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 Nebraska-Lincoln

2016 University Academic Rankings

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, often referred to as Nebraska, UNL or NU, is a public research university in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. It is the state's oldest university, and the largest in the University of Nebraska system.

The state legislature chartered the university in 1869 as a land-grant university under the 1862 Morrill Act, two years after Nebraska's statehood into the United States. Around the turn of the 20th century, the university began to expand significantly, hiring professors from eastern schools to teach in the newly organized professional colleges while also producing groundbreaking research in agricultural sciences. The "Nebraska method" of ecological study developed here during this time pioneered grassland ecology and laid the foundation for research in theoretical ecology for the rest of the 20th century. The university is organized into eight colleges on two campuses in Lincoln with over 100 classroom buildings and research facilities.

Its athletic program, called the Cornhuskers, is a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Nebraska football team has won 46 conference championships, and since 1970, five national championships. The women's volleyball team has won four national championships along with eight other appearances in the Final Four. The Husker football team plays its home games at Memorial Stadium, selling out every game since 1962. The stadium's capacity is about 92,000 people, larger than the population of Nebraska's third-largest city.

History | Origin

The University of Nebraska was created by an act of the Nebraska state legislature in 1869, two years after Nebraska reached statehood. The school was given a mission to "afford to the inhabitants of the state the means of acquiring a thorough knowledge of the various branches of literature, science, and the arts." The school received an initial land grant of about 130,000 acres (53,000 ha) and the campus construction began with the building of University Hall in its first year. By 1873, the University of Nebraska had offered its first two degrees to its first graduating class. The school remained small and suffered from a lack of funds until about 20 years after its founding, when its high school programs were taken over by a new state education system. From 1890 to 1895 enrollment rose from 384 to about 1,500. A law school and a graduate school were also created at about this time period, making it the first school west of the Mississippi to establish a graduate school. By 1897, the school was 15th in the nation in total enrollment.

Through the turn of the 20th century, the school struggled to find an identity as both a pragmatic, frontier establishment and an academic, intellectual institution. It also developed a competitive spirit in the form of a debate team, a football team (first called the Cornhuskers in 1901), and the arrival of fraternities and sororities. In 1913-14, a fierce debate ensued over whether to keep the University in downtown Lincoln or to move it out of town. The issue was not resolved until a statewide referendum sided with the downtown plan. After purchasing property downtown, the school experienced a building boom, both on the new property and on the farming campus. The school would not experience another boom until the late 1940s, when the sudden arrival of thousands of soldiers returning from the war for an education forced the school to seek further expansion.

Administration and organization | Organizations | Governing bodies

University of Nebraska is governed by the Board of Regents. The board consists of eight voting members elected by district for six-year terms, and four non-voting student Regents, one from each campus, who serve during their tenure as student body president. The board supervises the general operat ... [more on wikipedia]

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

University of Nebraska Details

University of Nebraska Details
detail value
stateNebraska
conferenceBig Ten Conference
publicPublic
scores1745/1163/26
levelAboveAverage
rank[119
overall ROI rank[98
sizemedium
undergrads19979
grads5027
price36706
drop30
stem23
research227
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for University of Nebraska-Lincoln?

1. number 119 for Academics.

2. number 98 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to University of Nebraska-Lincoln?

1. University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus

2. University of Delaware

3. University of Kentucky

4. Clemson University

5. Mississippi State University

6. Utah State University

7. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College



National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

University of Nebraska National Academic Rankings

University of Nebraska National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Top250119182186102100114829398
Div1676466676670595164
Div1 Nonivy565860595862515054
Div1 Public383234434749434435
Public515460515363544552
Power5413735444549434144
Big Ten Conference14121214141413912
Mid West Region164244171721184024
State of Nebraska111111131
Top Ten Top250119182186102100114829398
Top Ten State of Nebraska111111121


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

University of Nebraska Peer Universities, Similar Universities to University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska Peer Universities, Similar Universities to University of Nebraska
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
99.67
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage13754
99.66
University of DelawareDelawareColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage107138
99.33
University of KentuckyKentuckySoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage159130
99.09
Clemson UniversitySouth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage9851
98.85
Mississippi State UniversityMississippiSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage197130
98.82
Utah State UniversityUtahMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage165120
98.54
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeLouisianaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage14888
98.35
University of Colorado BoulderColoradoPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage7959
97.94
Iowa State UniversityIowaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage12971
93.22
Kansas State UniversityKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage249168
93.12
Auburn UniversityAlabamaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage13979
93.12
University of KansasKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage172130
93.02
Oklahoma State UniversityOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage182124
92.81
The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleTennesseeSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage116188
92.77
University of ArkansasArkansasSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage171119
92.65
University of Massachusetts-AmherstMassachusettsMid - American Conference / At...PublicAboveAverage88144
92.31
Colorado State University-Fort CollinsColoradoMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage143139
92.30
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginiaAtlantic 10 ConferencePublicAboveAverage178207
92.24
University of UtahUtahPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage14286
91.99
University of LouisvilleKentuckyAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAverage258224
91.75
Syracuse UniversityNew YorkAtlantic Coast ConferencePrivateAboveAverage172216
91.49
University of Missouri-ColumbiaMissouriSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage12198
91.14
University of North TexasTexasConference USAPublicAboveAverage192165
86.62
Old Dominion UniversityVirginiaConference USAPublicAverage356368
86.58
University of Akron Main CampusOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage331251
86.28
Towson UniversityMarylandColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAverage264365
86.27
University of California-RiversideCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage167212
86.14
University of ConnecticutConnecticutBig East ConferencePublicGood87139
86.12
Eastern Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicAverage445385
86.11
University of New MexicoNew MexicoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage265153
86.00
University of North Carolina at CharlotteNorth CarolinaDivision I-AA Independents / C...PublicAverage292207
85.99
East Carolina UniversityNorth CarolinaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage312325
85.96
George Mason UniversityVirginiaAtlantic 10 ConferencePublicAboveAverage156143
85.96
University of IowaIowaBig Ten ConferencePublicGood6879
85.90
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
85.71
Kent State University at KentOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage347358
85.70
University of MemphisTennesseeAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage359314
85.65
Oakland UniversityMichiganHorizon LeaguePublicAverage417270
85.65
Ohio UniversityOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage215174
85.58
Washington State UniversityWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage189193
85.48
University of CincinnatiOhioAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage202106
85.39
DePaul UniversityIllinoisBig East ConferencePrivateAboveAverage193150
85.37
University of ToledoOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage405285
85.36
University of South Carolina-ColumbiaSouth CarolinaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage93130
85.26
CUNY Queens CollegeNew YorkEast Coast ConferencePublicAverage307400
85.26
Georgia State UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage253230
85.23
Florida Atlantic UniversityFloridaConference USAPublicAverage305303
85.20
University of Louisiana at LafayetteLouisianaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage350248
85.15
Northern Illinois UniversityIllinoisMid American ConferencePublicAverage435289
84.95
University of GeorgiaGeorgiaSoutheastern ConferencePublicGood8265


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

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

University of Nebraska Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to University of Nebraska
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
97.87
Drexel UniversityPennsylvaniaColonial Athletic AssociationPrivateAboveAverage120134
97.00
University of Alabama at BirminghamAlabamaConference USAPublicAboveAverage153148
96.71
University of Central FloridaFloridaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage103141
96.65
Arizona State University-TempeArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage10182
96.00
University of DelawareDelawareColonial Athletic AssociationPublicAboveAverage107138
96.00
The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleTennesseeSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage116188
96.00
University of Missouri-ColumbiaMissouriSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage12198
95.71
Indiana University-BloomingtonIndianaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage10292
95.65
University at BuffaloNew YorkMid American ConferencePublicAboveAverage124190
93.44
Iowa State UniversityIowaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage12971
93.21
Clemson UniversitySouth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage9851
92.61
Miami University-OxfordOhioMid American ConferencePublicGood11867
91.54
University of UtahUtahPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage14286
90.62
Baylor UniversityTexasBig Twelve ConferencePrivateGood134128
90.58
Missouri University of Science and TechnologyMissouriGreat Lakes Valley ConferencePublicGood10532
90.39
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCaliforniaBig Sky Conference / Big West ...PublicGood9688
89.69
University of ArizonaArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage12486
89.60
Michigan State UniversityMichiganBig Ten ConferencePublicAverage11174
89.36
Illinois Institute of TechnologyIllinoisDivision III IndependentsPrivateGood12255
89.02
SUNY College at GeneseoNew YorkState University of New York A...PublicExcellent111184
87.34
Fordham UniversityNew YorkPatriot League / Atlantic 10 C...PrivateGood109167
85.14
Santa Clara UniversityCaliforniaWest Coast ConferencePrivateExcellent12398
84.09
Colgate UniversityNew YorkPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent9283
84.06
United States Air Force AcademyColoradoMountain West ConferencePublicExcellent9130
82.95
Centennial Conference (Average)-Centennial Conference-Conf-Excellent-170
82.34
Southern California Intercoll Ath Conf (Average)-Southern California Intercoll ...-Conf-Excellent-130
82.09
Barnard CollegeNew YorkIvy LeaguePrivateExcellent104176
81.47
Washington and Lee UniversityVirginiaOld Dominion Athletic ConferencePrivateElite11746
80.03
Claremont McKenna CollegeCaliforniaSouthern California Intercoll ...PrivateElite95118
79.36
Hamilton CollegeNew YorkNew England Small College Ath ConfPrivateElite115153
78.45
Haverford CollegePennsylvaniaCentennial ConferencePrivateElite97182