Our machine learning ranks colleges and universities by the scholarly impact of faculty and alumni associated with the schools, degree programs, and disciplines. Here are America’s most influential universities in each state over the last 10 years.
What are the most influential universities in the US? Which schools have had the most profound impact on the academic landscape, and on the world at large? And what exactly makes a university so influential?
True influence is created by innovative professors and elite students, by the individuals who have made lasting contributions to their universities, their professions, and to civilization. The most influential universities throughout history are those whose students, alumni and educators have achieved the greatest degree of influence across the widest range of disciplines and time periods.
AcademicInfluence.com quantifies this influence, using machine learning and human quality control to provide an objective and dynamic ranking of the world’s universities. Our Influence Ranking algorithm ranks universities and colleges based on the influence of the individuals who have taught and learned at each institution. Our ranking engine identifies influential faculty and alumni associated with schools as well as with specific degree programs, departments, and disciplines. Methodology
Generally, the best universities are those that demonstrate a history of impacting various fields of study. Hosting a faculty strong in research and academic activities, and producing alumni who positively impact society, are two central aspects of being a top university or college. This doesn’t necessarily mean that any of these are the best for you. For that, you may need to condsider a host of other factors. Location remains on the top of students’ selection criteria, likely for the cost savings and familiarity with the school. We can help you with more college selection questions.
For a look at the most influential universities in a given discipline, visit our Custom College Ranking tool.
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
72%
Student body
35K
Median SAT/ACT
1200/27
University of Alabama’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
71%
Graduation
81%
Student body
28K
Median SAT/ACT
1240/28
Auburn University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
89%
Graduation
62%
Student body
19K
Median SAT/ACT
1209/26
University of Alabama at Birmingham’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$23K
Acceptance
34%
Graduation
57%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
952/21
Tuskegee University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
84%
Graduation
79%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1150/26
Samford University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
65%
Graduation
38%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1160/22
University of Alaska Fairbanks’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
30%
Student body
8K
University of Alaska Anchorage’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
56%
Graduation
30%
Student body
1K
University of Alaska Southeast’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$21K
Acceptance
96%
Graduation
22%
Student body
<1K
Alaska Pacific University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$5K
Graduation
45%
Student body
<1K
Iḷisaġvik College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
87%
Graduation
64%
Student body
40K
Median SAT/ACT
1220/25
University of Arizona’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
66%
Student body
73K
Median SAT/ACT
1210/24
Arizona State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
59%
Student body
25K
Northern Arizona University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$18K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
45%
Student body
94K
Grand Canyon University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
99%
Graduation
40%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1192/19
Prescott College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
70%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1185/26
University of Arkansas’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$22K
Acceptance
54%
Graduation
67%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1175/25
Harding University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
58%
Graduation
40%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/21
University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
68%
Graduation
73%
Student body
1K
Hendrix College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
49%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1050/23
University of Central Arkansas’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
96%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1495/33
Stanford University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
14%
Graduation
93%
Student body
43K
Median SAT/ACT
1420/32
University of California, Berkeley’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
11%
Graduation
92%
Student body
46K
University of California, Los Angeles’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
4%
Graduation
93%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1555/35
California Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
13%
Graduation
92%
Student body
38K
Median SAT/ACT
1435/32
University of Southern California’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
76%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1265/28
University of Denver’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Acceptance
12%
Graduation
86%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1325/31
United States Air Force Academy’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
14%
Graduation
86%
Student body
2K
Colorado College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
90%
Graduation
69%
Student body
27K
Median SAT/ACT
1175/26
Colorado State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$20K
Acceptance
57%
Graduation
83%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1355/30
Colorado School of Mines’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
5%
Graduation
97%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1520/34
Yale University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
19%
Graduation
91%
Student body
3K
Wesleyan University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
38%
Graduation
85%
Student body
2K
Trinity College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$19K
Acceptance
56%
Graduation
83%
Student body
24K
Median SAT/ACT
1280/29
University of Connecticut’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
41%
Graduation
81%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1380/31
Connecticut College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$15K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
82%
Student body
22K
Median SAT/ACT
1240/27
University of Delaware’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Acceptance
59%
Graduation
31%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
935/16
Wesley College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
59%
Graduation
47%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
910/19
Delaware State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$26K
Acceptance
98%
Graduation
69%
Student body
<1K
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
63%
Graduation
55%
Student body
1K
Goldey–Beacom College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
12%
Graduation
95%
Student body
14K
Median SAT/ACT
1465/33
Georgetown University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
50%
Graduation
84%
Student body
20K
Median SAT/ACT
1360/31
George Washington University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
64%
Graduation
79%
Student body
11K
Median SAT/ACT
1305/29
American University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$29K
Acceptance
35%
Graduation
64%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1195/24
Howard University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
86%
Graduation
74%
Student body
4K
The Catholic University of America’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
30%
Graduation
91%
Student body
48K
Median SAT/ACT
1375/31
University of Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
28%
Graduation
84%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1335/30
University of Miami’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
37%
Graduation
83%
Student body
41K
Median SAT/ACT
1285/29
Florida State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
49%
Graduation
75%
Student body
44K
Median SAT/ACT
1240/27
University of South Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
36%
Graduation
75%
Student body
63K
Median SAT/ACT
1250/27
University of Central Florida’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
13%
Graduation
90%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1455/32
Emory University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$13K
Acceptance
16%
Graduation
92%
Student body
34K
Median SAT/ACT
1450/33
Georgia Tech’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
40%
Graduation
88%
Student body
39K
Median SAT/ACT
1355/31
University of Georgia’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
91%
Graduation
54%
Student body
24K
Median SAT/ACT
1081/21
Georgia Southern University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
100%
Graduation
56%
Student body
34K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/23
Georgia State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$12K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
59%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1175/24
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$6K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
71%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1155/23
Brigham Young University–Hawaii’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$30K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
42%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1065/20
Hawaii Pacific University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$27K
Acceptance
90%
Graduation
66%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1050/20
Chaminade University of Honolulu’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
43%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/19
University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
81%
Graduation
59%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1105/23
University of Idaho’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
54%
Student body
18K
Median SAT/ACT
1120/23
Boise State University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$14K
Acceptance
86%
Graduation
63%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1260/25
New Saint Andrews College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
100%
Graduation
37%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
990/19
Lewis–Clark State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
56%
Graduation
56%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1145/23
College of Idaho’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
6%
Graduation
96%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1535/34