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 Toledo

2016 University Academic Rankings
The University of Toledo, commonly referred to as U of Toledo or UT, is a public research university located in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The university also operates a 450-acre (180 ha) Health Science campus, which includes the University of Toledo Medical Center, in the West Toledo neighborhood of Toledo; a 160-acre (65 ha) satellite campus in the Scott Park neighborhood of Toledo; the Center for the Visual Arts is located in downtown Toledo at the Toledo Museum of Art; and a research and education facility, known as the The Lake Erie Center, is at the Maumee Bay State Park.

The university was founded in 1872 in downtown Toledo as the Toledo University of Arts and Trades. It closed after six years and was eventually turned over to the city of Toledo to reopen in 1884 as the Toledo Manual Training School and developed from a vocational school into a university through the late 1800s. The university moved to its current location in the Ottawa neighborhood in 1931. Since its establishment, the university has physically expanded to include more than 100 major buildings with a combined area of more 1,400 acres (570 ha) and transformed its academic program from a vocational and secondary education into a comprehensive research university, known for its curriculum in the science, engineering, and medical fields. Toledo has over 100,000 living alumni and has a current enrollment of over 20,000 students. The university has a vibrant campus life, with over 300 student organizations. Its athletic teams, called the Rockets, are members of the Mid-American Conference.

History | Founding and early history

The University of Toledo began in 1872 as a private arts and trades school offering subjects such as painting and architectural drawing. The idea behind the school was fostered by Jesup Wakeman Scott, a local newspaper editor, who published a pamphlet in 1868 entitled "Toledo: Future Great City of the World." Scott's publication expressed his belief that the center of world commerce was moving westward, and by 1900 would be located in Toledo. In preparation for the expected westward expansion of world commerce to Toledo, Scott donated 160 acres of land as an endowment for a university and the Toledo University of Arts and Trades was incorporated on October 12, 1872. The university's original mission was to "furnish artists and artisans with the best facilities for a high culture in their professions...." Scott died in 1874, a year before the university opened in an old church building downtown Toledo. By the late 1870s the school was in financial trouble and after thirty years in operation, the school closed in 1878. On January 8, 1884, the assets of the school became property of the city of Toledo. The school reopened as the under direction of the city as the Toledo Manual Training School. It offered a three-year program for students at least 13 years old who received both academic and manual instruction.

Jerome Raymond, the university's first president, expanded its offerings in the early 1900s by affiliating with the Toledo Conservatory of Music, the YMCA College of Law, and the Toledo Medical College. Raymond also created the College of Arts and Sciences. Despite the expansion, the school struggled financially and endured various legal battles over control. A. Monroe Stowe became president in 1914, and helped organize and stabilize the university and on January 30, 1914 the college became known as Toledo University. Stowe founded the College of Commerce and Industry (later the College of Business Administration) in 1914, and the College of Education in 1916. During the period, enrollment grew from 200 students to around 1,500. Along with the expanded academic offerings, extracurricular activities increased with the university's first intercollegiate athletic programs forming in 1915, including ... [more on wikipedia]

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

University of Toledo Details

University of Toledo Details
detail value
stateOhio
conferenceMid American Conference
publicPublic
scores1535/1023/23
levelAverage
rank[405
overall ROI rank[285
sizemedium
undergrads16090
grads4536
price34147
drop51
stem30
research71
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for University of Toledo?

1. number 405 for Academics.

2. number 285 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to University of Toledo?

1. University of Memphis

2. University of North Dakota

3. University of Louisville

4. Northern Illinois University

5. University of Nevada-Reno

6. Oakland University

7. University of Hawaii at Manoa


National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

University of Toledo National Academic Rankings

University of Toledo National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Mid - American Conference8889107343
Mid West Region689090444227245257
State of Ohio273836910741520
Top Ten Mid - American Conference888996335


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

University of Toledo Peer Universities, Similar Universities to University of Toledo

University of Toledo Peer Universities, Similar Universities to University of Toledo
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
99.62
University of MemphisTennesseeAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAverage359314
98.11
University of North DakotaNorth DakotaBig Sky ConferencePublicAverage363266
93.28
University of LouisvilleKentuckyAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAverage258224
93.06
Northern Illinois UniversityIllinoisMid American ConferencePublicAverage435289
93.04
University of Nevada-RenoNevadaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage289340
93.00
Oakland UniversityMichiganHorizon LeaguePublicAverage417270
92.52
University of Hawaii at ManoaHawaiiMountain West Conference / Big...PublicAverage204245
92.52
CUNY Brooklyn CollegeNew YorkCity University of New York At...PublicAverage296394
92.11
University of Akron Main CampusOhioMid American ConferencePublicAverage331251
92.08
The University of Texas at El PasoTexasConference USAPublicBelowAverage499294
91.94
Kansas State UniversityKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage249168
91.79
Oklahoma State UniversityOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage182124
91.64
University of Southern MississippiMississippiConference USAPublicAverage493423
91.63
Wichita State UniversityKansasMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage382307
91.59
University of New MexicoNew MexicoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage265153
91.57
Cleveland State UniversityOhioHorizon LeaguePublicAverage440299
91.50
University of North Carolina at CharlotteNorth CarolinaDivision I-AA Independents / C...PublicAverage292207
91.42
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
91.40
University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeWisconsinHorizon LeaguePublicBelowAverage420367
91.16
Washington State UniversityWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage189193
91.15
Oregon State UniversityOregonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage152202
90.88
Florida Atlantic UniversityFloridaConference USAPublicAverage305303
90.44
San Diego State UniversityCaliforniaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage183218
90.41
Texas Tech UniversityTexasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage176104
89.57
Howard UniversityWashington DCMid Eastern Athletic ConferencePrivateAverage343429
86.66
California State University-ChicoCaliforniaCalifornia Collegiate Athletic...PublicAverage392409
86.59
University of California-Santa CruzCaliforniaDivision III IndependentsPublicAverage157208
86.49
Mississippi State UniversityMississippiSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage197130
86.45
University of Louisiana at LafayetteLouisianaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage350248
86.35
Drexel UniversityPennsylvaniaColonial Athletic AssociationPrivateAboveAverage120134
86.21
Clemson UniversitySouth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage9851
85.91
Illinois State UniversityIllinoisMissouri Valley ConferencePublicAverage279222
85.71
University of California-RiversideCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage167212
85.68
Western Michigan UniversityMichiganMid American ConferencePublicBelowAverage446320
85.55
Boise State UniversityIdahoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage389329
85.38
University of Massachusetts-LowellMassachusettsAmerica EastPublicAboveAverage247275
85.37
University of Nebraska-LincolnNebraskaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage11998
85.30
New Mexico State UniversityNew MexicoSun Belt Conference / Western ...PublicBelowAverage486360
85.29
Middle Tennessee State UniversityTennesseeConference USAPublicAverage384372
85.20
Auburn UniversityAlabamaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage13979
85.13
Saint Louis UniversityMissouriAtlantic 10 ConferencePrivateAboveAverage169165
85.11
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage13754
85.06
University of Nebraska at OmahaNebraskaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage491364
85.02
North Dakota State UniversityNorth DakotaMissouri Valley Conference / T...PublicAverage261196
84.82
University of Massachusetts-AmherstMassachusettsMid - American Conference / At...PublicAboveAverage88144
84.76
Indiana University-Purdue University-IndianapolisIndianaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage427342
84.73
Southern Illinois University-EdwardsvilleIllinoisOhio Valley ConferencePublicAverage438368
84.55
Kennesaw State UniversityGeorgiaAtlantic Sun ConferencePublicAverage290291
84.53
South Dakota State UniversitySouth DakotaMissouri Valley Conference / T...PublicAverage354263
84.24
Georgia State UniversityGeorgiaSun Belt ConferencePublicAverage253230


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

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

University of Toledo Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to University of Toledo
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
95.05
University of New OrleansLouisianaSouthland ConferencePublicAverage405309
92.54
Savannah College of Art and DesignGeorgiaNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAverage409404
92.29
University of Illinois at SpringfieldIllinoisGreat Lakes Valley ConferencePublicAverage403397
91.60
Valparaiso UniversityIndianaPioneer Football League / Hori...PrivateAverage407281
90.46
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona BeachFloridaFlorida Sun ConferencePrivateAverage401210
88.27
Rockhurst UniversityMissouriGreat Lakes Valley ConferencePrivateAboveAverage404250
88.04
Dallas Baptist UniversityTexasHeartland ConferencePrivateAboveAverage408342
87.03
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-PrescottArizonaNo Conference AffiliationPrivateAboveAverage402205