LIVE TRACKER • UPDATED OCTOBER 4, 2026

Most Talked About Universities

Live tracking of which universities are dominating online discourse this week, based on mention volume across news, blogs, and social platforms.

Harvard University
This Week's Leader
251,278
Total Mentions
63%
Avg. Sentiment
20
Universities Tracked

“Harvard University leads university discourse this week with 38,127 mentions. The top 20 universities generated 251,278 total mentions with an average sentiment score of 63.”

University Rankings

Ranked by mention volume in online discourse

Rank
University
Mentions
Sentiment
Buzz Score
1
Harvard University
38,127
90%
97
2
University of Florida
20,946
70%
59
3
Columbia University
19,896
70%
58
4
University of Michigan
15,787
59%
47
5
University of Chicago
15,077
67%
48
6
UCLA
14,899
47%
41
7
Penn State
13,554
48%
39
8
Stanford University
11,588
76%
44
9
Cornell University
10,972
30%
29
10
University of Pennsylvania
10,874
70%
41
11
Brown University
9,382
59%
35
12
Johns Hopkins University
7,714
65%
34
13
NYU
7,442
59%
31
14
Yale University
6,377
70%
33
15
Ohio State University
6,272
74%
34
16
MIT
6,038
70%
32
17
Duke University
5,975
76%
34
18
Georgia Tech
5,811
47%
25
19
Princeton University
4,914
69%
30
20
Northwestern University
4,799
73%
31

Buzz Score = 70% mention volume + 30% positive sentiment. Data refreshed weekly.

What's Driving the Conversation

Top themes in university discourse

Research & Innovationpositive
35%
Sports & Athleticsmixed
25%
Admissions & Rankingsmixed
20%
Campus Newsneutral
12%
Policy & Politicsmixed
8%

Methodology

This tracker monitors online discourse about major universities across multiple sources:

Mention Volume

We track mentions across news articles, organizational websites, and high-quality blogs. Volume is counted over a rolling 7-day window to capture current discourse momentum.

Sentiment Analysis

Each mention is analyzed for sentiment (positive, negative, or neutral). The sentiment score represents the percentage of positive mentions out of all sentiment-bearing mentions.

Buzz Score

A composite metric combining mention volume (70% weight) and positive sentiment (30% weight), normalized to a 0-100 scale. This rewards universities that are both widely discussed and positively perceived.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often is this data updated?

The tracker is updated weekly. Our systems collect fresh data every Sunday to capture the previous week's discourse.

Why isn't my university on the list?

We currently track the top 25 most prominent universities in the US. We plan to expand coverage over time. Contact us if you'd like to see a specific school added.

What counts as a "mention"?

A mention is counted when a university is referenced in a news article, blog post, or organizational webpage. We filter for high-quality sources to ensure meaningful data.

Can I track my university or compare schools?

Yes! Flogent's Brand Perception Analysis can track any organization, including universities. Contact us for custom tracking solutions.

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Data updates weekly. Last update: October 4, 2026