LIVE TRACKER • UPDATED AUGUST 23, 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.

Columbia University
This Week's Leader
214,109
Total Mentions
71%
Avg. Sentiment
20
Universities Tracked

“Columbia University leads university discourse this week with 19,609 mentions. The top 20 universities generated 214,109 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
Columbia University
19,609
79%
94
2
University of Chicago
19,064
78%
91
3
Penn State
18,892
59%
85
4
University of Michigan
18,356
56%
82
5
Harvard University
15,733
73%
78
6
University of Florida
15,276
68%
75
7
UCLA
13,212
70%
68
8
University of Pennsylvania
12,801
69%
66
9
Brown University
10,482
72%
59
10
Stanford University
8,328
71%
51
11
NYU
6,838
75%
47
12
Yale University
6,819
76%
47
13
Ohio State University
6,351
70%
44
14
Duke University
6,086
82%
46
15
Cornell University
4,880
77%
41
16
Johns Hopkins University
4,879
74%
40
17
Princeton University
4,399
74%
38
18
Northwestern University
4,398
80%
40
19
Georgia Tech
3,956
48%
29
20
University of Texas
3,640
76%
36

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: August 23, 2026