established the Louisville Medical Institute at the urging of renowned physician and medical author Charles Caldwell. As he had earlier at Lexington's Transylvania University, Caldwell rapidly led LMI into becoming one of the leading medical schools west of the Allegheny Mountains. In 1840, the Louisville Collegiate institute, a rival medical school, was established after an LMI faculty dispute. It opened in 1844 on land near the present day Health sciences campus.

As a public municipal university: 1846-1969

In 1846 the Kentucky legislature combined the Louisville Medical Institute, the Louisville Collegiate Institution, and a newly created law school into the University of Louisville, on a campus just east of Downtown L ... [more on wikipedia]

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

University of Louisville Details

University of Louisville Details
detail value
stateKentucky
conferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
publicPublic
scores1610/1073/24
levelAverage
rank[258
overall ROI rank[224
sizemedium
undergrads15961
grads5600
price38232
drop45
stem25
research194
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for University of Louisville?

1. number 258 for Academics.

2. number 224 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to University of Louisville?

1. Kansas State University

2. Oklahoma State University

3. West Virginia University

4. Oregon State University

5. University of Toledo

6. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

7. Northern Illinois University


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

University of Louisville National Academic Rankings

University of Louisville National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Div1 Public757661848155496976
Power5646451656452475666
Atlantic Coast Conference151514151514111214
South East Region518364453821224645
State of Kentucky273222283
Top Ten State of Kentucky273222243


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

University of Louisville Peer Universities, Similar Universities to University of Louisville

University of Louisville Peer Universities, Similar Universities to University of Louisville
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
98.57
Kansas State UniversityKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage249168
98.41
Oklahoma State UniversityOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage182124
98.05
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
97.78
Oregon State UniversityOregonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage152202
93.28
University of ToledoOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage405285
93.17
University of Louisiana at LafayetteLouisianaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage350248
93.11
Northern Illinois UniversityIllinoisMid American ConferencePublicAverage435289
92.99
University of Nevada-RenoNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage289340
92.90
University of MemphisTennesseeAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage359314
92.83
Clemson UniversitySouth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage9851
92.57
University of Hawaii at ManoaHawaiiMountain West Conference / Big...PublicAverage204245
92.47
Eastern Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicAverage445385
92.34
University of Rhode IslandRhode IslandColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage270328
92.33
University of California-RiversideCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage167212
92.17
University of KansasKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage172130
92.07
University of Akron Main CampusOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage331251
91.99
University of Nebraska-LincolnNebraskaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage11998
91.96
Old Dominion UniversityVirginiaConference USAPublicAverage356368
91.82
Auburn UniversityAlabamaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage13979
91.73
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage13754
91.73
North Dakota State UniversityNorth DakotaMissouri Valley Conference / T...PublicAverage261196
91.61
Cleveland State UniversityOhioHorizon LeaguePublicAverage440299
91.55
University of New MexicoNew MexicoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage265153
91.54
University of ArkansasArkansasSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage171119
91.46
University of North Carolina at CharlotteNorth CarolinaDivision I-AA Independents / C...PublicAverage292207
91.45
University of Massachusetts-AmherstMassachusettsMid - American Conference / At...PublicAboveAverage88144
91.45
East Carolina UniversityNorth CarolinaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage312325
91.39
Indiana University-Purdue University-IndianapolisIndianaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage427342
91.23
South Dakota State UniversitySouth DakotaMissouri Valley Conference / T...PublicAverage354263
91.18
Colorado State University-Fort CollinsColoradoMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage143139
91.16
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginiaAtlantic 10 ConferencePublicAboveAverage178207
91.12
Washington State UniversityWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage189193
86.62
California State University-ChicoCaliforniaCalifornia Collegiate Athletic...PublicAverage392409
86.59
CUNY Queens CollegeNew YorkEast Coast ConferencePublicAverage307400
86.54
University of California-Santa CruzCaliforniaDivision III IndependentsPublicAverage157208
86.28
Oakland UniversityMichiganHorizon LeaguePublicAverage417270
85.91
Georgia Southern UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage254236
85.90
CUNY Brooklyn CollegeNew YorkCity University of New York At...PublicAverage296394
85.86
Illinois State UniversityIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage279222
85.63
Western Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicBelowAverage446320
85.50
Boise State UniversityIdahoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage389329
85.36
University of New HampshireNew HampshireColonial Athletic Association ...PublicAverage221225
85.35
University at BuffaloNew YorkMid American ConferencePublicAboveAverage124190
85.25
Middle Tennessee State UniversityTennesseeConference USAPublicAverage384372
85.17
Saint Louis UniversityMissouriAtlantic 10 ConferencePrivateAboveAverage169165
85.15
Central Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicBelowAverage454402
85.10
University of Nebraska at OmahaNebraskaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage491364
85.01
University of Southern MississippiMississippiConference USAPublicAverage493423
85.00
Wichita State UniversityKansasMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage382307
84.91
The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleTennesseeSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage116188


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

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

University of Louisville Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to University of Louisville
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
98.69
Arizona State University-Downtown PhoenixArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage357234
98.00
University of New MexicoNew MexicoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage265153
97.42
The University of Texas at ArlingtonTexasSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage240157
97.06
Georgia State UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage253230
96.38
Kansas State UniversityKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage249168
96.28
University of WyomingWyomingMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage250152
96.00
Arizona State University-WestArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage-1-1
95.47
Arizona State University-PolytechnicArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage-1-1
95.08
University of MississippiMississippiSoutheastern ConferencePublicAverage232197
95.02
North Dakota State UniversityNorth DakotaMissouri Valley Conference / T...PublicAverage261196
94.17
Georgia Southern UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage254236
93.99
Mississippi State UniversityMississippiSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage197130
93.99
Appalachian State UniversityNorth CarolinaSun Belt ConferencePublicAboveAverage230228
93.79
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
92.71
Florida Institute of TechnologyFloridaGulf South Conference / Sunshi...PrivateAboveAverage260130
90.15
University of Northern IowaIowaMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAboveAverage252248
88.32
Calvin CollegeMichiganMichigan Intercollegiate Athle...PrivateAboveAverage255209
88.00
West Coast Conference (Low)-West Coast Conference-Conf-AboveAverage-258
85.94
Rollins CollegeFloridaSunshine State ConferencePrivateAboveAverage262338
85.44
Earlham CollegeIndianaHeartland Collegiate Athletic ...PrivateGood235249
84.60
North Coast Athletic Conference (Average)-North Coast Athletic Conference-Conf-Good-221
83.35
Babson CollegeMassachusettsNew England Women's & Men's At...PrivateGood243150
82.17
Midwest Conference (Average)-Midwest Conference-Conf-Good-245