LIVE TRACKER • UPDATED OCTOBER 18, 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
382,066
Total Mentions
71%
Avg. Sentiment
20
Universities Tracked

“Harvard University leads university discourse this week with 50,425 mentions. The top 20 universities generated 382,066 total mentions with an average sentiment score of 71.”

University Rankings

Ranked by mention volume in online discourse

Rank
University
Mentions
Sentiment
Buzz Score
1
Harvard University
50,425
89%
97
2
University of Michigan
29,306
66%
60
3
University of Chicago
28,311
76%
62
4
Columbia University
26,031
74%
58
5
University of Florida
25,940
75%
59
6
UCLA
21,525
60%
48
7
Penn State
21,118
43%
42
8
Brown University
20,234
78%
51
9
University of Pennsylvania
18,967
73%
48
10
Stanford University
16,287
77%
46
11
NYU
13,891
66%
39
12
Yale University
10,949
74%
37
13
Ohio State University
10,918
75%
38
14
Cornell University
10,731
59%
33
15
Duke University
10,560
81%
39
16
University of Texas
10,435
87%
41
17
Princeton University
9,509
75%
36
18
MIT
8,926
74%
35
19
Johns Hopkins University
8,452
73%
34
20
Georgia Tech
8,061
50%
26

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.

Track Any Brand or Institution

Get the same insights for your company, competitors, or any topic. Flogent tracks sentiment across news, AI systems, and public discourse.

Data updates weekly. Last update: October 18, 2026