For the second straight year, the University of Florida slipped one spot in the U.S. News and World Report’s top national public universities rankings released Tuesday from No. 6 to No. 7.
Last year, UF was ranked No. 6 by U.S. News and World Report’s top national public universities in September 2023 after back-to-back No. 5 rankings in 2022 and 2021. It marks the seventh year in a row UF has been ranked in the top 10. Florida was No. 6 in 2020, No. 7 in 2019 and No. 9 in 2018 after being No. 14 in 2017.
UF, tied for No. 7 with the University of Texas-Austin among public universities and tied with New York University for No. 30 among public and private schools falling two spots from 2024’s No. 28 ranking and No. 101 in best value schools. The ranking includes 436 universities in the country out of 207 private, 225 public and four for-profit institutions.
According to U.S. News, the report ranks nearly 1,500 U.S. bachelor’s degree-granting institutions on 17 measures of academic quality that include graduation and retention rates, affordability, student access to quality instructors, teacher-to-student ratios, borrower debt, faculty salaries and financial resources per student.
In the U.S. News’ overview of UF on its website, it states, “The school has well-regarded graduate programs through the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, Warrington College of Business, Levin College of Law and the College of Medicine. The university is also integrated with retirement community Oak Hammock, where students can work, complete internships and find mentors. Famous graduates of the University of Florida include home repair television sensation Bob Vila, Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier and former U.S. Sens. Bob Graham and Connie Mack.”
Earlier this month, UF fell from No. 1 to No. 34 in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ)rankings among public universities. After topping the public universities list and ranking No. 15 overall in last year’s WSJ 2024 report, UF slipped to No. 34 for public universities and No. 83 overall.
The WSJ report came out a week after Forbes magazine named UF the No. 4 public university in the nation, a three-spot rise from 2023.
The latest rankings come amid leadership changes at UF, starting with former President Ben Sasse’s abrupt resignation in July after only 17 months on the job. Sasse cited his wife’s ongoing health challenges, including a recent epilepsy diagnosis, as the reason for his departure, but he also had a strained relationship with UF Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini. One of the issues was reportedly how much emphasis to place on national rankings.