Drew Dixon
In updated rankings released this month, U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Florida as a top 10 public university.
The school is now ranked No. 6.
Gator Country has been climbing steadily in national rankings in the past few years. It’s the fourth year in a row UF has seen its U.S. News & World Report ranking increase.
That trend started in 2017 when UF was ranked No. 14 on the list. UF is the only university in the Sunshine State to make the top 10 and was tied at sixth with the University of California, Santa Barbara.
California universities accounted for five of the schools listed in the U.S. News & World Report top 10 list and was the only state with more than one school in the top rankings.
One of the main reasons UF saw its ranking increase was because the school reduced the student-to-faculty ratio, which now stands at 17 students for every faculty member on the Gainesville campus. That figure was 21 students to every faculty member just four years ago.
Out of all the undergraduate classes offered at UF, only 10% have 50 or more students in a classroom.
“By nearly every measure, UF is continuing to make gains, and I’m thankful to the elected leaders, faculty, staff and supporters of the university who have made that possible,” said UF President Kent Fuchs. “We have momentum, focus and hard work on our side, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this university.”
Meanwhile, Florida State tied for 19th among public universities with the University of Maryland, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Washington, after being ranked 18th last year. FSU was tied for 58th among national universities.
Sally McRorie, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said FSU improved in criteria such as class sizes and the graduation rate of students who receive Pell Grants, which provide financial help to low-income families.
“We continue to make investments to ensure our students have a world-class learning experience, and reducing class sizes helps our students have engaging, active classroom experiences,” McRorie said.
The University of South Florida tied for 46th among public universities, while the University of Central Florida tied for 77th and Florida International University was in a tie for No. 95. Florida A&M University, meanwhile, touted that it was the highest-ranked historically black public school in the country, coming in at an overall ranking of No. 117.
“It is a statement about a joint effort between our Board (of Trustees) and the President (Larry Robinson) to establish and stick with key priorities,” Florida A&M board Chairman Kelvin Lawson said in a prepared statement. “We want to continue to push the envelope and focus on ongoing improvement in our operating model.”
Among national universities, the University of Miami was tied for 49th, the second-highest ranking in the state behind UF. The University of South Florida was ranked in a tie for No. 103.
The top five national universities, in order of ranking, were Princeton University, Harvard University, Columbia University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University, which were tied.
Here’s the complete list of top 10 public universities according to U.S. News & World Report:
1. University of California, Los Angeles
2. University of California, Berkeley
3. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
4. University of Virginia
5. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
6. University of Florida *
6. University of California, Santa Barbara *
8. Georgia Institute of Technology *
8. University of California, Irvine *
8. University of California, San Diego *
*Tie
___
The News Service of Florida contributed to this post.
