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 South Dakota

2016 University Academic Rankings
The University of South Dakota (or informally USD or the U) is a public coeducational research university located in the small town community of Vermillion, South Dakota. USD was established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota (first classes held 1882 in the Clay County Courthouse), USD is the oldest public university in the state.

On a 286-acre (116 ha) campus, USD is situated in the southeastern portion of South Dakota, approximately 63 miles (102 km) southwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 39 miles (63 km) northwest of Sioux City, Iowa and north of the Missouri River.

The University of South Dakota is home to South Dakota's only medical school, law school, and accredited business school. It is also home to the National Music Museum, with over 15,000 American, European, and non-western instruments. USD is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, and its current president is Jim Abbott. The university has been accredited by the North Central Association of College and Schools since 1913. Nine alumni have been selected as Rhodes Scholars; Ernest Lawrence, B.A. 1922, received the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics.

The athletic teams compete in the NCAA's Division I as members of The Summit League, except football, which competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

History

The University of South Dakota was founded in 1862 by the Dakota Territorial Legislature. It authorized the establishment of the University at Vermillion, making it the oldest postsecondary institution in the Dakotas. The authorization was unfunded, however, and classes did not begin until 20 years later under the auspices of the privately incorporated university of Dakota, created with support from the citizens of Clay County. Ephraim Epstein served as the first president and primary faculty member in the institution that opened in loaned space in downtown Vermillion. Before 1883 ended, the university had moved into Old main, and the first public board was appointed to govern the institution.

Enrollment increased to 69 students by the end of 1883, and, by the time South Dakota became the 40th state in 1889, USD boasted an enrollment of 500 students. USD's first academic unit, the College of Arts and Sciences, was established in 1883. The School of Law began offering classes in 1901; the School of Medicine in 1907; Continuing Education in 1916; the Graduate School in 1927; and the College of Fine Arts in 1931.

It is the state's oldest public university, and is one of six universities governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents. USD has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools since 1913 and is a member of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. The school houses the state's only law and medical schools and the lone College of Fine Arts.

USD is also home to the state's oldest and largest political science department. Within the program is the Farber Fund, named for storied university professor emeritus Dr. William O. Farber, which provides subsidy to political science and criminal justice majors to attend conferences, participate in study tours, complete internships, and study abroad.

The Sanford School of Medicine, a community-based program, emphasizes family medicine and primary care with the support and participation by practicing physicians and community hospitals throughout the state. Community hospitals and clinics provide teaching sites and the practicing physicians are teachers. The Lee Medical Sciences building houses the basic science education.

Campus

The University of South Dakota is based on a 216-acre (87 ha) campus situated along the bluffs near the Missouri River in the southeast corner of the state. The most prominent ac ... [more on wikipedia]

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

University of South Dakota Details

University of South Dakota Details
detail value
stateSouth Dakota
conferenceMissouri Valley Conference / T...
publicPublic
scores1550/1033/23
levelAverage
rank[-1
overall ROI rank[-1
sizemedium-small
undergrads7541
grads2520
price23029
drop51
stem9
research31
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for University of South Dakota?

1. number -1 for Academics.

2. number -1 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to University of South Dakota?


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

University of South Dakota National Academic Rankings

University of South Dakota National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Missouri Valley Conference1213121111661515
Mountain West Region19212014141192320
State of South Dakota344222233
Top Ten State of South Dakota344222233


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

University of South Dakota Peer Universities, Similar Universities to University of South Dakota

University of South Dakota Peer Universities, Similar Universities to University of South Dakota
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

University of South Dakota Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to University of South Dakota

University of South Dakota Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to University of South Dakota
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI