Brandeis University ranking – Introduction
So, you’re thinking about applying to Brandeis University. But, you’re probably curious about how Brandeis compares to other schools. Below, we’ll discuss the Brandeis University ranking in context so you can understand how to use it in your college application process. Brandeis University is a private research university located in Massachusetts, about twenty minutes west of Boston.
When founded in 1948, Brandeis University was sponsored by members of the Jewish community in the area. Founders named Brandeis University after Louis Brandeis, the first Jewish Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Currently, the university has an undergraduate enrollment of 3,591 students (as of Fall 2021) across more than 43 majors. Brandeis rankings put it amongst numerous other very respected institutions of higher education in the US.
Multiple national college rankings sources place the Brandeis ranking high on their list. Keep reading to learn more about the Brandeis University ranking in Forbes, the Brandeis ranking in US News, and the Brandeis ranking in Wall Street Journal. We will also discuss the Brandeis University world ranking, compare the Brandeis ranking to other Boston-area schools, and discuss the reputable sources for national college rankings. But first, let’s go over an overview of the university before diving into the details of Brandeis rankings.
What Brandeis has to offer
Brandeis University is a small, private institution of higher education with a liberal arts focus located in Waltham, Massachusetts. Brandeis offers its students the School of Arts and Sciences for undergraduate studies, as well as four graduate schools. As an undergraduate in the School of Arts and Sciences, you can pick from among 44 majors and 51 minors in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and creative arts. The student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1, so you are very likely to have one-on-one time with professors. The Brandeis University rankings reflect the school’s prestige.
Continue on to learn what the Brandeis University ranking is, how it compares to other Boston-area schools, such as Tufts, and how to use the national college rankings to help create your college list and apply to college.
What is the Brandeis University ranking?
A number of respected sources release their national college rankings each year. From dream schools to safety schools, nearly all colleges receive a ranking by one measure or another. However, the Brandeis University ranking (as is the case with most national college rankings) may differ depending on what source you are looking at. So, there are no definitive Brandeis University ratings. Additionally, there are various sites that publish college rankings, and they often assign different ranks to schools on the same college list. Below, we’ll go over three of the most trusted sources for national college rankings to see how each of them places the Brandeis University ranking.
Brandeis University ranking in Forbes
Forbes, a business magazine, publishes its issues only eight times a year. The Forbes college rankings are released annually, ranking the top 500 colleges in the nation. The variables that are factored into the Forbes college rankings include alumni salary, debt, graduation rate, return on investment, and the Forbes American Leaders list. This year’s Brandeis University ranking in Forbes is #121 on the list of Top Colleges in 2023. However, Brandeis rankings differ from other Forbes college rankings lists. For example, Forbes ranks Brandeis at #67 in Private Colleges, #87 in Research Universities, and #51 in the Northeast.
Brandeis ranking in US News
US News is another trusted publication that releases national college rankings each year. The most popular US News college rankings is their Best National Universities list. Factors included in the US News college rankings include graduation and retention rates, social mobility, graduation rate performance, undergraduate academic reputation, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources per student, average alumni giving rate, and graduate indebtedness. The current Brandeis ranking in US News in Best National Universities is #44. US News college rankings also put Brandeis at #54 for Best Undergraduate Teaching, #41 in Best Value Schools, and more.
Brandeis ranking in Wall Street Journal
Finally, the Wall Street Journal is a highly respected newspaper that publishes annual national college rankings. The Wall Street Journal college rankings explore a school’s resources, student engagement, outcomes, and the school environment. This year, Wall Street Journal college rankings placed Brandeis at #223 in the nation, and #8 in its list of Top 10 Colleges in the Boston Area.
For more specific information on Brandeis University rankings by program, check out their webpage.
Brandeis University world ranking
According to US News college rankings, Brandeis University world rankings place it at #409 in Best Global Universities. Thirteen indicators were used to calculate Brandeis’ overall Best Global Universities rank: the global score, global research reputation, publications, books, conferences, normalized citation impact, total citations, number of publications that are among the 10% most cited, percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited, international collaboration, number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited, and the percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited.
The Brandeis University ranking of normalized citation impact is #36 globally, their global score is 54.2, and the Brandeis University ranking of the percentage of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited is #89. Additionally, in 2020, the Financial Times Brandeis University ranking for the World’s Top Master’s in Finance Programs was #46.
The Brandeis University world ranking is tied with Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea, University of Bath in the United Kingdom, and University of Nebraska Lincoln in the US. As the Brandeis University rankings indicate, Brandeis is an esteemed school both in the United States and worldwide.
Is Brandeis University an Ivy League school?
In short, Brandeis University is not an Ivy League School. There are only eight Ivy League colleges in the United States: Harvard University, Princeton University, Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University. Furthermore, all of the Ivy League schools are located in the northeastern region of the country.
So, what makes a school an Ivy League? The term “Ivy League” refers specifically to schools in the Ivy League collegiate athletic conference, which was formed in 1954. Nowadays, however, saying a school is in the Ivy League implies that the school is of the highest caliber in terms of academic excellence, acceptance selectivity, and elitism.
The majority of the Ivy League schools were founded during the US colonial period before the American Revolution. Ivy League schools are considered to be some of the most prestigious universities in the world. Unsurprisingly, all eight Ivies are consistently ranked high in US News college rankings list of Best National Universities. Recall that the Brandeis University ranking by US News is #44. Additionally, all of the Ivy League schools are members of the Association of American Universities, the most prestigious alliance of research universities in the nation. Ivy League schools are also known for having large financial endowments.
Although Brandeis is not a member of the Ivy League, it is still a highly lauded school. The Brandeis University ranking of #44 is very respectable.
Brandeis University ranking vs. other Boston area schools
We can look at the Brandeis ratings to see how it compares to other Boston area universities. Similar to national college rankings, Brandeis University ratings will vary by source. CollegeAdvisor is an excellent resource to quickly and easily find ratings for all the schools on your college list. So, let’s take a look at a few comparable Boston area schools: Boston College, Boston University, and Tufts University. The table below outlines how the Brandeis University ratings compare to other colleges in Boston. We will use CollegeAdvisor as the source for school ratings and the ranking data will come from US News college rankings.
Brandeis vs. Other Boston Area Schools
| SCHOOL | OVERALL RATING | SCORES HIGHEST IN | SCORES LOWEST IN | National Universities Ranking |
| Brandeis University | A | Academics & Diversity (A+) | Campus (D+) | #44 |
| Boston College | A+ | Academics & Athletics (A+) | Party Scene (A-) | #36 |
| Boston University | A+ | Academics, Diversity, & Value (A+) | Campus (B+) | #41 |
| Tufts University | A+ | Academics & Value (A+) | Athletics (B) | #32 |
Looking at the overall statistics, Brandeis University ratings are very comparable to other Boston area schools. In the area of Academics, Brandeis University is on par with other major Boston area colleges, receiving an A+ rating from CollegeAdvisor.com. In the area of Diversity, Brandeis is comparable to Boston University, with both schools receiving an A+ in this area. In fact, the only major difference between Brandeis and other Boston area schools is the campus. CollegeAdvisor gives the Brandeis campus just a D+ rating.
However, all in all, Brandeis is comparable to other major Boston-area schools such as Boston College and Boston University. So, any student would be lucky to attend Brandeis University! For resources on how to get into Brandeis University, check out CollegeAdvisor’s articles on the Brandeis Supplemental Essays and the How To Get Into Brandeis Guide.
Which Brandeis University rankings can I trust?
With all the different sources for college rankings out there producing different Brandeis University rankings, which should you trust? The Brandeis ranking could be #44 on one list and #112 on another.
Although Brandeis University rankings vary from source to source, you can generally trust the most popular sources for national college rankings. We’ve discussed a few in this article (Forbes college rankings, US News college rankings, and Wall Street Journal college rankings), but there are others that use different methodologies to create their college lists. So, which Brandeis University rankings can you trust? In short, you can trust any Brandeis ranking that 1) comes from a reputable source and 2) publishes its methodologies publically.
All three sources we discussed in this article publish their selection criteria, data collection, and overall methodologies used in the creation of their national college rankings lists. Read through each of these methodologies to determine how much weight you will give that list. If certain factors are important to you (for example, post-grad salary) but those factors are not included in the ranking process, you should look for a different ranking source. Remember, stay open-minded. College rankings should not be the main factor in creating your college list.
For more support in your college search, check out CollegeAdvisor’s three-part College Finder Series. These articles guide students through their college search, show how to create their college list, and help students make a decision on which college to ultimately attend. After a student has been accepted to a school, there are even guides on the college enrollment process. CollegeAdvisor is here to help students every step of the way.
Exploring the recent Brandeis ranking drop
The Brandeis University ranking in US News has dropped in the past five years. As you may recall, the Brandeis ranking in US News is #44 this year. In previous US News rankings, it was ranked at #42, tied with Boston University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
The Brandeis University ranking in 2020 was at #40, tied again with Boston University, Northeastern University, Tulane, Case Western Reserve University, and the College of William and Mary.
In 2019, Brandeis was ranked even higher at #35, tied with the Georgia Institute of Technology. The highest Brandeis University ranking was in 2014 when it was ranked at #32 for Best National Universities, 12 spots higher than the 2021 ranking of #44.
You may be wondering if the slip in Brandeis University ranking over the years is any indication of a decline in the quality of education a student can receive at the school. In short, no. Media sources that publish national college rankings often tweak their formulas, resulting in slightly different rankings for the same school over the years. This is why we recommend reading the publicly available methodologies so you can understand how each source comes up with their rankings, and thereby examine your options with a broader context to make the best decision for you.
Changes to methodologies may include a difference in how variables are weighted, which factors are being favored over others, and why. Understanding this will help you better fully understand the Brandeis University rankings.
This article was written by Ciara Ayala. CollegeAdvisor.com’s network of 300+ Admissions Experts (and former admissions officers) includes graduates from top universities. Create your free account or schedule a free advising consultation by calling (844) 576-0953.