Gov. Ron DeSantis visited the University of Florida on Monday, where he touted the institution’s academic successes, as well as the state’s achievements, in higher education.
DeSantis gave his praises during a press conference at Emerson Alumni Hall, where a crowd mixed with university and state leaders listened to him discuss everything from school rankings and achievements to the state’s commitment to keeping tuition costs low.
“We’re here today for a very simple reason. For 10 years in a row, Florida has been ranked No. 1 in public higher education in the United States,” DeSantis said, referencing recent rankings by U.S. News & World Report.
In speaking on the No. 1 public higher education ranking, DeSantis noted how Florida has been able to keep in-state tuition costs level.
For 2025-26, the average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduate Florida residents is $6,093.
“I’ve been a big supporter of the Bright Futures Scholarship Program,” he said. “If you’re somebody who is a Florida high school student, Florida resident, and you get into the University of Florida, chances are…you qualify for Bright Futures, or you certainly have the chance to if you meet some of the other nonacademic criteria. And that gives you 100% tuition, or 75%, depending on the level that you’re doing.”
DeSantis said even if a resident ends up having to pay some tuition costs, it is “manageable”, adding that there isn’t really a need to take out loans to attend any of the state’s universities.
“Right now, 77% of undergraduates in Florida are loan-free, and that continues to be one of the things that I really enjoyed being a part of,” DeSantis said.
As for Florida’s colleges, the state has a record-breaking seven institutions that placed in the top 100 public universities nationwide, according to 2026 rankings by U.S. News & World Report. This includes UF (No. 7), Florida State University (No. 21), University of South Florida (No. 43), Florida International University (No. 46), University of Central Florida (No. 57), Florida A&M University (No. 92) and Florida Atlantic University (No. 100).
UF’s No. 7 ranking is the same as last year, making it the eighth year in a row that UF has been ranked in the top 10 among national public universities.
UF tied with the University of Texas-Austin at No. 7 among the top public universities in the 2026 rankings. The two institutions also tied for No. 30 among all universities, including public and private.
According to a press release from the Governor’s Press Office, UF is also the No. 1 public university in the country “for graduating students on time, providing the lowest net cost, and impacting salary performance after graduation by the Wall Street Journal.”
DeSantis noted that UF has been the state’s top-ranked university for “many, many years,” adding, “I think that’s only going to get better.”
Dr. Donald Landry, who recently became UF’s new interim president, spoke on the university’s rise in the rankings.
“We’ve been moving up,” he said while addressing the audience. “We’ve been oscillating around five to seven. The fact that we oscillate, the fact that we might have two years in a row at seven, is just an indication that this is not solitaire. It’s actually hard work at every level in the continuum, from one to 100.”
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.