- The University of Florida dropped from No. 7 to No. 8 among national public universities in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
- UF has remained in the top 10 public universities since 2017, reaching as high as the top 5 in 2022.
- Other top public universities include UC Berkeley and UCLA tied at No. 1, with UF tied at No. 8 alongside UT Austin and others.
After spending two consecutive years at No. 7, the University of Florida fell one spot to No. 8 among national public universities in U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 rankings, which were released Tuesday.
Despite the slip, UF remains among the nation’s top 10 public universities dating back to 2017, when it jumped from No. 14 to No. 9 in U.S. News’ 2018 rankings.
Since then, UF has steadily moved up, eventually reaching the top 5 in the 2022 rankings. For the past two years, UF has held steady at No. 7.
“For 10 consecutive years, the University of Florida has been recognized among the nation’s top public universities,” Mori Hosseini, chair of the UF Board of Trustees, said in a press release. “There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind now that this is where UF belongs, and even greater things are coming. That kind of consistency is the result of the hard work of our faculty, staff and students, the support of our Legislature and our governor and a shared commitment to making UF better every year. We are proud of how far this university has come, and we are not slowing down.”
UF President Stuart Bell echoed Hosseini’s thoughts.
“This 10-year milestone is a reflection of the sustained excellence happening across the University of Florida, from classroom and laboratory to the communities and industries we serve,” Bell said. “We are building a university that is not only among the nation’s best, but one that is increasingly defining what a great public university can accomplish.”
The top eight public schools on the 2027 Best Colleges list had the University of California-Berkeley and the University of California-Los Angeles tied at No. 1. The University of Michigan came in at No. 3, the University of Virginia at No. 4 and the University of North Carolina at No. 5. The Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of California- San Diego tied for No. 6.
UF tied for No. 8 with the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin); the University of California, Davis (UC Davis); the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine); the University of Illinois; and the University of Wisconsin.
The six universities, along with Boston and Wake University, also tied for No. 34 among public and private schools. Last year, UF tied with UT Austin for No. 30 among public and private universities.
According to the release, U.S. News & World Report assesses universities based on a variety of factors, “including graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity and financial resources.”
Here’s how other prominent Florida public universities ranked on the 2027 list.
- No. 21: Florida State University
- No. 46: Florida International University
- No. 46: University of South Florida
- No. 58: University of Central Florida
- No. 79: Florida A&M University
- No. 99: Florida Atlantic University
The latest rankings from U.S. News and World Report come nearly a month after TIME Magazine ranked UF No. 4 among public universities. Florida also ranked No. 9 among public universities in Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges” list published this month.
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.