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 Utah

2016 University Academic Rankings

The University of Utah (also referred to as the U, the U of U, or Utah) is a public coeducational space-grant research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. As the state's flagship university, the university offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and more than 92 graduate degree programs. Graduate studies include the S.J. Quinney College of Law and the School of Medicine, Utah's only medical school. As of Fall 2015, there are 23,909 undergraduate students and 7,764 graduate students, for an enrollment total of 31,673.

The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (i/dɛz.əˈrɛt./) by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest institution of higher education. It received its current name in 1892, four years before Utah attained statehood, and moved to its current location in 1900.

Academically, the university has produced or cultivated 22 Rhodes Scholars, 3 Nobel Prize winners, 3 MacArthur Fellows, 2 Gates Cambridge Scholars, and 1 Churchill Scholar. In addition, the university's Honors College has been ranked as one of the top 50 in the country.

The university's athletic teams, the Utes, participate in NCAA Division I athletics (FBS for football) as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. Its football team has received national attention for winning the 2005 Fiesta Bowl and the 2009 Sugar Bowl.

History

A Board of Regents was organized by Brigham Young to establish a university in the Salt Lake Valley. The university was established on February 28, 1850, as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, and Orson Spencer was appointed as the first chancellor of the university. Early classes were held in private homes or wherever space could be found. The university closed in 1853 due to lack of funds and lack of feeder schools.

Following years of intermittent classes in the Salt Lake City Council House, the university began to be re-established in 1867 under the direction of David O. Calder, who was followed by John R. Park in 1869. The university moved out of the council house into the Union Academy building in 1876 and into Union Square in 1884. In 1892, the school's name was changed to the University of Utah, and John R. Park began arranging to obtain land belonging to the U.S. Army's Fort Douglas on the east bench of the Salt Lake Valley, where the university moved permanently in 1900. Additional Fort Douglas land has been granted to the university over the years, and the fort was officially closed on October 26, 1991. Upon his death in 1900, Dr. John R. Park bequeathed his entire fortune to the university.

The university grew rapidly in the early 20th century but was involved in an academic freedom controversy in 1915 when Joseph T. Kingsbury recommended that five faculty members be dismissed after a graduation speaker made a speech critical of Utah governor William Spry. One third of the faculty resigned in protest of these dismissals. Some felt that the dismissals were a result of the LDS Church's influence on the university, while others felt that they reflected a more general pattern of repressing religious and political expression that might be deemed offensive. The controversy was largely resolved when Kingsbury resigned in 1916, but university operations were again interrupted by World War I, and later The Great Depression and World War II. Student enrollment dropped to a low of 3,418 during the last year of World War II, but A. Ray Olpin made substantial additions to campus following the war, and enrollment reached 12,000 by the time he retired in 1964. Growth continued throughout the following decades as the university developed into a center for computer, medical, and other res ... [more on wikipedia]

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

University of Utah Details

University of Utah Details
detail value
stateUtah
conferencePacific 12 Conference
publicPublic
scores1671/1114/25
levelAboveAverage
rank[142
overall ROI rank[86
sizemedium-large
undergrads23907
grads7608
price39959
drop30
stem33
research408
scores validTrue
Common Questions...

What are the academic rankings for University of Utah?

1. number 142 for Academics.

2. number 86 for ROI (Return on Investment).

What universities are similar to University of Utah?

1. Colorado State University-Fort Collins

2. University of California-Irvine

3. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

4. University of Colorado Boulder

5. Iowa State University

6. University of Kansas

7. Purdue University



National Academic Rankings

(summary of all ranking placements)

University of Utah National Academic Rankings

University of Utah National Academic Rankings
category rank scores difficulty smartest brainpower faculty research salary ROI overall ROI
Top25014221623012611794486086
Div1718589777159383246
Div1 Nonivy648184726651313140
Div1 Public495667545340242530
Public618089636153262844
Power5465055504942282329
Stem Low859799746959394572
Pacific - 12 Conference8899912723
Mountain West Region259222182
State of Utah222222122
Top Ten Top25014221623012611794486086
Top Ten Pacific - 12 Conference9899910724
Top Ten Mountain West Region257222152
Top Ten State of Utah222222122


Peer Universities / Similar Universities

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

University of Utah Peer Universities, Similar Universities to University of Utah

University of Utah Peer Universities, Similar Universities to University of Utah
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
99.91
Colorado State University-Fort CollinsColoradoMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage143139
99.84
University of California-IrvineCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAboveAverage108162
99.57
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeLouisianaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage14888
99.33
University of Colorado BoulderColoradoPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage7959
98.85
Iowa State UniversityIowaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage12971
98.73
University of KansasKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage172130
98.60
Purdue UniversityIndianaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage5720
93.26
Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginiaAtlantic 10 ConferencePublicAboveAverage178207
93.24
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVirginiaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicGood7540
93.23
University of CincinnatiOhioAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage202106
92.87
University of Massachusetts-AmherstMassachusettsMid - American Conference / At...PublicAboveAverage88144
92.71
The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleTennesseeSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage116188
92.53
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage13754
92.45
University of California-DavisCaliforniaBig Sky Conference / Big West ...PublicAboveAverage58142
92.42
Auburn UniversityAlabamaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage13979
92.24
University of Nebraska-LincolnNebraskaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage11998
92.21
University at BuffaloNew YorkMid American ConferencePublicAboveAverage124190
91.50
University of ArizonaArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage12486
91.49
University of HoustonTexasAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage8960
91.38
Drexel UniversityPennsylvaniaColonial Athletic AssociationPrivateAboveAverage120134
91.33
University of Illinois at ChicagoIllinoisHorizon LeaguePublicAboveAverage159111
91.28
Mississippi State UniversityMississippiSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage197130
89.92
University of Alabama at BirminghamAlabamaConference USAPublicAboveAverage153148
86.67
Oregon State UniversityOregonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage152202
86.66
Washington State UniversityWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage189193
86.29
West Virginia UniversityWest VirginiaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage320192
86.28
Indiana University-Purdue University-IndianapolisIndianaThe Summit LeaguePublicAverage427342
86.08
University of New MexicoNew MexicoMountain West ConferencePublicAverage265153
85.98
San Jose State UniversityCaliforniaMountain West ConferencePublicAverage386389
85.67
Kansas State UniversityKansasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage249168
85.57
Texas Tech UniversityTexasBig Twelve ConferencePublicAverage176104
85.24
University of California-RiversideCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage167212
85.23
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusPennsylvaniaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicGood5075
85.20
University of Washington-Seattle CampusWashingtonPacific 12 ConferencePublicGood5566
85.13
University of ConnecticutConnecticutBig East ConferencePublicGood87139
85.04
California State University-Long BeachCaliforniaBig West ConferencePublicAverage318387
84.85
University of FloridaFloridaSoutheastern ConferencePublicGood4338
84.81
Clemson UniversitySouth CarolinaAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAboveAverage9851
84.61
Rutgers University-New BrunswickNew JerseyBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage56115
84.60
Stony Brook UniversityNew YorkColonial Athletic Association ...PublicGood62109
84.45
University of LouisvilleKentuckyAtlantic Coast ConferencePublicAverage258224
84.11
Michigan State UniversityMichiganBig Ten ConferencePublicAverage11174
83.99
Arizona State University-TempeArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAboveAverage10182
83.94
University of Hawaii at ManoaHawaiiMountain West Conference / Big...PublicAverage204245
83.93
Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvaniaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage5384
83.71
Montana State UniversityMontanaBig Sky ConferencePublicAboveAverage217168
83.38
Texas A & M University-College StationTexasSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage7122
83.03
University of Central FloridaFloridaAmerican Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage103141
82.91
University of Missouri-Kansas CityMissouriWestern Athletic ConferencePublicAboveAverage197155
79.91
Kennesaw State UniversityGeorgiaAtlantic Sun ConferencePublicAverage290291


Academic Peer Universities / Similar Academics

(mathematically similar academics)

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

University of Utah Academic Peer Universities, Similar Academic Universities to University of Utah
match image university state conference public level rank overall ROI
96.14
Iowa State UniversityIowaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage12971
96.09
America East (Average)-America East-Conf-AboveAverage-202
95.23
University of ArizonaArizonaPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage12486
95.14
Oregon State UniversityOregonPacific 12 ConferencePublicAverage152202
94.55
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeLouisianaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage14888
94.26
Colorado State University-Fort CollinsColoradoMountain West ConferencePublicAboveAverage143139
93.20
Florida International UniversityFloridaConference USAPublicAverage163170
93.12
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusOklahomaBig Twelve ConferencePublicAboveAverage13754
92.73
University of Alabama at BirminghamAlabamaConference USAPublicAboveAverage153148
92.56
Auburn UniversityAlabamaSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage13979
92.55
CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNew YorkCity University of New York At...PublicAboveAverage135182
91.73
University of Missouri-ColumbiaMissouriSoutheastern ConferencePublicAboveAverage12198
91.73
University of Nebraska-LincolnNebraskaBig Ten ConferencePublicAboveAverage11998
91.06
University of Maryland-Baltimore CountyMarylandAmerica EastPublicAboveAverage130174
90.51
Michigan Technological UniversityMichiganGreat Lakes Intercollegiate At...PublicAboveAverage14658
89.85
University of VermontVermontAmerica EastPublicAboveAverage136191
89.58
Baylor UniversityTexasBig Twelve ConferencePrivateGood134128
89.32
Rochester Institute of TechnologyNew YorkUpstate Collegiate Athletic As...PrivateAboveAverage151195
88.41
Big East Conference (Average)-Big East Conference-Conf-Good-144
88.33
West Coast Conference (Average)-West Coast Conference-Conf-Good-155
88.02
Yeshiva UniversityNew YorkSkyline ConferencePrivateGood141208
87.71
Patriot League (Low)-Patriot League-Conf-Good-84
86.49
The College of New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey Athletic ConferencePublicGood164193
85.52
United States Naval AcademyMarylandDivision I Independents / Patr...PublicExcellent12648
85.33
Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyIndianaHeartland Collegiate Athletic ...PrivateExcellent15960
84.44
United States Military AcademyNew YorkDivision I-A Independents / Pa...PublicGood14578
83.90
University of TulsaOklahomaAmerican Athletic ConferencePrivateGood13975
83.44
Fordham UniversityNew YorkPatriot League / Atlantic 10 C...PrivateGood109167
82.86
St Olaf CollegeMinnesotaMinnesota Intercollegiate Ath ConfPrivateExcellent144127
82.69
Wheaton CollegeIllinoisCollege Conference of Illinois...PrivateExcellent149114
80.94
Bucknell UniversityPennsylvaniaPatriot LeaguePrivateExcellent13193
78.95
No Conference Affiliation (Average)-No Conference Affiliation-Conf-Excellent-180
77.89
Macalester CollegeMinnesotaMinnesota Intercollegiate Ath ConfPrivateExcellent133146