UF named Top 10 bargain in Money magazine ranking

The University of Florida jumped into the Top 10 on Money magazine’s 2022 ranking of best colleges in terms of value.

UF move up eight spots from 2021 and landed at No. 8 in “The Best Colleges in America, Ranked by Value.” It was the only Florida institution to be named among the Top 10 in a list that includes over 600 colleges and universities nationwide. Florida State University, by comparison, was ranked at No. 89.

Other schools in the Top 10 included the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

“UF is committed to providing an excellent education that is affordable,” said Chris Hass, UF’s associate provost for academic and faculty affairs. “We are honored that the exceptional quality of our teaching combined with the talents of our students and the success of the graduates are being recognized.”

Money noted 90% of first-time students graduate UF within six years and 64% of them do so without debt.

The financial bargain students obtain at UF is just one of the elements Money considered for this list. To be included, universities and colleges had to reach the median graduation rate for their category, which included public, private and historically black colleges and universities. The ranking also required the university or college to have a higher graduation rate than other institutions of similar size.

Money also considered 24 factors within the categories of quality, outcomes and affordability.

When determining the quality of education provided at an institution, Money considered six-year graduation and value-added graduation rates, while also focusing on transfer student populations and Pell Grant recipients. As for outcomes, Money reviewed the employment data and typical earnings of the institution’s graduates.

To assess affordability, the cost-effectiveness of a university was assessed from both a short- and long-term standpoint, accounting for the net price of a degree, the amount of student loans and other financial factors.