U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings of universities provided Florida schools with an assortment of bragging rights, with the University of South Florida, University of Florida and Florida State University posting top marks.
USF reached an all-time high at No. 88 overall and No. 43 among public universities, while UF held steady at No. 7 among publics, and FSU earned its highest-ever overall ranking at No. 51.
USF's climb in the rankings is part of a decade-long surge. USF President Rhea Law said, “The latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report are yet another indication of the University of South Florida’s growing reputation for academic quality and groundbreaking research, and for making a meaningful difference in the lives of our students, the Tampa Bay region, and the state of Florida.”
RANKINGS: See U.S. News’ 2026 rankings of colleges and universities
USF was also ranked No. 12 for “best value” among public universities nationwide, helping to attract a record number of applications for first-time-in-college students in 2025. Other notable rankings include No. 17 for social mobility, No. 19 for most innovative school in the nation, and No. 42 for best colleges for veterans.
Florida was rated the top state school on the list. It ranked nationally at No. 7 among public universities and No. 30 overall among all public and private universities.
Administrators welcomed this year’s stable ranking after a rocky stretch of leadership. The State University System’s Board of Governors blocked Santa Ono’s appointment as president amid political opposition after the brief tenure of former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, who resigned amid criticism over spending and falling rankings. Donald Landry was approved as interim president this month.
“UF’s standing reflects a decade of concerted effort, supported by historic state investment and federal research funding, leading to stronger student outcomes, inspired research accomplishments and ever-greater impact on the economy of Florida,” Landry said in a statement. “Our future is one of thriving students, groundbreaking research and signal service to our state, because fortune favors the bold.”
Florida State rose two spots to No. 21 among public institutions and earned its highest-ever overall ranking among national universities at No. 51.
“Achieving the highest overall ranking in our university’s history reflects our commitment to academic excellence, student success, and impactful research,” FSU president Richard McCullough said in a statement. “These rankings affirm that we are moving in the right direction and inspire us to reach even greater heights.”
Florida Polytechnic University, with its focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics curricula, continues to impress in its young history. In its 11th year, the Lakeland school was first among southern public schools for the fifth consecutive year.
Florida Poly also ranked No. 3 for best value among southern public schools, combining academic performance and affordability, and was listed among the top 30 public engineering programs without a Ph.D.
“These remarkable rankings reflect the dedication of our faculty and staff, as well as the talent and determination of our students,” Provost Brad Thiessen said in a statement. “Being recognized once again among the very best is evidence of the strong, innovative curriculum and supportive learning environment that define Florida Poly.”
U.S. News ranked schools in a variety of categories, including by region, value, historical black college and universities, innovation and social mobility.
The latter looked at the ability to enroll, retain and graduate students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and help them find career success. This is often measured by the grad rates for students who receive Pell Grants.
Other Florida public universities on the list:
- New College of Florida in Sarasota dropped to No. 135 among all liberal arts colleges but remained in the top 10 among public liberal arts colleges. It ranked No. 101 for social mobility.
- Florida A&M University in Tallahassee dropped slightly to No. 5 among HBCUs, ranking No. 92 among all public schools and No. 169 overall. It remained the top-ranked public HBCU in the nation.
- University of Central Florida in Orlando jumped four spots to No. 57 among publics and No. 117 overall.
- Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton climbed to No. 100 among public universities and No. 183 overall. It was also rated No. 30 for social mobility, reflecting its support for first-generation and low-income students.
- University of West Florida in Pensacola surged nine spots to No. 9 among overall southern schools and improved from No. 10 to No. 6 among public southern schools.
- Florida International University in Miami held steady at No. 46 among public universities and rose to No. 97 overall. It also ranked first in social mobility among national universities.
Rankings involving some of the private schools in Florida included:
- University of Tampa was rated 13th in the South and 34th among best-value schools.
- Florida Southern College in Lakeland ranked No. 11 in the South and No. 24 among best-value schools.
- Eckerd College in St. Petersburg was ranked 135th out of 207 national liberal arts colleges.
- Rollins College in Winter Park was the top-ranked private regional university in the South, placing second among 133 schools in its category.
- Saint Leo University ranked 117th for social mobility among national universities.
- University of Miami ranked No. 64 nationally and 19th in lowest acceptance rates.
- Florida College in Temple Terrace was 46th among South schools.
Princeton remained the best school nationally, followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard.
Here's the Florida top 10 and where they placed nationally:
- Florida, 30th
- Florida State, 51st
- University of Miami, 64th
- USF, 88th
- Florida International, 97th
- UCF, 117th
- Florida A&M, 169th
- Florida Atlantic, 183rd
- North Florida, 222nd
- Florida Tech, 232nd
STATE SCHOOLS: Here's the U.S. News ranking of all Florida colleges and universities
Serving as a guide for prospective students and their families, the rankings evaluate nearly 1,700 colleges and universities using up to 17 measures of academic quality. In a show of continued excellence, eight of the top-ranked schools in the 10 categories retained their No. 1 position, with the remaining two finishing a strong second.
Core methodology and weighting factors remained the same this year, but small portions of underlying data were adjusted to reflect evolving admissions considerations, cohort representation and student involvement, U.S. News explained.
