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

State of Virginia University Academic Rankings

Search :
examples: Yale "Wake Forest" "Big Ten" TX NC

2016 Virginia University Academic Rankings

2016 Virginia University Academic Rankings
rank	value	public	university	state	conference	scores	difficulty	smartest	brainpower	faculty	research	r pop	r stem	r other	salary ROI	overall ROI	scores value	difficulty value	smartest value	brainpower value	faculty value	research value	salary ROI value	overall ROI value	scores	level	stem	drop	gpa avg	research	undergrads	grads	salary	price	scores valid
1	1.50	Public	University of Virginia	Virginia	Atlantic Coast Conference	3	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	4	1	2038\|85	1.88\|53	2149\|90	2100\|87	52\|83	2.00\|98	1446974\|72	2.50\|98	2038/1359/31	Excellent	26	6	3.20	317	16483	7249	54700	56196	True
2	2.83	Public	College of William and Mary	Virginia	Colonial Athletic Association	2	2	2	3	4	4	3	6	6	5	4	2052\|86	2.06\|49	2086\|87	1946\|81	118\|61	3.67\|96	1352642\|68	3.50\|97	2052/1368/31	Excellent	16	9	3.25	57	6299	2138	50700	53435	True
3	3.00	Public	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	Virginia	Atlantic Coast Conference	5	5	3	2	2	1	1	1	1	3	2	1834\|76	2.66\|34	2045\|85	1989\|83	82\|73	1.00\|99	1492212\|75	3.00\|97	1834/1222/28	Good	38	17	3.20	434	24247	6977	54500	41868	True
4	5.67	Public	George Mason University	Virginia	Atlantic 10 Conference	7	8	4	4	5	6	6	5	5	6	5	1720\|72	2.69\|33	1965\|82	1894\|79	156\|48	5.33\|95	1337588\|67	5.00\|95	1720/1147/26	AboveAverage	20	32	2.95	87	22349	11380	51400	45648	True
5	6.00	Private	Washington and Lee University	Virginia	Old Dominion Athletic Conference	1	3	10	7	8	7	7	7	7	1	2	2091\|87	2.22\|44	1781\|74	1854\|77	300\|0	7.00\|93	1677302\|84	3.00\|97	2091/1394/31	Elite	17	9	3.40	0	1890	374	54700	60084	True
6	6.50	Private	University of Richmond	Virginia	Colonial Athletic Association ...	4	4	7	9	8	7	7	7	7	9	8	1991\|83	2.36\|41	1932\|80	1759\|73	300\|0	7.00\|93	1238950\|62	7.50\|93	1991/1327/30	Excellent	14	17	3.25	0	3346	836	48200	59630	True
7	8.00	Public	James Madison University	Virginia	Colonial Athletic Association	7	15	5	6	8	7	7	7	7	7	7	1720\|72	2.79\|30	1947\|81	1867\|78	300\|0	7.00\|93	1292507\|65	7.00\|93	1720/1147/26	AboveAverage	10	18	3.00	0	19144	1711	49100	38872	True
8	8.17	Public	Christopher Newport University	Virginia	USA South Athletic Conference ...	6	6	11	11	8	7	7	7	7	14	10	1735\|72	2.66\|34	1756\|73	1505\|63	300\|0	7.00\|93	1093299\|55	11.00\|89	1735/1157/26	AboveAverage	22	36	2.95	0	5096	125	44100	36960	True
8	8.17	Public	Virginia Commonwealth University	Virginia	Atlantic 10 Conference	11	16	8	8	3	3	3	3	3	16	11	1645\|69	2.80\|30	1924\|80	1848\|77	113\|63	3.00\|97	1050568\|53	12.00\|88	1645/1097/25	AboveAverage	25	43	2.95	202	23661	7187	43800	47104	True
10	11.33	Public	Virginia Military Institute	Virginia	Big South Conference	9	9	20	15	8	7	7	7	7	2	6	1695\|71	2.70\|33	990\|41	1154\|48	300\|0	7.00\|93	1580211\|79	6.00\|94	1695/1130/25	AboveAverage	31	29	2.95	0	1700	0	54900	49096	True
11	11.50	Public	University of Mary Washington	Virginia	Capital Athletic Conference	10	18	13	13	8	7	7	7	7	10	9	1655\|69	2.82\|30	1625\|68	1360\|57	300\|0	7.00\|93	1184687\|59	10.50\|90	1655/1103/25	AboveAverage	17	29	2.95	0	4167	368	44800	38354	True
12	12.00	Private	Hampden-Sydney College	Virginia	Old Dominion Athletic Conference	12	7	21	17	8	7	7	7	7	40	23	1638\|68	2.69\|33	875\|36	1034\|43	300\|0	7.00\|93	557570\|28	26.00\|74	1638/1092/25	Average	19	33	2.80	0	1105	0	31900	54266	True
13	12.45	Public	Old Dominion University	Virginia	Conference USA	19	20	9	10	6	5	5	4	4	12	12	1540\|64	2.84\|29	1834\|76	1738\|72	181\|40	4.33\|96	1133706\|57	12.50\|88	1540/1027/23	Average	19	46	2.80	101	20115	4817	43100	39248	True
14	13.00	Private	Liberty University	Virginia	Big South Conference	22	24	6	5	8	7	7	7	7	20	13	1525\|64	2.90\|28	1945\|81	1883\|78	300\|0	7.00\|93	913366\|46	17.00\|83	1525/1017/23	Average	3	50	2.80	0	49744	31715	38300	34000	True
15	13.33	Private	Roanoke College	Virginia	Old Dominion Athletic Conference	13	12	22	18	8	7	7	7	7	39	28	1620\|68	2.73\|32	840\|35	1028\|43	300\|0	7.00\|93	561230\|28	27.00\|73	1620/1080/24	Average	13	31	2.80	0	2050	0	31900	53351	True
16	13.83	Private	Randolph College	Virginia	Old Dominion Athletic Conference	13	11	22	22	8	7	7	7	7	35	22	1620\|68	2.73\|32	840\|35	969\|40	300\|0	7.00\|93	583194\|29	25.50\|75	1620/1080/24	Average	15	37	2.80	0	675	18	31900	47860	True
16	13.83	Private	Hollins University	Virginia	Old Dominion Athletic Conference	13	10	22	23	8	7	7	7	7	37	25	1620\|68	2.72\|32	840\|35	955\|40	300\|0	7.00\|93	576894\|29	26.50\|74	1620/1080/24	Average	18	37	2.80	0	596	174	31900	49435	True
18	15.20	Private	Regent University	Virginia	No Conference Affiliation	18	17	18	16	7	7	7	7	7	26	19	1595\|66	2.81\|30	1139\|47	1074\|45	200\|33	7.00\|93	658522\|33	22.00\|78	1595/1063/24	Average	0	58	2.80	0	2374	3540	31900	29028	True
19	15.83	Public	Longwood University	Virginia	Big South Conference	25	27	14	14	8	7	7	7	7	17	16	1505\|63	2.91\|27	1501\|63	1174\|49	300\|0	7.00\|93	1024278\|51	18.00\|82	1505/1003/23	Average	8	39	2.80	0	4574	522	39500	38324	True
20	15.89	Private	Randolph-Macon College	Virginia	Old Dominion Athletic Conference	16	13	25	20	8	7	7	7	7	36	29	1610\|67	2.75\|31	820\|34	995\|41	300\|0	7.00\|93	577274\|29	28.00\|72	1610/1073/24	Average	12	40	2.80	0	1394	0	31900	49340	True
21	16.00	Private	Sweet Briar College	Virginia	No Conference Affiliation	17	14	26	24	8	7	7	7	7	38	31	1598\|67	2.75\|31	796\|33	931\|39	300\|0	7.00\|93	570886\|29	29.50\|71	1598/1065/24	Average	20	30	2.80	0	691	9	31900	50937	True
22	16.17	Private	Hampton University	Virginia	Mid Eastern Athletic Conference	25	23	15	19	8	7	7	7	7	13	15	1505\|63	2.89\|28	1398\|58	1004\|42	300\|0	7.00\|93	1095421\|55	17.50\|83	1505/1003/23	Average	17	35	2.80	0	3503	890	39900	35352	True
23	17.20	Private	Marymount University	Virginia	Capital Athletic Conference	19	19	19	21	8	7	7	7	7	11	13	1540\|64	2.82\|29	1031\|43	981\|41	300\|0	7.00\|93	1180354\|59	17.00\|83	1540/1027/23	Average	25	50	2.80	0	2363	1078	46400	44016	True
24	18.13	Public	Radford University	Virginia	Big South Conference	31	31	12	12	8	7	7	7	7	15	17	1470\|61	2.96\|26	1641\|68	1368\|57	300\|0	7.00\|93	1060942\|53	19.50\|81	1470/980/22	BelowAverage	14	43	2.80	0	8885	913	42000	34006	True
25	20.75	Private	Bridgewater College	Virginia	Old Dominion Athletic Conference	24	21	29	27	8	7	7	7	7	21	20	1520\|63	2.87\|28	640\|27	846\|35	300\|0	7.00\|93	895703\|45	23.00\|77	1520/1013/23	Average	16	41	2.80	0	1785	0	37300	44880	True
26	20.80	Private	Virginia Wesleyan College	Virginia	Old Dominion Athletic Conference	21	22	27	26	8	7	7	7	7	34	32	1536\|64	2.89\|28	671\|28	866\|36	300\|0	7.00\|93	588314\|29	30.00\|70	1536/1024/23	Average	6	51	2.80	0	1501	0	31900	46580	True
27	22.83	Private	Eastern Mennonite University	Virginia	Old Dominion Athletic Conference	29	29	32	32	8	7	7	7	7	31	30	1482\|62	2.95\|26	564\|24	761\|32	300\|0	7.00\|93	599994\|30	29.00\|71	1482/988/22	BelowAverage	12	33	2.80	0	1227	468	31900	43660	True
28	23.00	Private	Southern Virginia University	Virginia	Capital Athletic Conference	23	26	28	30	8	7	7	7	7	24	23	1521\|63	2.91\|27	641\|27	791\|33	300\|0	7.00\|93	668634\|33	26.00\|74	1521/1014/23	Average	7	73	2.80	0	705	0	31900	26500	True
29	23.19	Private	Lynchburg College	Virginia	Old Dominion Athletic Conference	28	25	31	29	8	7	7	7	7	18	21	1490\|62	2.90\|27	580\|24	801\|33	300\|0	7.00\|93	1011112\|51	23.50\|77	1490/993/22	Average	19	48	2.80	0	2161	575	41100	45925	True
30	24.20	Private	Shenandoah University	Virginia	Old Dominion Athletic Conference	27	28	30	28	8	7	7	7	7	32	34	1495\|62	2.93\|27	590\|25	804\|34	300\|0	7.00\|93	598570\|30	31.00\|69	1495/997/22	Average	13	54	2.80	0	1892	1801	31900	44016	True
31	24.60	Public	Norfolk State University	Virginia	Mid Eastern Athletic Conference	37	37	16	25	8	7	7	7	7	22	25	1300\|54	3.12\|22	1353\|56	931\|39	300\|0	7.00\|93	872343\|44	26.50\|74	1300/867/20	BelowAverage	44	64	2.80	0	5356	671	41600	35098	True
32	25.22	Private	Emory & Henry College	Virginia	Old Dominion Athletic Conference	30	30	33	33	8	7	7	7	7	33	37	1475\|61	2.95\|26	550\|23	737\|31	300\|0	7.00\|93	595498\|30	32.50\|68	1475/983/22	BelowAverage	17	41	2.80	0	1012	26	31900	44784	True
33	26.70	Private	Mary Baldwin College	Virginia	USA South Athletic Conference	32	33	34	35	8	7	7	7	7	29	34	1420\|59	3.03\|24	440\|18	658\|27	300\|0	7.00\|93	608454\|30	31.00\|69	1420/947/21	BelowAverage	6	42	2.80	0	1423	331	31900	41545	True
34	26.80	Public	Virginia State University	Virginia	Central Intercollegiate Athlet...	39	39	17	31	8	7	7	7	7	19	25	1213\|51	3.21\|20	1201\|50	769\|32	300\|0	7.00\|93	937453\|47	26.50\|74	1213/808/18	BelowAverage	16	60	2.80	0	4498	527	39000	30941	True
35	28.80	Public	The University of Virginia's College at Wise	Virginia	Mountain East Conference	33	34	35	34	8	7	7	7	7	8	18	1410\|59	3.04\|24	420\|18	661\|28	300\|0	7.00\|93	1280873\|64	21.50\|79	1410/940/21	BelowAverage	10	60	2.80	0	2183	0	55900	38279	True
35	28.80	Private	Jefferson College of Health Sciences	Virginia	No Conference Affiliation	33	32	35	36	8	7	7	7	7	28	36	1410\|59	2.98\|26	420\|18	609\|25	300\|0	7.00\|93	621322\|31	31.50\|69	1410/940/21	BelowAverage	100	90	2.80	0	876	255	31900	38328	True
37	30.40	Private	Averett University	Virginia	USA South Athletic Conference	35	35	37	37	8	7	7	7	7	23	32	1375\|57	3.08\|23	350\|15	544\|23	300\|0	7.00\|93	811347\|41	30.00\|70	1375/917/21	BelowAverage	6	57	2.80	0	852	20	40400	40920	True
38	31.20	Private	Bluefield College	Virginia	Mid - South Conference	36	36	38	38	8	7	7	7	7	27	37	1350\|56	3.09\|23	300\|13	505\|21	300\|0	7.00\|93	629566\|31	32.50\|68	1350/900/20	BelowAverage	21	64	2.80	0	928	16	31900	36267	True
39	32.20	Private	Ferrum College	Virginia	USA South Athletic Conference	37	38	39	39	8	7	7	7	7	30	40	1300\|54	3.15\|21	200\|8	446\|19	300\|0	7.00\|93	605694\|30	34.50\|66	1300/867/20	BelowAverage	5	69	2.80	0	1451	0	31900	42235	True
40	33.60	Private	Virginia Union University	Virginia	Central Intercollegiate Athlet...	40	40	40	40	8	7	7	7	7	25	37	1130\|47	3.27\|18	-140\|0	138\|6	300\|0	7.00\|93	662074\|33	32.50\|68	1130/753/17	BelowAverage	14	70	2.80	0	1323	392	31900	28140	True

What are the best colleges in Virginia?

1. University of Virginia

2. College of William and Mary

3. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

4. George Mason University

5. Washington and Lee University

6. University of Richmond

7. James Madison University

2016 Top 10 Virginia University Academic Rankings

2016 Top 10 Virginia University Academic Rankings
rank	value	public	name	state	conference	scores	difficulty	smartest	brainpower	faculty	research	salary ROI	overall ROI	scores	level	stem	drop	gpa avg	research	undergrads	grads	salary	price
1	1.50	Public	University of Virginia	Virginia	Atlantic Coast Conference	3	1	1	1	1	2	3	1	2038/1359/31	Excellent	26	6	3.20	317	16483	7249	54700	56196
2	2.83	Public	College of William and Mary	Virginia	Colonial Athletic Association	2	2	2	3	4	4	4	4	2052/1368/31	Excellent	16	9	3.25	57	6299	2138	50700	53435
3	3.00	Public	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	Virginia	Atlantic Coast Conference	5	5	3	2	2	1	2	2	1834/1222/28	Good	38	17	3.20	434	24247	6977	54500	41868
4	5.33	Private	Washington and Lee University	Virginia	Old Dominion Athletic Conference	1	3	9	7	6	6	1	2	2091/1394/31	Elite	17	9	3.40	0	1890	374	54700	60084
4	5.33	Public	George Mason University	Virginia	Atlantic 10 Conference	7	7	4	4	5	5	5	5	1720/1147/26	AboveAverage	20	32	2.95	87	22349	11380	51400	45648
6	6.00	Private	University of Richmond	Virginia	Colonial Athletic Association ...	4	4	7	9	6	6	7	6	1991/1327/30	Excellent	14	17	3.25	0	3346	836	48200	59630
7	6.33	Public	James Madison University	Virginia	Colonial Athletic Association	7	8	5	6	6	6	6	6	1720/1147/26	AboveAverage	10	18	3.00	0	19144	1711	49100	38872
8	6.67	Public	Virginia Commonwealth University	Virginia	Atlantic 10 Conference	9	9	8	8	3	3	9	8	1645/1097/25	AboveAverage	25	43	2.95	202	23661	7187	43800	47104
9	7.33	Public	Christopher Newport University	Virginia	USA South Athletic Conference ...	6	6	10	10	6	6	8	8	1735/1157/26	AboveAverage	22	36	2.95	0	5096	125	44100	36960
10	7.40	Private	Liberty University	Virginia	Big South Conference	10	10	6	5	6	6	10	10	1525/1017/23	Average	3	50	2.80	0	49744	31715	38300	34000

University Benchmarks

Ranking the Top 100 Academic Universities

Notes:

Ranking Fields

The 2016 University Academic Rankings

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State of Virginia University Academic Rankings

2016 Virginia University Academic Rankings

Common Questions...

What are the best colleges in Virginia?

2016 Top 10 Virginia University Academic Rankings

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