U.S. News ranks Florida Poly No. 1 public college in region for second year

Image via Florida Poly.

Florida Polytechnic University is holding the No. 1 spot among Southern public colleges in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 Best Colleges List. This is the second year in a row the university earned the top rank.

Colleges that qualify for this 2022-23 Best Colleges List must focus on undergraduate education, but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines. The colleges are then ranked and split into four regions: North, South, Midwest and West.

Florida Poly ranked third among all top colleges in the Southern region of the U.S., including both public and private schools. It was bested only by two private institutions — High Point University in North Carolina and Flagler College in St. Augustine.

“We are proud U.S. News is once again recognizing Florida Poly as an excellent provider of core STEM education at a great value,” said Randy K. Avent, Florida Poly’s President. “Our leading-edge curriculum and deliberately small classes are a proven combination to support student success. The outstanding achievements of our students and alumni in industry and beyond are solid proof.”

Nationally, Florida Poly ranked No. 28 among public engineering programs without a Ph.D., among 230 public and private institutions.

The university also ranked as the No. 1 best college in the region for veterans and No. 2 among schools in the region whose students graduate with the least student debt. Florida Poly was recognized as one of the Top 30 best value schools in the region, factoring academic quality and cost after total expenses and financial aid.

“As Florida Poly’s reputation as a top STEM university continues to grow, people across the country increasingly are taking notice,” said Ben Matthew Corpus, vice provost for enrollment management at the university.

“Students and parents are looking for quality, in-demand degrees that will prepare graduates for lifetime employability and exceptional careers, but they also want affordability. Our modest tuition, together with financial aid and scholarships, is very attractive for many highly talented students who want to succeed as high-tech professionals.”

Florida Poly continues to garner momentum and growth, with the fall 2022 class of incoming students as the most academically talented in the school’s history. First-time-in-college applications increased 31% this year, and have risen 101% since 2019.