Although U.S. News & World Report has ranked Florida No. 1 for higher education for more than a decade, this year’s Best Colleges rankings show some significant losses — and one big gain.
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Nearly every Florida public university, including the University of Central Florida, fell in the rankings among public colleges and among all universities.
But Florida A&M University rose 13 spots among public universities, from No. 92 to No. 79. Florida A&M also rose 13 spots in the overall rankings, to No. 156. It dropped one spot among historically Black colleges and universities to No. 6, tying with Hampton University.
“The U.S. News and World Report ranking reflects the extraordinary momentum taking place across Florida A&M University,” President Marva Johnson said in a statement. “Moving 13 places to No. 79 and rising to the Top 80 among the nation’s public universities is a meaningful achievement, but it is also a reflection of the determination of our faculty, staff and students to pursue excellence in everything we do.”
Florida Atlantic University rose one spot to No. 99 among public universities. Every other Florida public university listed fell.
The University of Florida dropped one spot to No. 8 in the public rankings, after having reached the top five in recent years. This year, it tied with the University of Texas; the University of California, Davis; the University of California, Irvine; the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; and the University of Wisconsin.
It also fell four spots to No. 34 among all public and private universities, tying with the same public schools along with Boston University and Wake Forest University.
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The University of South Florida fell three spots to No. 46 among public universities, tying with Auburn University, the University of Iowa and Florida International University, which kept its spot from last year.
Florida State University also fell three spots to No. 24, UCF fell one spot to No. 58 and the University of North Florida fell six spots to No. 128.
Nearly every Florida public university fell in the overall ranking. FSU fell eight spots to No. 59. USF fell 12 spots to No. 100, tying with a handful of schools, including FIU, which dropped three spots. UCF fell four spots to No. 121. FAU fell eight spots to No. 191. UNF fell 14 spots to No. 236.
New College of Florida in Sarasota, undergoing a conservative remake by the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis, dropped 15 spots to No. 150. It fell 13 spots last year and 22 the year before.
This year, the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Los Angeles tied at No. 1 for best public university. The University of Michigan, the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill slotted into third, fourth and fifth spots.
Among liberal arts colleges, the private Rollins College in Winter Park was named the No. 1 liberal arts college in Florida and ranked No. 74 among national liberal arts colleges.
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