ORLANDO, Fla. – WalletHub has released its latest report ranking the best universities and colleges across the nation, revealing which institutions in the Sunshine State place among the most elite.
The University of Florida ranks No. 25 overall in the rankings, leading a group of Florida institutions listed in the report’s regional results. Florida State University is the state’s next-highest national finisher, at No. 48.
The rankings draft compares nearly 740 U.S. institutions using 30 measures grouped into several categories, including costs, faculty resources, campus safety, and educational outcomes.
Florida’s top-ranked schools
The University of Florida earned an overall score of 74.44 and ranked seventh in the Southern region of the U.S. as a whole.
Florida State University, meanwhile, scored 71.64, putting it 11th regionally.
Three more Florida universities landed in the national top 125: the University of Miami at No. 124, the University of South Florida at No. 157 and the University of Central Florida at No. 177.
Full Florida rankingNat’l RankFlorida College/UniversityScoreBest Category25University of Florida74.44Educational Outcomes48Florida State University71.64Educational Outcomes124University of Miami63.55Student Selectivity157University of South Florida61.45Student Selectivity177University of Central Florida60.81Campus Safety191Florida A&M University60.29Cost & Financing215Florida Polytechnic University59.51Career Outcomes240Florida International University58.83Cost & Financing246University of North Florida58.57Cost & Financing269Florida Southern College57.80Campus Experience293Rollins College57.11Student Selectivity308Stetson University56.78Faculty Resources365University of West Florida55.87Cost & Financing425Florida Atlantic University54.88Campus Safety428Jacksonville University54.85Campus Safety445Eckerd College54.56Campus Experience453Nova Southeastern University54.14Campus Safety490Florida Institute of Technology53.33Campus SafetyWhat the rankings measure
The report says it weighs both the college experience and outcomes after attendance, recognizing that price is only one part of a school’s value. Its listed categories include:
Student Selectivity — Includes admission rates; ACT/SAT scores; and share of freshman in top 10% of high school graduating class.
Cost & Financing — Includes net cost; availability of employment services for students; and student-loan debt.
Faculty Resources — Includes student-faculty ratios; average class size; share of full-time professors among full-time instructional staff; share of full-time faculty; and faculty staff salary.
Campus Safety — Includes on-campus arrests and on-campus crime.
Campus Experience — Includes share of international students; percentage of students living on campus; NCAA membership; availability of study-abroad program; gender/racial diversity; average earnings from on-campus employment; and presence of placement services for graduates.
Educational Outcomes — Includes retention rate; graduation rate; and credentials awarded per undergraduate enrollment.
Career Outcomes — Includes return on educational investment; share of graduates offered full-time employment within six months; post-attendance median salary; share of former students outearning high school graduates; share of students reducing their debt; and student-loan default rate.
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