ACADEMIC RANKING OF WORLD UNIVERSITIES Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2004. This ranking was compiled using "several indicators of academic or research performance, including alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, highly cited researchers, articles published in Nature and Science, articles in Science Citation Index-expanded and Social Science Citation Index, and academic performance with respect to the size of an institution." A Further Analysis about This Ranking has been given by Da Hsuan Feng.
WORLD UNIVERSITY RANKINGS [London] Times Higher Education Supplement (THES), 2004. This ranking was compiled "with the help of findings from a survey for the THES of 1,300 academics in 88 countries. They were asked to name the best institutions in the fields that they felt knowledgeable about."
TOP AMERICAN RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES, The Center at the University of Florida, 2004. This website is not a ranking but a collection of data for ranking research universities. Our ranking was compiled solely from data provided by this website with the exception of SAT and ACT scores obtained from US News and World Report.
METHODOLOGY USED
We use a procedure involving z-scores (the z-score of a number in a list is the distance, in standard deviations, between this number and the average of the list) and a linear transformation to make lists (usually given as columns) of numbers (oftentimes points awarded to universities) more compatible by forcing the average of the largest twenty-five numbers in each list to be 75 and the largest number in each list to be 100; our choice of the numbers 75 and 100 was arbitrary but perhaps based on aesthetic considerations. In general, our procedure will change the numbers on a list but will not change the ordering (for example, if University A is ranked seventh on a survey, after applying our procedure, University A will still be ranked seventh). We did this procedure on each of the three rankings used, on the sum of these three rankings, and on the nine columns of data collected in the Top American Research Universities. We spare you the calculations.
EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS USED
ABBREVISIONS USED
EXPRESSION
AR
Academic Ranking of World Universities
LT
World University Rankings (London Times)
Rev
Our revision of the points awarded
SC
Point total on our ranking
UF
Top American Research Universities
INFORMATION ABOUT THE RANKINGS USED
AR
AR Revised
LT
LT Revised
UF
UF Revised
Number of Universities Ranked
500
200
50
50
Number of Universities Receiving Points
100
200
50
Number of USA Universities (excluding medical schools) Receiving Points
48
48
61
61
50
Points Received by USA University Ranked One (Harvard)
100
100
1000
100
100
Points Received by USA University Ranked Two
77.2
87.5
880
95.0
91.8
Points Received by USA University Ranked 48
25.1
58.9
131
64.0
53.8
Points Received by Lowest Scoring University
25.1
58.9
103
61.8
49.1
The Average of the Twenty-five highest Ranking USA Universities
54.5
75.0
413
75.0
75.0
Standard Deviation of the Twenty-five Highest Ranking USA Universities
15.3
8.42
238
10.1
8.01
OUR RANKING OF AMERICA'S BEST RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES
In the first three columns after UNIVERSITY, we give the position that the top-scoring universities were ranked by each of our three rankings. In the next three columns, this table gives the points the university received from each of our three rankings (as always, we modify each of these numbers so that the average of the twenty-five highest numbers in this column is 75 and the highest score of 100. For example, on the World University Rankings (London Times) ranking, denoted by LT, we see that MIT ranked fourth and received, by our calculation, 91.0 points. The last column (SCORE) gives the number that determines our graduate school rank. The first step in calculating this last column SCORE is to add the numbers in the three preceding columns; this sum is slightly modified so that the average of the twenty-five highest numbers in this last column is 75 and the highest score of 100.
UNIVERSITY
AR
LT
UF
AR
LT
UF
SCORE
1
Harvard
1.0
1
1
100
100
100
100
2
Stanford
2.0
5
2
87.5
86.7
91.8
88.8
3
UC Berkeley
3.0
2
4
85.8
94.9
81.0
87.4
4
MIT
4.0
3
5
84.8
91.0
79.9
85.4
5
Cal Tech
5.0
4
21
83.0
88.9
68.3
80.2
6
Yale
9.0
6
6
77.3
82.2
78.4
79.5
7
Princeton
6.0
7
16
80.0
81.1
71.5
77.8
8
Columbia
7.0
10
10
78.7
73.8
76.4
76.5
9
Johns Hopkins
17.0
13
3
71.2
71.5
82.5
75.3
10
Cornell
10.0
11
11
75.6
72.2
75.8
74.8
11
U Chicago
8.0
8
22
78.3
76.3
68.2
74.5
12
UCLA
13.0
14
7
73.4
70.9
77.9
74.3
13
U Pennsylvania
12.0
15
8
73.5
70.5
77.0
73.9
14
U Michigan
15.0
16
12
72.2
69.9
75.7
72.9
15
U Wisconsin
14.0
24
9
72.5
65.2
77.0
71.9
16
UC San Diego
11.0
12
20
74.6
71.5
68.4
71.8
17
U Washington
16.0
27
13
72.0
64.9
73.0
70.3
18
U Texas
27.0
9
18
64.2
75.3
69.7
70.0
19
U Illinois
18.0
17
17
68.9
69.4
70.5
69.9
20
Duke
21.0
20
14
66.4
66.4
72.2
68.7
21
Northwestern
20.0
26
19
66.8
65.1
69.1
67.3
22
Washington U
19.0
39
23
68.8
63.8
68.0
67.2
23
U Southern Calif
31.5
55
15
62.9
62.1
72.0
66.0
24
U Minnesota
23.0
31
27
66.1
64.6
64.5
65.4
25
New York U
22.0
29
29
66.3
64.8
63.7
65.3
26
Pennsylvania SU
29.0
44
26
63.5
63.3
64.6
64.1
27
U North Carolina
35.0
42
25
62.2
63.5
65.3
64.0
28
Vanderbilt
26.0
50
33
64.4
62.7
60.8
63.0
29
U Maryland
36.0
45
31
62.2
63.2
62.3
62.9
30
U Colorado
24.0
38
44
65.8
63.9
56.3
62.4
31
UC Davis
28.0
56
36
63.5
62.1
60.2
62.3
32
Boston U
46.0
28
34
59.5
64.9
60.5
62.0
33
Brown U
45.0
22
40
59.8
65.4
58.4
61.6
34
UC Santa Barbara
25.0
25
48
65.4
65.1
53.8
61.8
35
Purdue
40.0
21
42
60.8
65.7
57.3
61.6
36
U Arizona
43.0
57
39
60.5
62.1
58.8
60.9
37
Rice
42.0
49
41
60.6
62.9
57.8
60.8
38
Michigan State
44.0
41
43
59.9
63.6
56.8
60.5
Why stop at 38? Thirty-eight universities did well enough to receive a score on all three of the rankings. By our calculations, are these 38 the top thirty-eight? This is not so clear but we can say that, by our calculations, the top twenty-seven are the top twenty-seven.
Is it possible that a university that did not receive a score by one or more of the three rankings we used is in the top thirty-eight? A university that did not receive a score from one or more of the three rankings we used could rank, by our calculations, as high as twenty-eighth.
How is this possible? As we can see from the preceding table, World University Rankings (London Times) awarded 61.8 points to its lowest scoring university. Thus a USA university not ranked by World University Rankings (London Times) could have received as many as 61.7 points. Now the University of Florida received 61.2 points from Academic Ranking of World Universities (AR) and 65.6 points from the Top American Research Universities (UF). The University of Florida point total from World University Rankings was not given but conceivable could have been as high as 61.7. With these 61.7 points, the University of Florida could have a score on our ranking of 63.7. This would put the University of Florida in the twenty-eighth position; note that the University of Florida could have scored much less than 61.7 from World University Rankings. In twenty-seventh position is the University of North Carolina with 64.0. No university that received points from less than three of our rankings couldd score more than 63.7 points: ipso facto, no university that received points from less than three of our rankings could be in our top twenty-seven. Thus we can state our rankings of the top twenty-seven research universities is unambiguous (this is not the same as correct).
HOW THIS WEBSITE'S RANKING OF THE TWENTY-SEVEN BEST AMERICAN RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES COMPARES WITH THE THREE GIVEN RANKINGS AND COMMENTS
Agree
Differ by 1
Differ by 2
Differ by 3
Differ by 4
Differ by 5
Differ by 6-7
Differ by 8-9
Larger Differ- ences
Academic Ranking of World Universities
6
11
0
5
0
1
0
4
None
World University Rankings (London Times)
4
5
4
2
3
1
1
2
10,15, 17, 18, 22
Top American Research Universities
5
4
5
1
3
2
3
2
11,16
The Academic Ranking of World Universities differs from this website's ranking by eight or nine (never by more) for four universities. In all of these four cases, the Academic Ranking of World Universities gives a less favorable ranking. The four universities are Johns Hopkins University, the University of Texas, the University of Southern California, and the University of North Carolina.
The World University Rankings (London Times) differs from this website's ranking by eight or more for seven universities. In six of these cases, the World University Rankings (London Times) gives a less favorable ranking. These six universities are the University of Wisconsin, the University of Washington, Washington University (St. Louis), the University of Southern California, the Pennsylvania State University, and the University of North Carolina. A more favorable ranking is given to the University of Texas.
The Top American Research Universities differs from this website's ranking by eight or more for four universities. In three of these cases, the Top American Research Universities gives a less favorable ranking. These three universities are the California Institute of Technology, Princeton University, and the University of Chicago. A more favorable ranking is given to the University of Southern California.
Note that there is wide disagreement about the University of Southern California (given rankings of 31.5, 55, and 15); our website compromised and gave USC a ranking of 23). There was also wide disagreement about the University of Texas (given rankings of 27, 9, and 18); our website compromised and gave the University of Texas a ranking of 18). In addition, there was also wide disagreement about the University of North Carolinas (given rankings of 35, 42, and 25); our website compromised and gave the University of North Carolina a ranking of 27.
COMMENTS ON OUR RANKING OF AMERICA'S BEST RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES
Most surprising ranking. The World University Rankings (London Times) ranked the University of Massachusetts number 19 among American research universities. None of our other two rankings made mention of the University of Massachusetts.
Universities with the most consistent rankings. Our three rankings thought Harvard was number one; we ranked Harvard number one. Our three rankings thought Cornell was number 10 or number 11; we ranked Cornell number 10. Our three rankings thought the University of Illinois was number 17 or 18; we ranked it number 19.
Number of branches of the University of California in the top forty-one. Five. Berkeley (3), Los Angeles (12), San Diego (16), Davis (31-35), and Santa Barbara (34-41). Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked Irvine number 34 and World University Rankings (London Times) ranked Santa Cruz 54. Let us not forget UCSF, the San Francisco branch of the University of California; this branch is primarily a medical school. Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked UCSF number 14, World University Rankings (London Times) ranked number 11. The Top American Research Universities would have ranked UCSF in the top thirty (we did not run the numbers for medical schools).
The ranking that agrees with this website's ranking of the top five (in the same order). The Academic Ranking of World Universities.
Number of branches of the University of California in the top forty-one. Five. Berkeley (3), Los Angeles (12), San Diego (16), Davis (31-35), and Santa Barbara (34-41). Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked Irvine number 34 and World University Rankings (London Times) ranked Santa Cruz 54. Let us not forget UCSF, the San Francisco branch of the University of California; this branch is primarily a medical school. Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked UCSF number 14, World University Rankings (London Times) ranked number 11. The Top American Research Universities would have ranked UCSF in the top thirty (we did not run the numbers for medical schools).
The ranking that agrees with this website's ranking of the top twenty-three (although not necessarily in their order). This website and the Top American Research Universities agree on the top one and the top twenty-three. This website and the Academic Ranking of World Universities agree on the top one, the top five, and the top seventeen. [London] Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) and this website agree on the top one, the top five, and the top seven.
The research university that ranks number one. Who's Number One? There seems to be no doubt that Harvard is number one.
Research university that ranks number two. Who's Number Two? It is reasonably clear, especially looking at the data given by The Center at the University of Florida, that a medical school taking in big bucks, as many do, will greatly help the ranking of the corresponding university on The Center at the University of Florida ranking. If the Stanford University School of Medicine were ignored, the University of California, Berkeley, which has no medical school, would probably be number two.
The author's opinion of the top eight.I agree that Harvard is number one. I agree that Cal Tech, MIT, Stanford, and UC Berkeley are numbers two through five in some order. I also agree that Yale and Princeton are number six and number seven in some order. I believe that Columbia may be number eight.
THE RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES THAT SCORED ON EXACTLY TWO OF THE THREE RANKINGS USED
UNIVERSITY
AR
LT
UF
Carnegie Mellon
37.0
18
28
U Virginia
43
U Rochester
33.0
32
U Florida
39.0
24
Case Western Reserve
38.0
33
Rutgers
30.0
59
Emory
52
32
Texas A and M
36
35
Ohio State
41.0
30
U Pittsburgh
31.5
37
Tufts
48.0
35
U Utah
47.0
48
World University Rankings (London Times) ranks The University of Alabama 34. From what I have read, including the University of Alabama's website, University of Alabama refers exclusively to the Tuscaloosa campus. The Top American Research Universities ranks the University of Alabama - Birmingham 49; there is a medical school on this campus.
THE RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES THAT SCORED ON EXACTLY ONE OF THE THREE RANKINGS USED