The term “Power 5” refers to the five biggest and most competitive college athletic conferences: the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and Southeastern Conference (SEC). These conferences are often considered to be the most competitive and most powerful in terms of both athletic and academic achievement.
But which Power 5 conference is really the best when it comes to academics? This guide lists all 69 of the Power 5 schools ranked academically.
All 69 of the Power 5 Schools Ranked Academically
The Power 5 has 66 schools as of 2022 and is adding three more (Brigham Young University, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Houston) in time for the 2023 football season.
Since the colleges and universities of the Power 5 are the most well-known schools in the country, we decided to rank them academically, going from #1 all the way down to #69.
That way, you have a simple, easy-to-read list to look at rather than scrolling through the U.S. News rankings and trying to mentally filter out the schools that aren’t in the Power 5.
Having said that, we should note that our rankings differ a bit from U.S. News. That’s because their formula considers a number of factors that we don’t believe greatly influence the academic quality or the education students receive — factors such as alumni giving rates and the percentage of students receiving Pell grants, for instance.
When we rank colleges, we consider only the factors we think actually matter: graduation rate, selectivity in admissions, reputations of individual programs and majors, and student success outcomes.
Here is our list of the Power 5 schools ranked academically from #1 to #69:
- Stanford University
- Duke University
- Northwestern University
- University of California—Los Angeles
- Vanderbilt University
- University of California—Berkeley
- University of Michigan
- University of Virginia
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Georgia Tech
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Southern California
- University of Florida
- The University of Texas at Austin
- Wake Forest University
- Boston College
- University of Wisconsin—Madison
- University of Miami
- University of Washington
- Clemson University
- Brigham Young University
- University of Georgia
- University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign
- University of Maryland—College Park
- Brigham Young University
- University of Pittsburgh
- North Carolina State University
- Texas A&M University
- Florida State University
- Purdue University
- Rutgers University
- Baylor University
- The Ohio State University
- University of Oregon
- University of Minnesota
- Virginia Tech University
- Syracuse University
- Penn State University
- Indiana University
- Michigan State University
- University of Colorado—Boulder
- Auburn University
- University of Tennessee—Knoxville
- University of South Carolina
- University of Iowa
- University of Kansas
- University of Missouri
- Texas Christian University
- University of Alabama
- Iowa State University
- University of Oklahoma
- University of Arizona
- University of Nebraska—Lincoln
- University of Utah
- Arizona State University
- Louisiana State University
- University of Cincinnati
- University of Arkansas
- Oklahoma State University
- University of Houston
- Oregon State University
- Washington State University
- Kansas State University
- University of Mississippi
- University of Kentucky
- Mississippi State University
- Texas Tech University
- University of Louisville
- West Virginia University
Are Power 5 Schools Better Academically Than Other Colleges?
When it comes to colleges and universities, the biggest household names tend to be the schools in the Power 5, because these conferences are where the big-time football and basketball are played.
Even when it comes to academics, more people recognize the so-called “good schools” of the Power 5 more easily than they recognize strong academic schools in smaller conferences (the Ivy League being an obvious exception). For example, everyone knows UCLA, Cal-Berkeley (which sports fans just call “Cal”), and UNC-Chapel Hill. And most people know these are excellent colleges, even people who follow them more for sports than for academics.
But outside of the Ivy League, is it true that the Power 5 schools are the best academically?
According to U.S. News and World Report, which isn’t infallible but is seen as the top authority on college rankings, the Power 5 schools dominate the National University ranking list. Out of the top 20 schools on the list, 14 of them are in the Power 5.
That said, the National Universities list isn’t the only list of excellent colleges in U.S. News. There’s also its list of Top Liberal Arts Colleges, featuring academic powerhouses such as Williams College, Amherst College, Swarthmore College, and Pomona College. None of these schools are in the Power 5 — nor are any other schools classified as liberal arts colleges — yet the top LACs can hold their own academically against any Power 5 school (and most Ivy League schools, for that matter).
Which Power 5 Conference Is the Best for Academics?
The Power 5 conferences cover a wide range on the academic spectrum. Some of the most rigorous, respected, and selective universities in the country are in the Power 5. And then there are schools in Power 5 conferences that, while they certainly offer a solid education to motivated students, aren’t considered prestigious or particularly difficult to get into.
The top-tier academic schools in the Power 5 excel in a variety of majors and programs, and their faculty members are leaders in their respective fields.
As for which conference in the Power 5 has the best academic schools from top to bottom, it’s a close race, but we think the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) comes out on top. The conference is home to four of the top 10 schools on our list (Duke, UVA, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Georgia Tech) and an additional four in the top 20 (Boston College, Wake Forest, UMiami, and Clemson).
And with the exception of Louisville, which nearly brings up the rear on our list, trailed by only West Virginia University, no school in the ACC is ranked below 37th.
Just for fun, if we were to rank all five of the Power 5 conferences against each other academically, we’d probably put them like this:
- ACC
- Big Ten (especially now that they’re taking UCLA and Cal-Berkeley from the Pac-12 — if the UC Board of Regents doesn’t block the move)
- Pac-12
- SEC (though the SEC’s impending addition of UT-Austin combined with the Pac-12’s loss of the two above-named schools might cause these two conferences to switch places after 2023)
- Big 12
Power 5 Schools Academic Rankings: The Bottom Line
The Power 5 has nearly 70 schools and will no doubt continue to grow in the future as money interests drive conference expansion and realignment in athletics.
With so many schools to choose from, you have plenty of options if you want to get a top-notch education but also have a college experience that includes a big-time sports scene.
Remember that the list above is just a guide. Just because one school ranks a few spots (or even many spots) higher than another school doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get a better education at the higher-ranked school. Choosing the right college means picking the school that is best for you, not necessarily the school that is best according to the rankings or the numbers.
