Which Florida universities made U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings?
According to U.S. News & World Report’s latest Best Colleges rankings, fewer high school graduates nationwide are heading to college — just 63 percent today, compared to 70 percent a decade ago. But Florida universities are still jockeying for position in the annual report, which was released this week.
Five Florida universities made the top 100 nationally, including Florida International University, which cracked the list for the first time last year. There weren’t many surprises in the public university rankings this year: University of Florida held its spot in the top 10 in spite of a tumultuous presidential search. Most of the other public universities held the same positions as last year as well. But the biggest shift was at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, which dropped 11 spots from last year.
There are various measurements that determine the rankings, with one of the key measures being graduation rates. The rankings also look at first-year retention rates, borrower debt, faculty salaries, student-faculty ratio, standardized test scores, peer assessment and more.
The U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges report has been releasing rankings of the best colleges since the 1980s, and each year, it is a time when universities celebrate their successes and reflect on their challenges.
For many families and students, the U.S. News & World Report rankings are important for deciding what school is the most suitable, but there has been criticism in the past regarding the methodology Here is how Florida schools are faring:
Florida universities in the national university rankings
Several Florida universities landed in the top 100 of U.S. News & World Report’s National Universities list:
University of Florida —30th
Florida State University — 51st (up three spots)
University of Miami — 64th (down one spot)
University of South Florida — 88th (up three spots)
Florida International University — 97th (up one spot)
Florida universities in public university rankings
When you focus on just public universities, Florida has seven schools in the top 100:
University of Florida – 7th
Florida State University – 21st (up two spots)
University of South Florida – 43rd (up two spots)
Florida International University – 46th
University of Central Florida – 57th (Up four spots)
Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University – 92nd (down 11 spots)
Florida Atlantic University – 100th (Up three spots)
Note: It is the 8th consecutive year that the University of Florida was named in the top 10 public universities in the nation.
Other notable Florida rankings:
Miami Dade College was named 16th in the Regional Colleges South category.
UF ranked 24th nationally for its undergraduate business program.
UF’s doctoral program in engineering placed 32nd nationally.
FIU was rated first in the nation for social mobility, which measures how well colleges serve students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly those who receive federal Pell Grants.
Florida does not have any liberal arts colleges ranked in the top 100. In 2023, New College was ranked 100 among national liberal arts colleges, and then in 2024 its ranking fell to 122.
In a separate measure, Florida ranked 30th nationwide for how well student borrowers are able to repay loans. U.S. News calculated this using six indicators: average debt per borrower, average personal income, hiring growth, unemployment rates, delinquency rates, and price parity.
Florida’s top public high schools
A number of South Florida schools made the Top 10 Public High Schools in Florida list:
Miami-Dade:
Archimedean Upper Conservatory Charter School — 3rd
Jose Marti Mast 6-12 Academy — 7th
Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST@FIU) — 8th
Design and Architecture Senior High (DASH) — 10th
Broward:
Millennium 6-12 Collegiate Academy — 4th
STEM high schools:
Nationally, Archimedean Upper Conservatory Charter School ranked 49th and MAST@FIU ranked 74th for public high schools which focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
